language ideologies – Page 5 – Language on the Move

English as a global language

Multilingual provision is cheaper than English-Only

Hiroshi Mikitani, Englishnization in Marketplace 3.0 (Source: gettyimages.co.uk) The business and self-help section of my local Kinokuniya bookstore is currently featuring shelves and shelves of Marketplace 3.0: Rewriting the rules…

Ingrid PillerApril 4, 2013

Language at work

Language and the stratification of restaurant labour

Different languages for different jobs in this Los Angeles restaurant Are there language requirements for working in restaurants in Los Angeles? These two employment signs that I saw in the…

Calvin N. HoMarch 25, 2013

Is speaking English a civic duty?

In today’s immigration countries, adherents of the “one nation, one language” idea face a unique ideological problem: to claim that the national language is a sign of national loyalty and…

Ingrid PillerMarch 4, 2013

Language, lies and statistics

Speak English, people! says British politician Ed Miliband (Source: msn.com) Every ten years the UK government conducts a census, which every British resident is obliged by law to take part…

Deborah CameronFebruary 22, 2013

Intercultural communication Language learning

Where are you from?

The Adelaide delegation at this year's Esperanto conference. Indrani is in the front right. When we meet new people we often ask straight away: where are you from? For many…

Nicole ElseFebruary 6, 2013

English as a global language

Is English improving lives in a remote Indonesian village?

The house of the English high school teacher in the village in Sulawesi where Pasassung conducted his fieldwork In a recent post, I reviewed language policy research that shows how…

Ingrid PillerFebruary 1, 2013

Language in Australia

Multiculturalism without multilingualism

Multiculturalism in Australia: Should it be seen but not heard? (Source: det.wa.edu.au) Australia has embraced multiculturalism as official national policy since the 1970s. Interestingly, the most recent incarnation of the…

Shiva Motaghi TabariJanuary 29, 2013

English as a global language

Taiwan’s love affair with American English

Ad for a private English language school in Taiwan: the normalization of American English is obvious in the name and imagery There is no denying the fact that English has…

Jackie ChangJanuary 22, 2013

English as a global language

English for everyone is unfair

Promoting English language learning: billboard for private early English instruction in Wuhan Knowledge of English has come to be seen as the key talent of the 21st century, a way…

Ingrid PillerJanuary 11, 2013

Multilingual families

Early study abroad students in young adulthood

Jogiyuhak (early study abroad) is very popular in South Korea (Source: chosun.com) Readers of Language on the Move will be familiar with South Korea’s English fever, the sweeping zeal for…

Bong Jeong LeeJanuary 8, 2013

Intercultural communication

The exotic Chinese language

Chinese: What does the Chinese language mean to Western tourists visiting China? Ingrid’s blog post “Character challenge” has set me thinking about Chinese language learning these days. I have found…

Chen Xiaoxiao 陈潇潇January 4, 2013

English as a global language

Multilingual Hong Kong

Multilingual Hong Kong (Katherine Chen and Gray Carper, 2005-2007) During our visit to Hong Kong, Kimie and I met Katherine Chen, who introduced us to a sociolinguistic film she has…

Ingrid PillerDecember 3, 2012

Next Gen Literacies

Losing voice in academic writing

Losing your voice or learning academic writing? (Source: business2community.com) “A latent function of the educational system is to instil linguistic insecurity, to discriminate linguistically, to channel children in ways that…

Grace Chu-Lin ChangNovember 13, 2012

English as a global language

Is English a local language in Berlin?

Carla Hackett, Neukölln Hipster (Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cood/6065684573) Recently, I asked my German-speaking, Berlin-based daughter Nanna whether she was able to understand our English-speaking neighbour when he talks with his daughter, Nanna’s…

Britta SchneiderSeptember 7, 2012

Bangladeshi manager speaking English and subtitled in British educational video “How fair is fashion”

English as a global language

Illegitimate English

Bangladeshi manager speaking English and subtitled in British educational video "How fair is fashion?" The other day I watched a show about global textile production. How fair is fashion? by…

Ingrid PillerAugust 27, 2012

Multilingual families

English dominates at German camp in USA

Eierlaufen (egg-and-spoon race) at German Camp, USA My two daughters – whom my wife and I are raising as English-German bilinguals in the USA – have been going to German…