Globalization and language policies of multilingual societies: some case studies of south east Asia

Abstract

Over the past few decades, significant economic and political changes have taken place around the world. These changes also have put a significant mark on language teaching and learning practices across the globe. There is a clear movement towards multilingual practices in the world, which is also evident in the title of UNESCO 2003 education position paper, "Education in a multilingual world." Given the long-standing history of multilingual contexts of the Himalayan region and the emergence of the two major global economic power centers of 21 st century, China and India, language policies and practices of the region have become a great matter of interests for linguists and policy makers around the world. This paper uses case studies to investigate how globalization influences language education policies and practices in multilingual countries. The case studies that we have drawn from the four nations of South East Asia -Afghanistan, China, India, and Nepal offer insights for other multilingual nations of the world, as they portray the influences of globalization on language policies and practices of multilingual countries. This paper suggests more research on comparative studies of multilingual education across multilingual nations in the world. KEYWORDS: Language maintenance, globalization, multilingualism, Asian societies. * nks23@nau.edu ** shaoan.zhang@unlv.edu *** pb75@nau.edu RESUMO: Nas últimas décadas, transformações econoômicas e políticas significativas transcorreram no mundo. Essas mudanças deixaram sua marca também nas práticas de ensino e aprendizagem de línguas em todo o globo. Há um claro movimento em prol de práticas multilíngues, o que fica evidente no título do artigo de posição da UNESCO sobre a educação de 2003, "Education in a multilingual world". Frente à longa história de contextos multilíngues na região do Himalaia e à emergência de duas potências mundiais no século 21, a Índia e a China, as práticas e políticas linguísticas da região tornaram-se assunto de grande interesse para linguistas e legisladores de todo o mundo. Este artigo contempla estudos de caso para investigar como a globalização influencia as políticas e práticas de educação linguística em países multilíngues. Os estudos de caso aqui destacados, oriundos de quatro nações do sudeste asiático, Afeganistão, China, Índia e Nepal, oferecem insights para outras nações multilíngues do mundo, por representar os impactos da globalização nas práticas e políticas linguísticas dos países multilíngues. O artigo sugere mais pesquisas e estudos comparativos sobre a educação plurilíngue nas nações multilíngues do mundo.

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