Operatori per la comunicazione
internazionale
Joseph Lo Bianco
Professor of Language and Literacy Education
The University of Melbourne
Universita` Roma-Tre
Tuesday 21 February, 2017
11.00-13.00 (Aula 12)
Lesson 2: Concepts of cultural diversity,
multiculturalism, and interculturalism
Lesson Two: The language regimes of today:
an overview with key concepts and issues
Indicative program for the day
New student introductions: 2 minutes
Recap lesson one: 10 minutes
Discussion of course aims and teaching: 15 minutes
Presentation from lecturer: 40 minutes
Questions and Answers: 20 minutes
Una Pausa: 15 minutes
Open discussion: 20 minutes
Preparation for lesson 3: 10 minutes (READING)
Lesson focus
WEEK
DATE
LESSON FOCUS
1
20 FEB
THE LANGUAGE REGIMES OF TODAY: AN OVERVIEW WITH KEY CONCEPTS AND ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY
SOCIETY RELATED TO THE ROLE OF LANGUAGES
2
21 FEB
CONCEPTS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY, MULTICULTURALISM AND INTERCULTURALISM
3
27 FEB
CONCEPTS AND MAIN AUTHORS IN LANGUAGE POLICY AND PLANNING
4
28 FEB
CHINESE AND ENGLISH: THE BIG TWO
5
06 MAR
THE EUROPEAN UNION AND LANGUAGES
6
07 MAR
ANNA WIERZBICKA AND ADRIAN HOLLIDAY: ENGLISH IS ANGLO AND ENGLISH IS NOT
7
13 MAR
LANGUAGE DEATH, REVIVAL AND SURVIVAL.
8
14 MAR
ABRAM DE SWAAM, ROBERT PHILLIPSON, ELF: ISSUES WITH GLOBAL ENGLISH
9
10 APR
INTERPRETING AND TRANSLATING: SUMMATION AND REVIEW OF COURSE
Some key authorities
These individuals and some of their key concepts
Anna Wierzbicka
Natural Semantic Metalanguage, Cross-cultural linguistics and pragmatics
Larissa Aronin
Dominant Language Constellations, Material Culture of Multilingualism
Tove-Skutnabb Kangas
Linguicide, Language Rights, Minority Education
Luisa Maffi
Language Ecology, Bio-cultural diversity, Terralingua
Joshua Fishman
Soiolinguistics, Language Policy and Planning, Reversing Language Shift
Robert Phillipson
Linguistic Imperialism
Abram De Swaan
The global language system
Adrian Holliday
Native speakerism, International English
Language Extinction
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon:
“the silent crisis confronting many of the world’s languages”
23 July message for 2008 International Day for the World’s
Indigenous People
Action for indigenous languages linked to the struggle against
marginalization, poverty, expropriation of traditional lands
and human rights.
Estimates of Endangerment
1992: 90%
“the coming century will see either the death or the doom of 90% of mankind’s
languages” (Krauss, p. 7)
2013: 70%?
Ethnologue (17th ed). . . “makes significant strides in addressing the lack of
statistics on language vitality, for the first time, providing an estimate of relative
safety versus endangerment for every language on earth. ..made possible by the
introduction and large-scale implementation of the Expanded Graded
Intergenerational Disruption Scale”
(Simons and Lewis, 2012, p. 3).
Locations of Language Loss
“At one extreme more than 70% of languages are extinct or moribund
in Australia, Canada, and the United States, but at the other extreme
less than 10% of languages are extinct or moribund in sub-Saharan
Africa.
Overall we find that 19% of the world’s living languages are no longer
being learned by children.
(Simons & Lewis, 2012, p. 1).
Predictors of Bilingualism
States
↑ bilingualism for small near large
↑ bilingualism in NES over ES
Societies
↑ bilingualism if lack unilingual modernity ideology, e.g. India
Individuals and Groups
↑ bilingualism with occupation rewards; ↑core value; struggling against repression
Language regimes and tensions today
• De Swaan: Global Language System
• Phillipson: linguistic imperialism
• Skutnabb-Kangas: linguicide
• Luisa Maffi: Bio-cultural diversity
• Joshua Fishman: Reversing Language Shift
Discussing concepts: cultural diversity, multiculturalism, interculturalism
Dictionary meanings
Popular usage
History of usage
Geographic differences in usage
Features of the terms being discussed.
Judgment: Normative and Descriptive Judgement
Normative and descriptive judgment: recalls denotation/connotation
A normative judgment evaluates, or implies or sets a standard of behavior
(something SHOULD/OUGHT TO BE the case)
A descriptive judgment asserts a fact, accounts for reality, or identifies
something existing in the real world (something IS the case)
Gian Lorenzo Bernini: Apollo and Daphne; Rape of Proserpina
Rape of Proserpina
NORMATIVE
This is a beautiful sculpture
Bernini is a genius
He was the most talented sculptor of his
age
Modern sculpture is ugly by comparison
This sculpture glorifies violence and is
disgusting
To render the act of rape this way
exposes masculinist culture of the day
DESCRIPTIVE
Bernini was only 23 when sculpted it
BUT THESE MIGHT BE AMBIGIUOUS
It requires great skill to produce such
a brilliant finish
To imagine the finished sculpture
from within a block of marble
requires an artist’s eye
The concept of cultural diversity
Descriptive: Different cultures actually exist.
Rome in the 3rd century BC was culturally diverse. At S Maria in Trastevere you can
see evidence that Syrians, N Africans, Greeks, Jews and other groups lived in what
is today Trastevere
Rione XIII Trastevere Regio XIV Trans Tiberim
Normative: A policy of cultural diversity. A plan for Europe, Italy, US. The UNESCO
commitment to pluralism. Cultures need to co-exist peacefully. Implies cultural
diversity is positive and good. We should respect cultural differences. Everyone
has a right to keep their culture. Globalization threatens cultural diversity.
The concept of multiculturalism
Descriptive:
Normative:
The concept of interculturalism
Descriptive:
Normative:
For next week: ‘interpreting’ culture of English as an
international language
Please read:
Language, Place and Learning
Lo Bianco, 2007
Download
able at PASCAL website
http://lcn.pascalobservatory.org/sites/default/files/joe_lo_bianco__language_place_and_learning_-_august_2007.pdf
Lesson focus
WEEK
DATE
LESSON FOCUS
1
20 FEB
THE LANGUAGE REGIMES OF TODAY: AN OVERVIEW WITH KEY CONCEPTS AND ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY
SOCIETY RELATED TO THE ROLE OF LANGUAGES
2
21 FEB
CONCEPTS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY, MULTICULTURALISM AND INTERCULTURALISM
3
27 FEB
CONCEPTS AND MAIN AUTHORS IN LANGUAGE POLICY AND PLANNING
4
28 FEB
CHINESE AND ENGLISH: THE BIG TWO
5
06 MAR
THE EUROPEAN UNION AND LANGUAGES
6
07 MAR
ANNA WIERZBICKA AND ADRIAN HOLLIDAY: ENGLISH IS ANGLO AND ENGLISH IS NOT
7
13 MAR
LANGUAGE DEATH, REVIVAL AND SURVIVAL.
8
14 MAR
ABRAM DE SWAAM, ROBERT PHILLIPSON, ELF: ISSUES WITH GLOBAL ENGLISH
9
10 APR
INTERPRETING AND TRANSLATING: SUMMATION AND REVIEW OF COURSE