If Not English, Then What? Unpacking Language Hierarchies at University

Kuteeva, Maria

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-38755-6_2

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…From a specifically linguistic perspective, what seemed contested here was the lack of integration between the newly introduced communication tool (namely English) and the other relevant linguistic resources. This was, once again, generally not presented in a perspective of langua ge protectionism, nor with an attitude of wishful multilingualism (Kuteeva, 2020). The lecturers reportedly made a modest use of other linguistic resources than English, and only seemed to consider it a problem when English did not appear to be efficient for the communication.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

English-medium Instruction through the lens of discipline and culture

Zuaro

2022

Apples

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the last few decades, English-medium Instruction (EMI) has been the focus of a rapidly increasing body of research. While such research has tended to cover certain aspects of the phenomenon extensively, others still remain under-researched. For example, in focusing primarily on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, EMI investigations have devoted limited attention to the potential relevance of disciplinary differences. Similarly, while EMI has been noted to differ from context to context, the practical implications of cultural differences in EMI implementations continue to be overlooked. The present study aims to shed some light on the role played by disciplinary and cultural specificities via an investigation of beliefs and reported practices of 13 Italian lecturers. The lecturers were selected to represent a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and individually interviewed about their experiences as teachers and scholars. The interviews were subsequently subjected to a thematic analysis. The results reinstate to an extent the influence of disciplinary culture; however, they also point to an important role played by the local culture in shaping both beliefs and practices. Additionally, the results also reveal a nuanced understanding of the opportunities and challenges of EMI among these participants, stressing the need for more attention to cultural mediation in international higher education.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

English-medium Instruction through the lens of discipline and culture

Zuaro

2022

Apples

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While the need for becoming proficient users of "other languages" is mentioned for both staff and students (p. 19), the practical support to achieve such proficiency in academic genres may be reduced to language courses or online resources in English and the national language(s) (p. 32). In practice, some university Language Centres do offer teaching in various languages, but the emphasis on English and the national language(s) reinforces the idea of "(wishful) academic multilingualism" (Kuteeva 2020).…”

Section: Nordic Universities Societal Responsibility and Language Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Nordic Universities at the Crossroads

Kuteeva¹,

Kaufhold²,

Hynninen³

2021

Language Matters in Higher Education Contexts

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This chapter focuses on questions surrounding universities' societal responsibility in connection to language use, going beyond the national language(s) versus English dichotomy. As a result of university internationalisation and increased migration, both student and faculty populations at Nordic universities have diversified. Nordic universities are currently facing multiple challenges: to maintain academic autonomy and freedom of thought, to protect democratic ideals, to prove the validity of scientific findings, and to conduct most of their activities with the support of digital media. Drawing on findings from recent research conducted in Sweden and Finland and the latest Nordic language policy document (Gregersen et al. 2018), our chapter critically discusses how researchers and students with transnational trajectories perceive their language use. In particular, we consider the role of English vis-à-vis the national language(s) and other languages for purposes of research outreach and widening participation. We argue that there is a mismatch between university policies assuming that societal responsibility concerning language use is largely limited to local national and (to a lesser extent) minority languages, and the translocal experience of university stakeholders who often deal with a range of linguistic resources on a daily basis.

show abstract

Knowledge flows and languages of publication

Kuteeva

2023

JERPP

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ongoing debates in the humanities and social sciences concern different ways in which knowledge is viewed and constructed. As the main language of academic publication, English features prominently in these debates. In this Perspectives piece, I discuss how knowledge flows and language uses are intertwined, and how English serves both as a bridge and a fence in the context of international knowledge exchanges. In particular, the tensions around English and multilingualism, as well as variability within English, are discussed in connection with language policies, editorial practices, and structural inequalities. I conclude by considering the role of institutional structures vis-à-vis individual authors, peer reviewers, and editors, and offer a few suggestions on how to address the limitations of centripetal English-medium publishing.

show abstract

If Not English, Then What? Unpacking Language Hierarchies at University

Cited by 8 publications

References 10 publications

English-medium Instruction through the lens of discipline and culture

English-medium Instruction through the lens of discipline and culture

Nordic Universities at the Crossroads

Knowledge flows and languages of publication

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About