Language development and language promotion virtually 'always' is linked to some kind of political agenda. I am interested whether any studies exist that aimed at showing that language promotion may be able to be de-linked of politics.
Stephanie,
Unfortunately we cannot avoid ideology. If I say for example Gutten tag or hola, or Shalom I am actually giving information about my social status ( accent ) my character ( am I social or anti social for example) and even my gender. The point is that homo sapiens , in general, are ideological by nature. Actually, the great semiotician Jacob von Uexkull makes a nice differentiation between the animal world which he calls Umwelt wherein the interpretation of objects is either desirable (+), undesirable (–), or “safe to ignore” (0). And what he call the lebenswelt whereby humans add this subjective/cognitive side to the environment around them. In other words, ideology makes us human and language ( in the sense of being dually patterned , creative and pragmatically oriented) is the very essence of our humanity.
Trying to find an apolitical way for language promotion is political in itself.
The best way, to my mind, to ensure the highest level of objectivity is in eclecticism. The more the educational plan is open to all competing theories the more it is likely to be close to the impossible ideal of neutrality.
Thank you for your answer Brahim, it gave me some food for thought :-)
Hi. Readings of Alastair Pennycook can give you some good ideas about the issue in question.
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