Kristof Savski | Prince of Songkla University (original) (raw)

Papers by Kristof Savski

Language Policy

This article considers the role that the examination of text plays in empirical language policy r... more This article considers the role that the examination of text plays in empirical language policy research. It begins by examining the state-of-the-art in language policy, observing that a core focus on action represents a shared characteristic of the various strands of discursive and ethnographic research over the last two decades. That is, the emergence of these approaches has accompanied an implicit or explicit shift away from the once dominant conceptualization of language policy as status quo and toward a focus on the dynamic processes through which power is exercised over language use. Reflecting on the widespread use of ethnographic methods to catalogue such processes, I argue that there is a need to reconsider how policy texts are conceptualized and studied from a discursive perspective. While much of the available toolkit treats policy texts as static products, giving little consideration to how they are embedded in the dynamics of policy, I propose an expanded focus on language policy as (re)entextualization, in which text is continuously formed and reformed through time-space. This better accounts for the reality of policy, which involves cycles of writing and rewriting, as well as interpreting and re-interpreting, by different actors with different agendas, in different spaces at different times. Such a reconceptualization also offers more backing for the study of how language policy texts are agentively transformed and fragmented, and better supports the investigation of how language is instrumentalized in exercises of power in society.

TESL-EJ

Since it was first published by the Council of Europe in 2001, the Common European Framework of R... more Since it was first published by the Council of Europe in 2001, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has become one of the most widely referenced documents in language education, particularly in English language teaching and assessment (Savski, in press). The recently released CEFR Companion Volume (2020), with its new descriptions of plurilingual and pluricultural competence and mediation, has done much to extend the potential of the framework, as it provides a more concrete foundation for using CEFR to support heteroglossic pedagogies. In this way, CEFR has acquired a greater level of potential relevance to innovative pedagogies in English language education, such as Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT), which seeks to equip learners with communicative skills and dispositions needed for success in a world where the target interlocutors are linguistically and culturally diverse (Rose & Galloway, 2019). In this paper, we examine the prospects for using CEFR to support heteroglossic pedagogies like GELT, highlighting points of convergence between descriptions of competence in CEFR and current scholarship in Global Englishes, as well as points of divergence between the two. We underline the need to embed CEFR in decentralizing educational reforms, in which the framework is used to facilitate teacher agency, rather than to impose objectives and methods upon them.

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2018

This chapter focuses on the synergy that researchers in language policy have developed by integra... more This chapter focuses on the synergy that researchers in language policy have developed by integrating two other subfields of sociolinguistics: critical discourse analysis and critical ethnography. The chapter begins by discussing the meanings of the three key concepts used in these approaches, albeit sometimes in significantly different ways: critique, ethnography, and discourse. It then examines how these concepts are relevant to contemporary analyses of language policy, focusing particularly on their potential to open new and innovative avenues of research. To demonstrate how an integrated critical discourse and ethnographic approach can be applied in concrete empirical research, the chapter presents an analysis of language policy and practice in the European Union before providing an overview of other relevant studies in the area.

Language in Society

The multi/translingual turn in sociolinguistics has highlighted a number of ideological entanglem... more The multi/translingual turn in sociolinguistics has highlighted a number of ideological entanglements of foundational concepts, most significantly the way that the notion of ‘named languages’ as bordered entities is intertwined with ideologies of nation and race. In this article, I consider what the conceptual place for linguistic borders is within a ‘trans’ framework of language and propose a focus on bordering, social actions in which indexical meanings at different scales are mobilized to exert control over discursive space by erecting boundaries within or around it. I draw on data from a Facebook group for non-local teachers of English in Thailand, examining how bordering served interests of hegemonic power when linguistic borders were policed with reference to ideologies of nation, as well as how it enabled counter-hegemonic resistance when borders were erected to separate teachers of colour from the intense discursive struggle in the group.

Language Awareness

There is now increased awareness of the need to challenge ‘common sense’ ideologies of language i... more There is now increased awareness of the need to challenge ‘common sense’ ideologies of language in education, turning language classrooms into spaces of analysis and liberation. Key to achieving this goal is equipping students with the skills needed to navigate diverse, complex discourses about language (critical thinking), as well as fostering an agentive disposition among them (critical language awareness). This paper reports on research which examined how these qualities can be developed by involving language learners in analysis of public signs (linguistic landscape). 33 undergraduate students at a public university in Bhutan were recruited to participate in an extra-curricular activity in which they were asked to independently collect examples of public signs from the capital Thimphu and engage in guided analysis and discussion of the linguistic and visual features of the signs. Analysis of video recordings of learner interaction as well as of the textual data produced during and after the activity indicated that critical thinking processes were activated with relative regularity. In combination with pre- and post-activity interviews, this data also indicated that activating critical thinking through the activity also allowed several of the learners to take up a more agentive position in discourses about language in Bhutan.

International Journal of Multilingualism

Recent work on linguistic landscapes at schools (schoolscapes) has highlighted the complex dialog... more Recent work on linguistic landscapes at schools (schoolscapes) has highlighted the complex dialogic relationship between the semiotics of public signage in educational spaces and policies seeking to enforce dominant ideologies. In this paper, we discuss the results of research conducted in the Deep South of Thailand, a minority region in which the predominant language, ethnicity and religion are different from the rest of the nation, and which has over the last century been exposed to significant assimilatory pressure. Drawing on an analysis of language use in two Islamic schools in the region, as well as interviews and focus groups with administrators, teachers and students, we focus on the temporality of meanings – how schoolscapes are anchored in narratives of the past, present and future. Historical memories evoked by particular elements of the schoolscapes are discussed, particularly in light of the efforts of the local population to resist assimilatory policies. We also discuss the aspirations of our participants for the future, observing that, while recent language policy in Thailand has focussed primarily on promoting Thai and English, our participants saw a much more varied plurilingualism as relevant to their lives.

Asian Englishes

The increasing use of English as a global language has challenged many the fundamental assumption... more The increasing use of English as a global language has challenged many the fundamental assumptions underpinning English langugae teaching (ELT). The Global Englishes (GE) paradigm acknowledges linguistic diversity associated with English use today, highlighting the need for this diverse profile of English to be reflected in language classrooms. This article reports on the effect of raising Thai English learners’ awareness of GE on their perceptions of English language learning and use. Findings revealed a positive influence of GE awareness raising on students’ perceptions of various aspects related to language learning and use, including gaining more self-confidence in language use, developing respectful attitudes toward English varieties and speakers, redefining language learning purposes and goals, and reconceptualizing the ideal instructional model. The study maintains that it is crucial for current ELT to continue to expose learners to the plurality of Englishes in order to prepare them for the complexity of English encounters.

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

This article examines how inequalities of race impact on the way migrant teachers of English in T... more This article examines how inequalities of race impact on the way migrant teachers of English in Thailand articular their identity and belonging to the teaching profession and to the society they live in. There is at present a rather limited body of work on the migration of language teachers, despite the fact that mobility of teachers across conventional borders is part-and-parcel of language education in the globalised era. We report on research conducted in Thailand, whose education sector accommodates a large, varied population of migrant teachers. On the basis of 14 interviews with migrant teachers based in Thailand, the article highlights significant tension around identity and belonging, both at the professional level (identification with the teaching profession) and the societal level (identification with Thai society). The study highlights the need to balance perspectives in the study of identity and belonging in teacher migration, including the ways teacher migration may be instrumentalised as part of local inequalities.

ELT Journal

Over the last two decades, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has be... more Over the last two decades, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has become ubiquitous in ELT. In this article, I consider how differences in the way in which the framework is being interpreted by different powerful actors, including governments and for-profit organizations, affect its usability for ELT practitioners, a key segment of its intended audience and thus, at least in theory, key beneficiaries of its spread. I highlight three key paradoxes faced by ELT practitioners working with the framework, relating to whether CEFR is to be seen as a flexible point of reference or a set standard, whether the communicative competence described by CEFR is to be seen in a conventional, universal sense or from a more dynamic contemporary perspective, and whether CEFR is to be seen as associated with prepackaged methods (textbooks) or as a vehicle for the development of local pedagogies. I conclude by calling for deeper awareness of these paradoxes among ELT practitioners to support the productive implementation of CEFR.

Current Issues in Language Planning

One of the products of globalization in sociolinguistics is the emergence of transnational regime... more One of the products of globalization in sociolinguistics is the emergence of transnational regimes in language policy, in which power is exercised across boundaries of traditional nation states. This paper engages with audit culture, a transnational policy mechanism which involves the continuous evaluation of nation states’ performance through the use of purportedly neutral, typically quantitative instruments. As achieving broader visibility in public discourse is a key part of how such evaluations enforce language policy regimes, the paper presents an analysis of how an audit instrument, the Education First English Proficiency Index, was recontextualized in media discourse in Thailand over a 6-year period. The findings highlight an apparent discontinuity, as much of the neoliberal rhetoric in the audit instrument was not taken up in Thai media. Rather, the recontextualization was selective, with elements of the audit texts being integrated into an already established language policy regime in Thailand, built on nationalism and developmentalism. These findings point to the need to consider how language policy mechanisms like audit culture can facilitate synergies between hegemonic ideologies, particularly when they are recontextualized across different scales.

Transnational Identities and Practices in English Language Teaching

The English Teacher, 2021

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has become one of the most widely... more The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has become one of the most widely cited documents in language education across the globe, its influence now felt far beyond the confines of Europe, the context for which it was originally produced. In Malaysia, CEFR was given particular prominence in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 and English Language Education Reform in Malaysia: The Roadmap 2015-2025, both of which positioned the framework as the primary yardstick by which curricula were to be developed and against which achievements (or lack thereof) were to be evaluated. This paper examines CEFR from the perspective of language policy, focussing particularly on the implications this document has for local agency in the Malaysian context. The paper begins by examining the constructs of language and language education underlying CEFR, pointing in particular to how these reflect the socio-political context for which the framework was developed. The next section examines how policy texts in the Malaysian context, in particular the 2015 Roadmap, have interpreted CEFR, highlighting in particular the way that these texts (as other policies across the globe) have tended to treat the CEFR reference levels as a global standard, with little scope for local agency. The final section considers alternative, localized models for using CEFR as language policy in Malaysia, in particular how the framework may be used in support of an inclusive agenda in which diversity and multilingualism are embraced.

Linguistic Landscape

Analysis of signage has traditionally represented a point of entry into examinations of language ... more Analysis of signage has traditionally represented a point of entry into examinations of language policy, with the visibility of different languages seen to be potentially indicative of repression of multilingualism, of struggles between different language regimes or of grassroots resistance to top-down agendas. This paper argues for a more discursive approach to the nexus between linguistic landscape and language policy in investigations of multilingual spaces. I present two case studies of the interaction between language policy and linguistic landscape in the southern Thai city of Hat Yai, the first examining part of the central commercial district and the second the cafeteria of the main university located in the city. The findings highlight numerous points of interaction between language policy and public signage, though they also underline the complex and sometimes tenuous nature of this relationship.

TESOL Quarterly

The investigation and unmasking of racial inequality have been one of the cornerstones of the cri... more The investigation and unmasking of racial inequality have been one of the cornerstones of the critical turn in TESOL, so much so that a significant body of literature on the topic now exists. Yet, there is often a lack of reflection on the fact that discourse surrounding contentious social issues like race is inherently dialogical in that it consists of constant interaction between different voices (heteroglossia) and ideologies (polyphony). This paper presents the findings of a study focussing on the dialogicality of discourse surrounding the recruitment of non-local teachers of English in Thailand. This research, framed by the existence of significant inequalities between teachers of different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds in the Thai educational system, examined the role race played in interactions in a Facebook group for non-local teachers of English seeking employment in Thailand. The analysis focussed on identifying points of struggle, salient topics around which particularly intensive concentrations of dialogicality could be found. Two are presented in this paper, the struggle for discursive space to debate racial inequality and the struggle over the assignment of victimhood and perpetrator-hood. I conclude by arguing for more attention to be paid to how global inequalities in TESOL are debated and challenged locally.

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

One of the features of the growing prominence of English across the globe is the proliferation of... more One of the features of the growing prominence of English across the globe is the proliferation of English-medium instruction (EMI) programmes at all levels of education, driven by a neoliberal agenda which places a disproportionate value on English over other languages. While this spread has primarily affected more developed, urban contexts, EMI has also started to spread beyond the borders of large cities and into peripheral, rural areas, including those where minority languages are used. There is at present, however, a sparsity of research on how the introduction of EMI impacts the often delicate language ecology in such contexts. This paper presents the results of a study of how EMI policy was implemented at a primary school in the Deep South of Thailand, a region where the majority of the population speak Malay as their L1. The findings of this research, drawn on the basis of interviews, focus groups and classroom observations, highlighted the existence of a hierarchical linguistic ecology in which English and Thai, the international and national language, were privileged over the local language, owing both to their dominant position in official language policy and the attitudes of local policy arbiters.

Language Policy, 2020

Since its publication in 2001, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) ha... more Since its publication in 2001, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has become a highly influential means of describing language proficiency. Its spread has, however, been marked by contradictions, since the framework has been appropriated in the service of a variety of different policy agendas. In this paper, I argue that such contradictions are indicative of broader ideological contrasts, which may impact how the Local problems and a global solution: examining the recontextualization of CEFR in Thai and Malaysian language policies

The Journal of Asia TEFL, 2019

In recent years, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has spread far b... more In recent years, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has spread far beyond the borders of Europe and become a point of reference for language teaching in a variety of contexts. It has seen particularly wide-spread use in Asia, with Malaysia and Thailand recently joining the already large number of nations using the framework. There are, however, often significant differences between the values of the Council of Europe (CoE) that CEFR was intended to represent and the values that underpin its uses in non-European contexts. In particular, while CEFR was intended to usher a new ‘post-communicative’ era in language teaching, centred on the promotion of plurilingualism and pluriculturalism, Thai and Malaysian policy positions it as an instrument for reinforcing the existing ‘communicative’ orientation. The purpose of this paper is to consider the contrasts between the ‘communicative’ and ‘post-communicative’ educational philosophies and to outline an alternative, CEFR-compatible agenda for policy reform.

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

Existing research has highlighted the complexity of the discourse surrounding ‘(non-)native speak... more Existing research has highlighted the complexity of the discourse surrounding ‘(non-)native speaker’, particularly with regard to how teachers are perceived by learners. This complexity has been compounded by globalisation, which has increased transnational mobility of teachers. Thailand has been particularly affected by this, as its population of local teachers has been complemented by a growing yet highly diverse contingent of migrant teachers. In this paper, we present the results of a study conducted at three secondary schools in Southern Thailand, which used a combination of interviews and focus groups to examine how various local participants in English teaching and learning (teachers, students, parents, administrators) perceived migrant (i.e. non-Thai) English teachers, focussing particularly on how these perceptions used ‘(non-)nativeness’ as a point of reference. Our analysis focusses on two overarching themes, ‘race’ and ‘inequality’, which also invoke links with broader discourses: Firstly, we show that the perceptions of migrant teachers were heavily racialized, with ‘nativeness’ equated with whiteness and Westernness and ‘non-nativeness’ associated with Asianness. Secondly, we find that the participants’ perceptions involved significant reference to inequality, as access to ‘nativeness’ represented a symbolic resource accessible only to learners with sufficient economic capital.

Critical Discourse Studies

Contemporary public discourses are, despite the growing array of technologies and spaces for part... more Contemporary public discourses are, despite the growing array of technologies and spaces for participation, becoming increasingly characterised by polarization-the formation of two distinct and relatively homogeneous 'sides'. However, while such polarization may be commonplace, it is not an inherent property of discourse but rather a result of strategic polarizing actions taken by specific actors in order to establish control over the debate. In order to describe the process of polarization in a public discourse about language policy in Slovenia, this paper presents a theoretical framework based on Bakhtin's concepts of heteroglossia (diversity of voices), polyphony (diversity of ideology) and dialogicality (relatedness of voices and ideologies) and on the central concepts of critical discourse studies (CDS). The case study is based on a qualitative analysis of a sample of 48 newspaper articles reporting on the language policy debate, collected from two major Slovene newspapers during 2016. Additionally, the case study also relies on field notes and transcripts obtained from a public hearing held in the Slovene parliament. The analysis of these two data sources uncovers a debate which was heavily polarized due to both ideological difference as well as continuous reinforcement of the Manichean dichotomy. In particular, the paper shows that this polarization was strengthened by explicit practices of identity construction and suppression of dissent which allowed the construction of a homogeneous Self and Other in discourse.

Journal of Language and Politics

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of integrating Bourdieu's notions of field ... more The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of integrating Bourdieu's notions of field and capital in discursive analyses of language policy. The paper presents an analysis of a debate in a committee session of the Slovene parliament, where different actors negotiated about the contents of a language policy strategy. The study draws on nexus analysis by focussing on the situated nature of discursive actions in particular settings, and presents a historical ethnography which combines analysis of transcripts with interviews and a detailed examination of policy documents. The analysis uncovers the efforts of actors to legitimize their authority and achieve their goals with the support of capital accumulated in different fields, and focusses particularly on the dynamics involved in translating the value of sources of capital across the borders of different fields.

Language Policy

TESL-EJ

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2018

Language in Society

Language Awareness

International Journal of Multilingualism

Asian Englishes

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

ELT Journal

Current Issues in Language Planning

Transnational Identities and Practices in English Language Teaching

The English Teacher, 2021

Linguistic Landscape

TESOL Quarterly

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

Language Policy, 2020

The Journal of Asia TEFL, 2019

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

Critical Discourse Studies

Journal of Language and Politics

This chapter focuses on the synergy that researchers in language policy have developed by integra... more This chapter focuses on the synergy that researchers in language policy have developed by integrating two other subfields of sociolinguistics: critical discourse analysis and critical ethnography. The chapter begins by discussing the meanings of the three key concepts used in these approaches, albeit sometimes in significantly different ways:
critique, ethnography, and discourse. It then examines how these concepts are relevant to contemporary analyses of language policy, focusing particularly on their potential to open new and innovative avenues of research. To demonstrate how an integrated critical
discourse and ethnographic approach can be applied in concrete empirical research, the chapter presents an analysis of language policy and practice in the European Union before providing an overview of other relevant studies in the area.

Zbornik 32. simpozija Obdobja, Nov 2013

Pri obravnavi jezikovne kulture z vidika potreb danasnjih govorcev se zaradi umescenosti njenih k... more Pri obravnavi jezikovne kulture z vidika potreb danasnjih govorcev se zaradi umescenosti njenih konceptov v specificni zgodovinski kontekst ponuja zakljucek, da gre za danes zastarelo jezikovnopoliticno usmeritev. V prispevku o tematiki premisljujem na drug nacin in razvijem pogled na jezikovnokulturno tradicijo kot utrjen prostor javne razprave, ki lahko odgovori tudi na zahteve
oblikujoce se poznomoderne druzbe. Svojo razpravo utemeljim na konceptih komunikativnih dejanj, clovekovih pravic in deliberativne demokracije.

When analysing language cultivation in terms of the needs of modern language communities, the way its concepts are anchored in a specific historical context suggests that this is a now obsolete stream in language policy. In this paper, I reconsider the topic from a new perspective, seeing the tradition of language cultivation as an established space of public discussion which can also cater to the needs of late modern society.My discussion is founded on concepts such as communicative action, human rights and deliberative democracy.

V prispevku premišljam o tem, zakaj je enojezični slovar slovenščine za sodobno slovensko jezikos... more V prispevku premišljam o tem, zakaj je enojezični slovar slovenščine za sodobno slovensko jezikoslovje tako pomemben. Analiziram diskurzivno »vojno«, ki že več let zaznamuje slovensko jezikoslovje in jezikovno politiko, in jo povežem s slovarsko problematiko. Na koncu predstavim zaključek, da je glavni izid »bitke za slovar« ohranjanje statusa quo v slovenski jezikovni politiki ter nadaljnji umik drugih tem v ozadje.

Barakos, E. & Unger, J. (eds.), Discursive Approaches to Language Policy, 2016

Forchtner, B. & Wodak, R. (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Language and Politics, 2017

Historical ethnography of policy discourse: examining the genesis of a language strategy in Slovenia, 2019

This chapter presents the theoretical underpinnings of historical ethnography in the analysis of ... more This chapter presents the theoretical underpinnings of historical ethnography in the analysis of policy discourse and examines key methodological considerations in studies which take this approach. I begin by situating such research theoretically according to three dimensions, the discursive, ethnographic and historiographic, pointing out existing synergies between relatively distinct theoretical and methodological traditions. To examine how policy analyses can benefit from integrating these approaches, I then present a case study in which this methodology was applied, focussing on the development and implementation of a language policy in Slovenia. I show how the use of historiographic methods of gathering sources and a discursive approach to analysing them allowed me to develop a detailed description of a highly complex policy text despite having no direct access to back-stage political deliberations.

Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Migration Control, 2020

Critical Policy Discourse Analysis, 2019

This book provides a series of contemporary and international policy case studies analysed throug... more This book provides a series of contemporary and international policy case studies analysed through discursive methodological approaches in the traditions of critical discourse analysis, social semiotics and discourse theory. This is the first volume that connects this discursive methodology systematically to the field of critical policy analysis and will therefore be an essential book for researchers who wish to include a discursive analysis in their critical policy research.

See
https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/critical-policy-discourse-analysis
for further details and recommendations

In this presentation, I will report on my on-going study of Slovene language policy. My research ... more In this presentation, I will report on my on-going study of Slovene language policy. My research focusses on the trajectory of a single policy document from inception to (attempted) implementation. It analyses policymaking practices during a time of political, social and economic instability in Slovenia, and investigates how the roles of various actors involved with the policy changed along with the political landscape. It also investigates the role of linguists as experts and authorities in the policy process. In my framework, I draw on interpretive policy analysis, critical discourse analysis, critical sociolinguistics, and state theory.
One of the key sites of policymaking that affected the policy document I focus on was its time in the Slovene parliament. In this talk I will draw on the discourse-historical approach to critical discourse analysis (e.g. Reisigl & Wodak, 2009) and mediated discourse analysis (e.g. Scollon, 2001) to describe how in the parliament, seen as a complex nexus of practices, different interests (and policy meanings) compete for power, and how consensus is achieved. In my analysis, I will draw on transcripts and video recordings of parliamentary sessions, interviews with key actors, and documentary data.

References:
Reisigl, M., & Wodak, R. (2009). The discourse-historical approach. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of critical discourse analysis (2nd ed., pp. 87-121). Los Angeles: SAGE.
Scollon, R. (2001). Action and text: towards an integrated understanding of the place of text in social (inter)action, mediated discourse analysis and the problem of social action. In R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis (pp. 139-183). London: SAGE.

Language cultivation is an approach to language planning which was originally designed in the ear... more Language cultivation is an approach to language planning which was originally designed in the early 20th Century by linguists of the Prague Circle. In order to support social modernisation within a nation-state, they advocated proactive development of the standard language, with the aim of preparing it to fulfil the widest possible array of functions. This approach to language planning was very quickly taken up by scholars in Slovenia, where it blended together with a tradition of aggressive purism. In my talk, I examine the legacy of this tradition in current Slovenian society against the background of a critical approach to language policy. I briefly present more traditional means of prescription before analysing a recent interactive quiz about grammar and orthography. I conclude by presenting the potential of this tradition to support social transformation towards a more inclusive and democratic multilingual society.

My paper presents an outline of an approach interested in investigating a plurality of language p... more My paper presents an outline of an approach interested in investigating a plurality of language policies (LPs) in a given context. Taking the view of LPs as ideologies, ecologies and planning (Shohamy, 2006; Spolsky, 2004), I propose an approach inspired by post-structuralist thought (Pennycook, 2006), and interested in conducting detailed studies of various contexts, with the objective of describing a plurality of perspectives in LP as well as the power relations between them. I adopt the discourse-historical approach in critical discourse analysis (Reisigl & Wodak, 2001, 2009) as the methodological framework, referring to prior research conducted on LP (Krzyzanowski & Wodak, 2011; Unger, 2009; Wodak et al., 2012) and national identity (Wodak et al., 2009).
As an initial exploration, I present a study of Slovene state-led LP, exploring the representations of the community and its linguistic structure in two legal documents, looking particularly at concepts such as nation, state, language, heterogeneity, heteroglossia, and minority. Through a qualitative discourse-historical analysis focussing on abstracting differing LPs through variations in discursive strategies, a plurality of LPs is demonstrated to exist in the chosen context. Two main competing LPs are demonstrated to be involved in a power struggle: a conservative, pro-monolingual LP advocating centralisation and top-down management, as well as a liberal, pro-multilingual LP advocating speaker emancipation. Though the two are represented as being in an inherent antagonism, the data also indicates a level of convergence in certain topics. In addition, the analysis uncovers a range of backgrounded voices, ranging from recontextualisations of EU LPs to representations of dissenting voices in Slovenia, demonstrating the potential of such an approach to foreground plurality in LP.

Journal of Language and Politics, 2019

The Resolution for a National Language Policy Programme 2014-2018 was adopted by the Slovene parl... more The Resolution for a National Language Policy Programme 2014-2018 was adopted by the Slovene parliament in the summer of 2013, and was intended to set a common agenda in the area of state language policy. In this thesis, I investigate its trajectory from inception to (attempted) implementation. My study analyses policymaking practices during a time of political, social and economic instability in Slovenia, and investigates how the roles of various actors involved with the policy changed along with the political landscape. It focusses particularly on the traditional role of linguists as authorities on language in Slovenia.