Re-thinking practices in language policy research: From 'policy versus practice' to 'policy within practice' (original) (raw)

This paper critiques the traditional dichotomy of policy versus practice in language policy research, emphasizing a more integrated perspective that recognizes the existence of a 'practiced language policy' within classroom interactions. Drawing on ethnographic data from an induction classroom for migrant children in France, it explores instances where language practices diverge from the prescribed French monolingual language policy, suggesting that these variations reflect underlying policies that are contextual and emergent within actual interactions. The findings highlight the necessity of reevaluating how language policies are understood, promoting an approach that considers practices not merely as sites of policy implementation or resistance, but as spaces where new, contextualized language policies are enacted.