Comments on: Linguistic diversity and social inclusion in Australia

By: VinN

VinN — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 02:06:00 +0000

Australian government has been trying to narrow the language gap between local people and migrant by provide some training program and language service, but I think the migrants need more official language competency training. Students can participate some workshops related to academic language, and they have easier access to materials.
Some church may have language training, but they are not authentic, and they mostly focus on communication rather than language competency. If a learner learns in institutes provide language training, they may have to invest more money and time. If the monolingual society remains like this in Australia, migrants may have to seek help from their communities.

By: Flora Launay

Flora Launay — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 00:53:00 +0000

Linguistic diversity and the issue of social inclusion is a very “fashionable” topic as globalisation makes the world a “giant village”. Australia is a perfect example of super-diversity where one can find people from all over the world. It seems that each continent, and almost each culture is represented.
I understand how and why migrants can feel excluded both in the workplace and in universities. However, I think it is essential we don’t put all the migrants in the same categories.
When migrants come in Australia because it is their choice, because they want to find a better job, or because they want a new adventure overseas, then I believe it is their repsonsability to make an effort to adapt to the country they live in. Even though multiculturalism and multilingualism has a lot of benefits and is very enriching, I think every nation needs to have one “standard” language that represents it. And if one wants to be accepted and included in the society, then it is their choice to make an effort to achieve this.
I am myself not a native-speaker of English and a “temporary migrant” if I call myself this way. I just find it normal that universities expect me to have a good level of academic literacy. I find it normal that potential employers expect a fluent level of English from me. If I am nto willing to adapt and get integrated to a new country, then why should I be here in the first place?
However, I know that it is not easy for everyone and that some people arrive in Australia without realy choosing it. On this note, I believe it is essential that their culture and languages are not ignored.
It is important to celebrate diversity but the identity of the nation also needs to be recognised.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 07:56:00 +0000

I agree that it is essential to support academic literacy programs that provide immigrants the chance to acquire comprehensive English language skills so that they are able to blend into the society and compete on the labor market on more equal terms. In addition, making “learning second languages in the schools” compulsory also need to be implemented as soon as possible as not only does it enhance the diversity of languages in Australia but it is likely to contribute to the preservation of many indigenous languages. The reason is that if migrant children are given the chance to learn a second language, there is a high possibility that they will learn their mother tongue.

By: Amra Habib

Amra Habib — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 10:38:00 +0000

Australia contains a large number of immigrants and a lot of small ethnic groups coming from multicultural backgrounds. English language in Australia plays a major role in inclusion for migrants for being a main tool for communication. Migrants are facing many barriers in the host country including the language problem. Therefore, the government should focus on implementing language programs in the Australian schools to improve the language proficiency of the migrants, this include the reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.