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A volume titled The Essential Writings of Bernard Spolsky would fill a great need. The editors, however, would need to be vigilant. Spolsky's essential contributions cover so many fields, and have had such an impact for researchers and practitioners in so many disciplines and parts of the world, that conveying both the diversity and the coherence of his work would be a challenge, albeit an enjoyable one. Spolsky's work in educational linguistics and literacy, language testing, language policy and management, and other aspects of language in society enriched these fields at crucial times in their development. In the breakthrough volume Educational Linguistics, for example, Spolsky (1978) drew together principles in linguistics, language teaching, and society to articulate the urgency of overcoming 'the language barrier to education' (p. 6) which arises in many societies because 'it is the exception rather than the rule that a child comes to school speaking the language or variety that the educational system uses or aims at' (p. 14). Decades later, Spolsky was engaged in fresh debates in this field, exploring the possibility of a 'critical educational linguistics' in the newly-launched Educational Linguistics journal. In a characteristically thoughtful and erudite paper, Spolsky (2022a: 17) maintained his concern with real-world problems, expressing his alarm at current 'pressures for monolingualism' . Among these he included 'the return to the imperial policy in Russia' , 'the anti-bilingual education movement in the USA' , and 'the change of Arabic from official to special in Israel' .As if this work were not enough, Spolsky had early established a further stream of research in Jewish languages. This work included historical and ethnographic approaches, and culminated in Spolsky's The Languages of the Jews (2014). His unique ability to bring history, the sociology of language, and an understanding of community practice together in a single treatment made for a comprehensive and masterful volume. Spolsky further demonstrated his extensive knowledge, collegiality, and discerning judgment as a frequent and enthusiastic reviewer of books across a wide range of subjects.
A volume titled The Essential Writings of Bernard Spolsky would fill a great need. The editors, however, would need to be vigilant. Spolsky's essential contributions cover so many fields, and have had such an impact for researchers and practitioners in so many disciplines and parts of the world, that conveying both the diversity and the coherence of his work would be a challenge, albeit an enjoyable one. Spolsky's work in educational linguistics and literacy, language testing, language policy and management, and other aspects of language in society enriched these fields at crucial times in their development. In the breakthrough volume Educational Linguistics, for example, Spolsky (1978) drew together principles in linguistics, language teaching, and society to articulate the urgency of overcoming 'the language barrier to education' (p. 6) which arises in many societies because 'it is the exception rather than the rule that a child comes to school speaking the language or variety that the educational system uses or aims at' (p. 14). Decades later, Spolsky was engaged in fresh debates in this field, exploring the possibility of a 'critical educational linguistics' in the newly-launched Educational Linguistics journal. In a characteristically thoughtful and erudite paper, Spolsky (2022a: 17) maintained his concern with real-world problems, expressing his alarm at current 'pressures for monolingualism' . Among these he included 'the return to the imperial policy in Russia' , 'the anti-bilingual education movement in the USA' , and 'the change of Arabic from official to special in Israel' .As if this work were not enough, Spolsky had early established a further stream of research in Jewish languages. This work included historical and ethnographic approaches, and culminated in Spolsky's The Languages of the Jews (2014). His unique ability to bring history, the sociology of language, and an understanding of community practice together in a single treatment made for a comprehensive and masterful volume. Spolsky further demonstrated his extensive knowledge, collegiality, and discerning judgment as a frequent and enthusiastic reviewer of books across a wide range of subjects.
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