1st Edition

Language Policy, Culture, and Identity in Asian Contexts

Edited By Amy B.M. Tsui, James W. Tollefson Copyright 2007

    Bringing together scholarship on issues relating to language, culture, and identity, with a special focus on Asian countries, this volume makes an important contribution in terms of analyzing and demonstrating how language is closely linked with crucial social, political, and economic forces, particularly the tensions between the demands of globalization and local identity. A particular feature is the inclusion of countries that have been under-represented in the research literature, such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Korea. The book is organized in three sections:

    • Globalization and its Impact on Language Policies, Culture, and Identity
    • Language Policy and the Social (Re)construction of National Cultural Identity
    • Language Policy and Language Politics: The Role of English.

    Unique in its attention to how the domination of English is being addressed in relation to cultural values and identity by non-English speaking countries in a range of sociopolitical contexts, this volume will help readers to understand the impact of globalization on non-English speaking countries, particularly developing countries, which differ significantly from contexts in the West in their cultural orientations and the way identities are being constructed.
     
    Language Policy, Culture, and Identity in Asian Contexts will interest scholars and research students in the areas of language policy, education, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and critical linguistics. It can be adopted in graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on language policy, language in society, and language education.

    Contents: Preface. A.B.M. Tsui, J.W. Tollefson, Language Policy and the Construction of National Cultural Identity. Part I: Globalization and Its Impact on Language Policy, Culture, and Identity. K. Hashimoto, Japan’s Language Policy and the “Lost Decade”. Y. Sungwon, Globalization and Language Policy in South Korea. M.K. David, S. Govindasamy, The Construction of National Identity and Globalization in Multilingual Malaysia. P.G-L. Chew, Remaking Singapore: Language, Culture, and Identity in a Globalized World. T. Clayton, Transition, Culture, and Language in Cambodia. Part II: Language Policy and the (Re)Construction of National Cultural Identity. A.B.M. Tsui, Language Policy and the Social Construction of Identity: The Case of Hong Kong. M. Saxena, Multilingual and Multicultural Identities in Brunei Darussalam. R.A. Benton, Mauri or Mirage? The Status of the Mäori Language in Aotearoa New Zealand in the Third Millennium. Part III: Language Policy and Language Politics: The Role of English. R.K. Agnihotri, Identity and Multilinguality: The Case of India. S.K. Sonntag, Change and Permanence in Language Politics in Nepal. T. Rahman, The Role of English in Pakistan With Special Reference to Tolerance and Militancy. T. Hossain, J.W. Tollefson, Language Policy in Education in Bangladesh. J.W. Tollefson, A.B.M. Tsui, Issues in Language Policy, Culture, and Identity.

    Biography

    James W. Tollefson, Amy B.M. Tsui

    "The book is certainly a must-read for anyone who is interested in issues in language policies and practices in Asian countries. It is a great sourcebook that may be used in graduate and undergraduate courses on language policy, language in society and language education.... The detail of discussion makes this book an extremely useful reference for those involved in language policy issues." -- Yasemin Kirkgoz, Linguist List, 5/14/2007

     

    The issues raised in Language Policy, Culture, and Identity in Asian Contexts should be of interest to students of (critical) applied linguistics as well as to students of nationalism. By situating national language policies in their complex sociopolitical settings, the book provides compelling analyses of some of the paradoxes engendered in forming national cultural identities via language and through identifying stakeholders, their (conflicting) interests, and the identity construction and negotiation processes at work. Linguists and language planners in education should benefit immensely by reading these case studies of various Asian countries and their recent language planning and management efforts." -- Saud Alazzam-Alwidyan, TESL-EJ, September 2008, Volume 12, Number 2

    "LPCIx is an important addition to studies on globalization, language policies, and national identities in Asia. It provides a comprehensive and focused investigation of the complex relationships between language policies, cultures, and identities that so far have been infrequently and/or inadequately covered in the existing literature. It also provides issues, agendas, and avenues, as well as theoretical and methodological tools, for further inquiries into these issues." -- Journal of Language, Identity, & Education, January 1, 2009