The purpose of this study is to examine the linguistic and non-linguistic goals of the Southeast Asian languages (SEAL) policy in Taiwan. It was proposed by former President Ma Ying-jeou's administration to develop grades 1-12 students' multilingual awareness, for there has been an increasingly significant presence of second-generation Southeast…

The main indicator of the priority directions of the state language policy is state language development programs. State language development programs directly affect the identification and formation of linguistic identity, especially the linguistic identity of youth. This article discusses the impact of state programs on the development of the…

The state of language education in Australia has long been described as paradoxical. Oscillating between periods of increased attention and seeming invisibility, over the last thirty years, the language learning sector has been punctuated by a succession of aspirational declarations and funding injections with little long-term impact on its…

Language is commonly positioned as an economic resource. Recent debates have argued that policy interpretations of language as economic resource can potentially undermine language positioning and reduce understanding of the cognitive, cultural and social benefits of language learning. In monolingual policy contexts, such a positioning means that…

This article engages with diachronic analysis, an analysis of changes over time, as it relates to the field of language planning and policy (LPP) through a case study of a local language problem: the introduction of Chinese language into an established government school over a 10-year period. Using cultural-historical activity theory, expanding…

This article examines the relationship between European language policy and funded language learning projects in the field of LSP. We look at why and how the objectives were expressed, how the overall directions have evolved over the past decade, and how the LSP landscape has been redefined through research and implementation. Our discursive and…

Despite the increasing number of the North Korean refugees in South Korea every year, there have been few studies of the language-support programs for their resettlement. This study uses a micro-language planning perspective to examine how the resettled North Korean refugee students respond to the government-level language-support programs by…

The paper Languages in Contemporary Anglophone Caribbean Societies examines how language is treated in Jamaica and other Anglophone Caribbean societies and the effects of a haphazard approach to language planning on the social dynamics of the society as well as the individual. It briefly explores how Language is handled in Francophone or…

The current internationalization trends in higher education and educational language policies impel universities to plan their provision of foreign languages. Often, universities are developing language policies, redesigning their foreign language programs and seeking to foster bilingual or multilingual strategies within graduate and undergraduate…

Although multilingualism is the norm in Africa the degree of linguistic complexity varies from one specific national context to another. While some countries are highly multilingual, others have fairly few languages. Similarly, whereas in some countries a good number of languages enjoy majority status; in others, we have a myriad of primarily…

The history of the role of assessment in policy-making for languages education in Australia over the past 20 years is characterised by a complex and shifting interface between language policy, curriculum and assessment. Three phases can be identified during which significant changes occur. These highlight an ongoing struggle for legitimacy for…

In a surprise announcement in December 1996 in a speech at the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs, the late Nigerian Head of State, General Sani Abacha said "Nigeria is resolutely launching a programme of national language training that will in a short order, permit our country to become thoroughly bilingual". General Abacha's…

The process of identifying and meeting U.S. national security needs, as well as the needs of international business and trade in the area of foreign languages and international studies, is complex. Three studies of the problem are discussed here: (1) a study by the General Accounting Office of foreign affairs agencies' capacity to obtain needed…

A revised version of testimony in favor of support for foreign language education at all levels. The need for Americans to become more proficient in foreign languages in view of economic, social, and political interdependence; the advantage of an early start; and support for advanced foreign language study are discussed. (AMH)

An interview with the current president of the Alliance Francaise reviews the evolution of French cultural outreach since World War II, related initiatives by the French government and private agencies, important activities of the alliance, and specific areas in which research on the role of French is needed. (MSE)