Native-speakerism and English without Borders Program: investigating language ideologies through a language policy (original) (raw)
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In line with the dialogues that Brazilian applied linguists have established with the fields of sociolinguistics of globalization (BLOMMAERT, 2010) and language ideologies (WOOLARD, 1998; KROSKRITY, 2004) this paper focuses on the language ideologies entextualized in the scope of the program English Without Borders. Parting from the assumption that language faculties in Brazilian public universities have become markets in which English stands as a strategic commodity for students' mobility in the scope of internationalization policies, discourses about English as the lingua franca for transnational mobility become arenas in which ideologies related to mobility, globalization and nativeness are (re)signified. Taking the program Languages Without Borders and, within it, English Without Borders, as one of these markets, I look into pieces of institutional discourses about the program to problematize the monolingual native-based language ideology and the colonial view of globalization entextualized in these discourses.
Is there language policy for migrants in Brazil? Linguistic ideologies and three language tests
In this paper, we analyze the language testing regime in the context of transnational migration to Brazil and its relation to hegemonic linguistic ideologies in the construction of body differentiation systems. Therefore, we understand test as a formal instrument to measure proficiency, established as a prerequisite to the entry, residence, and/or acquisition of nationality by migrants in several countries, working as a way of gatekeeping state frontiers, according to the researched literature. Initially, we identified three kinds of language tests in Brazil: the Certificate of Proficiency in Brazilian Portuguese for Foreigners (Celpe-Bras); the Portuguese test for foreign physicians within the federal government program " More Doctors for Brazil " ; and the verification of Portuguese literacy in naturalization processes. The corpus analysis indicated several discrepancies between the state-of-art in the studies of language tests for migrants and the Brazilian reality, putting into perspective the very existence of a language testing regime in the country, considering that the articulations of its linguistic and gatekeeping aspects are contradictory. The resources indexed in the documents about tests in Brazil actually show the affirmation of autonomy in the management of the Portuguese language and the commodification of Portuguese teaching for foreigners as a market strategy and a showcase of a globalized Brazilian culture, in an ideological construction of static and naturalized correspondence between official language and nation, creating therefore hierarchies among " desirable " and " undesirable " migrant identities.
Social identity and language ideology: challenging hegemonic visions of English in Brazil
This paper seeks to investigate the social identities connected to English in Brazil by connecting these to linguistic ideologies, and reflecting on how they may be challenged. It is based on first-person narration of " critical moments " from the perspective of an English language " native speaker " migrant to Brazil. The reflections identify how race is intimately connected to the " native speaker " category, theorised through the notions of " racial acceptability " and " racial capital " , drawing on a Bourdieusian theoretical framework. The article concludes with examples of challenges to the " native speaker " model in the hybrid linguistic practices of Brazilian youth.
In this paper, we analyze the language testing regime in the context of transnational migration to Brazil and its relation to hegemonic linguistic ideologies in the construction of body differentiation systems. Therefore, we understand test as a formal instrument to measure proficiency, established as a prerequisite to the entry, residence, and/or acquisition of nationality by migrants in several countries, working as a way of gatekeeping state frontiers, according to the researched literature. Initially, we identified three kinds of language tests in Brazil: the Certificate of Proficiency in Brazilian Portuguese for Foreigners (Celpe-Bras); the Portuguese test for foreign physicians within the federal government program " More Doctors for Brazil " ; and the verification of Portuguese literacy in naturalization processes. The corpus analysis indicated several discrepancies between the state-of-art in the studies of language tests for migrants and the Brazilian reality, putting into perspective the very existence of a language testing regime in the country, considering that the articulations of its linguistic and gatekeeping aspects are contradictory. The resources indexed in the documents about tests in Brazil actually show the affirmation of autonomy in the management of the Portuguese language and the commodification of Portuguese teaching for foreigners as a market strategy and a showcase of a globalized Brazilian culture, in an ideological construction of static and naturalized correspondence between official language and nation, creating therefore hierarchies among " desirable " and " undesirable " migrant identities.
Language Policies: Language, Power, and Citizenship
US-China Foreign Language, 2015
This paper, the idea of which first emerged after a roundtable held at the XI CONLAB-CongressoLuso-Afro-Brasileiro de CiênciasSociais (the 11th CONLAB-Luso-Afro-Brazilian Congress of Social Sciences), 1 on "Diversities and (In)equalities", aims at raising a reflection about a very topical issue in Africa: the linguistic diversity of African societies. What is at stake here is a reality that, in its ability to promote human development, is usually considered as favoring conflicts of various kinds. What the study proposes to do here therefore, is inquiring into the paradox that arises between the constructional identity of the Portuguese language in Africa (particularly in the three mainland countries which have Portuguese as their official language) and its role as a prime-mover of exclusion, owing to the fact that it continues to be the gatekeeper in relation to other languages (the "home languages"), under the transparent mantle of nation-building and linguistic pacification. All said and done, nothing more has been done than prolonging its colonial role. What language policies (in the plural) should be followed in such a complex setting of language diversity?
Revista Brasileira de Linguística Aplicada, 2019
In this article, which opens the second issue of Volume 19 of Revista Brasileira de Linguística Aplicada, we discuss some existing epistemological divergences in language policy research. In the first section, two lines of divergence will be outlined: (i) the focus on official versus de facto language policies; (ii) the conception of language policymakers versus subjects of language policies. In the second section, based on the analysis of titles of thematic issues, dossiers and books recently published in Brazil, we argue that this diversity of perspectives may be clearly noticed in the research carried out in the country. We finish our text highlighting some issues that have gained strength in the Brazilian research agenda.
Journal of Sociolinguistics, 2019
Language Resources, Identities and Ideologies in a Globalized World presents a collection of papers by different authors about language resources, communicative repertoires, language education and language policies, differences/diversities and their representations and performances, mobility, migration and language, among other topics. Most of the authors take poststructuralist and postmodern perspectives and use diverse theoretical frameworks and methodologies (which include, for example, historical studies, sociolinguistics and cultural studies) in their discussions of languages of identity and belonging, of the educational challenges that vulnerable populations face, of cultural practices which involve language. Brazil is the biggest country in South America and it also has the largest population. It has borders with all South American countries, except Chile and Ecuador, and has many cities with cross-border 'twin' cities. The book aims at presenting a wide scope of recent research that comprises studies in different parts of the country, including the frontiers, Indigenous languages, sign language, the languages of migrants, language online and in music, and experiences of internationalization in universities. To organize the presentation, the editors propose five sections with an introduction to each one. The volume presents a general introduction by the editors and an Afterword by N. Hornberger. The volume has five sections: Section 1 deals with politics, language ideologies and language policy processes; Section 2 is about language policies and practices in different educational contexts; Section 3 contains chapters on language, migration and identity; Section 4 presents a different object of study: transidiomaticity in rap lyrics and translingual practices in anime music videos; and finally, Section 5 presents research on transnational mobility and international cooperation programs in Brazilian universities for students of other countries in the South. In this review, I will focus on some of the main interrelated axes: (1) historical perspective, (2) language policy in Brazil, (3) education as transformative and (4) mobility of international students and in twin cities/borders. Many texts present a historical perspective and focus on transition in one way or another. With this kind of perspective, we can understand three language ideologies behind language policies in different periods that promoted language-in-education policies. Language ideologies, language policies and education policies are topics that come up once and again in the book, always from a critical point of view, showing their impact on vulnerable groups (Indigenous, deaf communities, immigrants, populations in border areas) in an effort to disentangle the different links between language and culture, language and (ethnic) identity, representations and linguistic repertoires. These are all controversial (Because we speak differently) 3 ENDNOTES 1 The author uses the 2000 English version. 2 The song belongs to the record Arrotaste no meu olvido (You burped on my oblivon, in Portuguese except the word 'oblivion,' which is in Spanish), 2002.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cuhf26BRBEhttps://www.facebook. com/Trabuco-Naranjero-154929844599491/ 3 This is not a transcription; the lyrics were taken from a web page that doesn't exist anyore, on 5 May 2002: http:// www.trabuconaranjero.hpg.ig.com.br/aguanteportunol/htmlThe writing choices show a Spanish pronunciation of a nonstandard variety of Portuguese.
Critical discourse analysis and the ethnography of language policy
Critical Discourse Studies, 2011
This article explores the compatibility of ethnography and critical discourse analysis for the study of language policy. A perennial challenge facing the field of language policy is how to make connections between the macro and micro, between macro-level policy texts and discourses and micro-level language use. Hornberger & Johnson (2007) propose the ethnography of language policy as a method for examining language policy processes within and across the multiple layers of policy creation, interpretation, and appropriation. This paper further explores how Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) can be integrated into ethnographic studies of language policy and proposes that the combination of CDA and ethnography is particularly useful for revealing the connections between the multiple layers of policy activity. Based on a 3-year ethnographic study of bilingual education policy and practice in the School District of Philadelphia, this paper examines the intertextual and interdiscursive links between policy texts and discourses to uncover how the recontextualization of macro-level language policy impacts bilingual education.
Identity, Language, and Rights: A Critical Theory Perspective
Center for Human Rights Studies, 2016
This paper is an attempt to fill the gap in the literature by presenting a language policy formulated according to the idea of constitutional patriotism that overcomes the charge of ineffectiveness. I will argue that the procedural character of constitutional patriotism and its emphasis on the practice of law-making is best suited to allow for a pragmatic answer to the questions of language policy-making in multicultural societies. Unlike the instrumental and intrinsic arguments, the pragmatic approach views language as the matrix of communication where the goal of engaged citizens is mutual understanding. The pragmatic approach is also more effective because unlike the principled approaches, which tend to homogenize the composition of diverse societies, it constrained by (1) values of political culture of the society; (2.a) historical contingencies such as the founding role of national minorities; and (2.b) practical feasibilities such as size, vitality and concentration of linguistic populations. In recent years the normative status of minority rights as a species of human rights has been widely discussed by political theorists. In this context, the issue of minority language rights is one of the most hotly contested topics in the prevailing debate over the claims of culture. Mainstream political theories approach this topic differently, depending on their view of an appropriate model of political association. Liberal egalitarians emphasize the significance of the liberal ideals of neutrality and autonomy in deciding appropriate language policy, while liberal culturalists focus on the constitutive role of language and culture for the individual’s exercise of rights and liberties that translate into a language policy that ranges from recognitions and accommodation to maintenance and protection of group identity and language.
Indigenous language policies in Brazil
IMPACT: Studies in Language and Society, 2016
In this chapter we outline the historical background of Brazilian language policies that are meant to be supportive of Brazilian indigenous languages and discuss some positive and negative impacts of national programmes developed under these policies. We single out the official programmes relating to indigenous education, language planning and language description and documentation, and ways in which they might help to assure the survival and vitality of Brazil's indigenous languages. We also draw attention to official support for directing these positive initiatives towards an effective strengthening of indigenous languages and cultures in collaboration with indigenous peoples and in the context of self-determination and empowerment.