What do all these items have in common? Swearing or no-swearing at the dinner table, Global English, dueling languages, laws about what can be on signs, interpreters in hospitals, the European Union’s languages, and English as a “neutral” language? Each item is an example of language policy. This course is an introduction to language policy. We'll examine how language policy works its way into many parts of our daily lives. In addition to reading an overview of the field, we'll read a collection of articles on theoretical approaches to language policy around the world. In addition, we’ll examine how law sometimes sets language policy through a sample of cases from the United States, which can be used as exemplars for law setting language policy in other countries. Each class member will carry out a research project on a current non-U.S. language policy, reporting to the class and writing a paper on the results of the research.

Textbooks
Ricento, Thomas, ed. An Introduction to Language Policy: Theory and Method
Spolsky, Bernard. Language Maintenance

ENGL 478 Language and Social Policy (5) I&S/VLPA
Examines the relationship between language policy and social organization; the impact of language policy on immigration, education, and access to resources and political institutions; language policy and revolutionary change; language rights.