Diversity of attitudes to English in non-professional public discourse: A focus on Lithuania

Ruzaitė, Jūratė

doi:10.1017/s0266078417000153

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In 2017 Russian production comprised over 35 percent of air time of two major private TV stations in Lithuania. Based on the assumption that Russian transmissions may spread propaganda and thus impede integration in the Western community (Bulajeva & Hogan‐Brun, 2008, p. 141; Ruzaitė, 2017), political regulations were taken in 2017 that TV programs in the EU official languages must comprise at least 90 percent of the total amount (Press release, 2017). During the third post‐1990 decade more global media services providers have become accessible, thus increasing choice options for individual households in English, some of which are Russian dubbed.…”

Section: Self‐reported Proficiency and Media Consumption In English A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The sociolinguistic dynamics of Russian and English in post‐1990 Lithuania

Vaicekauskienė

2022

World Englishes

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The paper describes the sociolinguistic history of English in one of the post‐Soviet Eastern European countries ‐ Lithuania ‐ covering three post‐1990 decades. The aim is to examine the dynamics of the spread of English in relation to the ‘non‐native’ Russian, the main lingua franca and L2 in this region after WWII until 1990. Based on a set of attitudinal, educational and self‐assessment data as well as mixed language use for identity construction, the study shows that English was not accepted as rapidly as is sometimes claimed. With lower English scores and additional Russian, the ‘periphery’ of the Expanding Circle remains noticeably distinct from the European context. In demographic terms, however, the end of the third post‐1990 decade can be considered a turning point in the sociolinguistic development of the community, led by the youth generations born around 1990 and after.

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Section: Self‐reported Proficiency and Media Consumption In English A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The sociolinguistic dynamics of Russian and English in post‐1990 Lithuania

Vaicekauskienė

2022

World Englishes

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“…Lernenden keinen unmittelbaren Kontakt zu den Zielsprachensprechern haben und die Zielsprachenkultur überwiegend durch Medien kennenlernen (Dörnyei, 2005, S. 74; dazu siehe auch: Ryan, 2008 (Ruzaitė, 2017). Die Zahl der Artikel, in dem Englisch als Bedrohung für die litauische Muttersprache betrachtet wird, sei deutlich niedriger (10), aber die Untermauerung der Argumente werde durch eine besonders einprägsame Krankheits-und Kriegsmetaphorik erreicht (Ruzaitė, 2017, S. 21).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

„Sprechen Sie Deutsch? A. Merkel Nori Daugiau Vokiečių Kalbos Europoje“ (Delfi, 19.06.2013): The Image of German in Lithuanian Media Discourse

Eidukevičienė

2018

Sustainable Multilingualism

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Summary The paper aims to analyze the attitudes to German language in the Lithuanian public discourse. Texts written on this topic and chosen for the analysis appeared in two news portals – the national news portal delfi.lt and the regional news portal kaunodiena.lt. The database covers the period from 1 January 2011 to 1 March 2017; it consists of 82 articles from both news portals. For studying the image of German, the present study applies the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis taking into account different argumentation strategies for learning or not learning German as a foreign language as well as main topical priorities. The general attitudes towards countries can serve as an important foundation for motivation to language learning, so the analysis starts with the discussion of the specifics attributed to Germany and German-speaking countries (effectiveness governing the world, sympathy, economic success, and reliability). The analysis of the selected texts confirms that the image of Germany in Lithuania is quite positive: Germany, especially on delfi.lt, is presented as a target country for qualified Lithuanian experts, as an economically stable country having a large degree of political and cultural influence in the world. Regarding the status of German, the analyzed texts reveal a more ambiguous picture: on the one hand, it is stated that German is not popular in Lithuania, on the other hand it is emphasized that the popularity of the German language is increasing. The argumentation scheme for learning German consists of several argumentation lines: German is represented as a commodity in such domains as a professional career in Germany, in dealing with bilateral business relations, and to some extent in building a professional career in one’s home country and upholding cultural relations.

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Authenticity of Language Practices in Virtual Learning Sites

White

2019

Virtual Sites as Learning Spaces

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environments have been argued to afford for more interaction especially among minorities and those less willing to interact face-to-face. It is argued in this chapter that another affordance of virtual learning sites is that there is a corresponding freer attitude towards norms which can be created through interaction between language users, and there is not the same focus on static, mostly written, norms from Inner Circle countries. The term virtual learning sites is used in this chapter to refer to purely net-based learning sites. Contexts where campus students use online learning management systems like Blackboard or Fronter are not included. The learning, and especially the interaction, needs to take place purely through net-based means. Research on norms often approaches the issue through attitude research, but I have used a mixed-method approach to compare students' reported attitudes with actual language practices. This mixed method is productive since we can thereby see any discrepancies between the two. Since attitudes to English are so diverse, my intention is to look at the situation within Europe where there may not be the same associations between English and colonialism as there are in an African or Asian context. Results will be presented from a survey of attitudes to English varieties among university students on net-based language courses in Sweden. This is complemented by data coming from textchats produced by these students in a net-based education context. Before presenting the survey and its results, some background on the status of English in the world and in Europe will first be discussed.

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Diversity of attitudes to English in non-professional public discourse: A focus on Lithuania

Cited by 5 publications

References 28 publications

The sociolinguistic dynamics of Russian and English in post‐1990 Lithuania

The sociolinguistic dynamics of Russian and English in post‐1990 Lithuania

„Sprechen Sie Deutsch? A. Merkel Nori Daugiau Vokiečių Kalbos Europoje“ (Delfi, 19.06.2013): The Image of German in Lithuanian Media Discourse

Authenticity of Language Practices in Virtual Learning Sites

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