Different Approaches of Language Planning and Policy Studies in South- Eastern Countries

Abstract

Discussion on Language Planning and Policy (LPP) area has evolved over time with focus on orthographic and codification in 1960s, language problems for nation development in 1970s, frameworks and contrasting theories in 1980s and critical viewpoints in 1990s up to now. Following the development, two main approaches of LPP have gained interest of researchers. They are traditional/neo-classical approach and critical approach. It is interesting to see whether the former or the latter is adopted in researching the LPP in south- eastern countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Philippines which encounter issues of language prominence between English and indigenous languages. This study aims to examine approaches taken by researchers in studying LPP, looking closely on specific keywords used in the study abstracts. Methodically, this study applies content analysis on a few journals article abstracts (from 2017 to 2021) on LPP studies in the five countries. It was found that the critical model approach is more opted in the selected articles. The adoption of it may reveal relationship between power and language and the importance of preserving mother tongue and language rights. The study enables recognition of the differences between the two approaches, consequently paving way of looking at LPP from different angles. It may also spark some ideas for future studies in LPP and enhance discussions on the area.