Abstract

Micro-level language policy and planning: levels, agency and structure

Research in language policy and planning has traditionally focused on the work of governments but more recently there has been a growing interest in how decisions are made by other language planning actors. Language planning actors can be seen as working at three different levels – macro (the level of government institutions), micro (the level of small groups and local institutions) and meso (the intervening levels between the micro and the macro). This work has challenged the idea that policy and planning is a top-down process and have shown that there are complex interactions between the various levels. It has also challenged the idea that policy is the domain of written texts and has opened up the idea that policy can be understood from patterns of beliefs and practices that shape language use. This mater class will focus primarily on the micro-level of language policy and planning and look at issues involved in understanding decision-making about language in local contexts. It will particular consider the idea of the agency of local actors in taking decisions about language and language use and the ways that this agency is either supported or constrained by structure, including language policy at other levels.

Anthony J. Liddicoat is Professor in the Centre for Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick and Adjunct Professor in the School of Creative Industries at the University of South Australia. His research interests include issues relating to the teaching and learning of intercultural capabilities in language education and language policy and planning. He is currently co-convenor of the AILA Research Network Intercultural mediation in language and culture teaching and learning/La médiation interculturelle en didactique des langues et des cultures and Executive Editor of Current Issues in Language Planning. His recent books include Routledge international handbook of language education policy in Asia (2019, Routledge) Language policy and planning in universities: Teaching, research and administration (2017, Routledge), Language-in-education policies: The discursive construction of intercultural relations (2013, Multilingual Matters) Intercultural language teaching and learning (with Angela Scarino, 2013, Wylie-Blackwell) Linguistics for intercultural education (with Fred Dervin, 2013, John Benjamins) Introduction to conversation analysis (2011, Continuum).