Language planning and lots of it..

I am a European citizen and I also feel like one. On the other hand, I also feel Dutch. Should I then speak Dutch, French, German or English, or should I speak all of them. It is quite hard to make one rule out of it. Is the feeling where you belong connected to what language you have to speak or is language just something we learn and use?

I believe these are the underlying thoughts and questions when we come to the debate on the language policy of the European Union. The European Language Policy is vast and varying. Overall, the European languages are the supported by the European Language Policy. Multilingualism is in general seen as the only possible answer to the all the different languages that are spoken within the European Union.

This is of course not the only option. In the current situation in the European Union every national language is allowed. The delegates speak with each other in their own language while a translator translates. This has been the case for all the years in the past. What is however happening in every level of politics in the European Union, is that English is becoming a more used language. Documents are becoming mostly printed in English and delegates tend to use English in informal meetings. Outside of the supranational institution, European citizens are getting more used to speak English. This raised the overall question on what to do with languages within the European Union.

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The Multilingual Nightmare of the European Union

Even though the term ‘European Language Policy’ might sound like something concrete, universal and uniting, it is arguable that it is any of those things. Multilingualism has always been the policy of the EU and lies in the heart of the organisation. This multilingual policy aims at preserving language diversity. However, in this blog post I would like to assess whether this multilingual policy is really as functional as it is made to sound or does it result in a zero-sum game on the expense of efficiency.

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European language policies; adequate answer?

As a final blog assignment for the After Babel course of 2014-2015, this post dedicates its attention to the ongoing debate about the European language policies. The European Union consists of 28 countries, hence multiculturalism and multilingualism are inevitable in my opinion. The main objective of the 2008 communication published by the EU Commission (2008) was “to raise awareness of the value and opportunities of the EU’s linguistic diversity and encourage the removal of barriers to intercultural dialogue” (p.5).  Continue reading European language policies; adequate answer?

Bilingualism Plus

Now, at the end of this years After Babel course and after numerous discussions and opinions about language policy, it is time to come to an end with this blog. The final question to answer is whether the European Language Policy is an adequate answer to the complexities of the coming decades. It serves as a perfect way to reflect upon the discussions and opinions shared throughout the last weeks. Continue reading Bilingualism Plus

An Assessment of EU Language Policy

Multilingualism is in the genetic code of the Union.– Leonard Orban, former Commissioner for multilingualism

Institutions_europeennes_IMG_4300From the very beginning, multilingualism has been at the core of the European integration project. The European continent is characterized by huge linguistic diversity, and the importance of protecting this diversity has been recognized by the relevant European institutions from early onwards. However, given the complexities of the current age of globalisation and the rise of English as a lingua franca, European language policies face ever more difficulties.

In this blog entry, I want to focus especially on the European Union and how it applies multilingualism in its institutions. The principle of multilingualism is crucial for the EU setting and should be maintained as far as possible. However, restricting the use of languages at certain levels is reasonable and the benefits of English as a lingua franca should be explored.

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Alles Denglisch oder was?

Fresh out of the Gymnasium after having successfully reached the Abitur, I was looking for interesting new academic routes. As I had fostered my love for languages during my time in school, I was keen on choosing a programme taught in English or another foreign language. However, within the borders of Germany and close to my home the possibilities seemed quite scarce.

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English Medium Instruction: a positive development?

English medium instruction is becoming increasingly common at universities around the world. This is a logical consequence of a globalizing world in which the de facto lingua franca is English. But while this may seem like a positive development to a lot of people, there are also concerns among some people regarding the implications of this development.

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English Medium Instruction: Facing realities

Personally, I never experienced higher education in my native language. After completion of my “Abitur”, I went straight to the Netherlands to study in English. But why not study in Dutch if you already decided to study in the Netherlands? This might seem slightly contradictory in the beginning, but when facing today`s realities it makes great sense.

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Do we want to speak English?

Maastricht vs Ankara…

Today Iam going to explain to you my personal experience with English as a medium of instruction (EMI). I have studied European Studies at Maastricht University now for two and a half years. Furthermore, I was on an exchange in Ankara where the medium of instruction was likewise English. The level of competence that was expected from us in the first year was quite high. Already the second course anticipated a 5000 words paper. Simultaneously, our bachelor course offered an academic writing skills tutorial that introduced to us the style of English that was expected from us when writing these academic papers. After taking this course my writing skill increased dramatically as I learned how to structure my thoughts and put them together in a comprehensive text. As I spent the year before my bachelor studies in England I came to Maastricht with a good ability to speak, which has helped me to participate in the tutorials straight away. In Maastricht, as opposed to Bilkent University in Ankara, only a couple of courses are offered with EMI. Therefore, at Bilkent every student has to take his or her classes in English. I noticed that these students did not have the same level of English as fellow students from Maastricht. At this place I want to bring in Shohamy’s (2012) critique on EMI with the issue of content vs quality. She argues that students who are less acquainted with the language of instruction naturally would achieve lower academic results. Content was often not fully understood and students were too shy to ask the instructor to repeat himself or herself. Therefore, the workload and what was expected from us did not match the standards of Maastricht University. In my opinion it makes a lot of sense to instruct some courses that are designed for an international career in English. However, when EMI becomes the language policy of an entire University I agree with Shohamy and see the standard of teaching endangered.

 

EMI and our globalised world…

english-lingua-francaWilkinson (2011) explains how Universities follow financial interests by offering courses thought in English. It attracts national as well as international students and fosters diversity and intercultural exchange between different nationalities. For a course like European Studies I can say that I strongly support the choice of English as a medium of instruction. Students from all over Europe and beyond shall contribute to the content of this course from different cultural perspectives. For that choosing one language is the most efficient way in order to achieve good communication. However, such an environment leads to the demise of all other languages (exept for German in Maastricht due to the high amount of German speakers). Therefore, a course like European Studies could offer extracurricular cultural events that would place the language, food and music culture of a particular country in the foreground for other students to explore. Furthermore, learning another language should be part of the course agenda to promote multilingualism and circumvent the dominant nature of the presence of the English language to take the universal place within the academic environment.