This document contains a concise summary of the articles that were mandatory for the midterm of the course Culture and Language of Latin America. I summarized, among others, Hamel, Massini-Cagliari, Van Dijk.
Lecture 1 Prep:
Video: Don´t tell me not to speak Spanish:
The United States have no official language and therefore people can speak whatever language they
want: including Spanish – no one should get discriminated against because of speaking their native
tongue
Text: Language Policy and Ideology in LA
Written by Rainer Enrique Hammel
Investigate how:
1.people construct their group identities
2. distinguish themselves from the others
3. build power structures
Most research: focuses on the relation of Spanish and Portuguese as colonial and national
languages to indigenous and immigrant languages
Societal multilingualism: concerns indigenous and immigrant communities
Most policies follow the European model of cultural hegemony = assimilation
Dominant language ideology: be monolingual speakers of the national language and second
language for middle and upper class – other languages suspicion, plurilingualism is hidden
Eg. Indigenous rural and urban multilingualism = excluded from the discourse
Societal multilingualism is the exception, even more in the imagined communities
Contradictions between the states overt (open) language policy and planni9ng and the impulses
of societal forces
During colonial times: resistance by indigenous groups against colonization
Today: policies that foster multilingualism are met by resistance from mainstream society
and indigenous ppl (they internalized monolingualism)
- Here: language policy = sociohistoric process that can change the whole system of
communication where institutions and other forces intervene transformation of discursive
and linguistic structures and uses (eg. Standardization) + change in language ideologies and
and how ppl view the current language constellation
3 ideological orientations to language and cultural politics in LA: (historic and today)
All 3 orientations still present
Multilinguaslims looses force
? how to move from multilingualism to plurilingualism
Monoculturalism/ Monolingualism
Diversity: denied
Ideological orientation: cultural exclusion
Dominant through colonialism and reinforced by republics after independence
Denied indigenous population right to exist as distinct ethnic group
Multiculturalism /Multilingualism
Diversity recognized as a problem and a right
Ideological orientation:cultural inclusion and subordination
Since 20th century
Acknowledge the existence of different ethnic minorities but diversity =negative
Cultural and linguistic expression of indigenous ppl = problem and right
Pluricultural / Plurilingualism
, Diversity assumed as a resource for enrichment
Ideological orientation: cultural and intercultural base
Acknowledges right of diversity
Diversity = an asset and potential cultural capital for the nation
Indigenous language policy and education:
- 30 Million indigenous that speak 500 languages
- 3 main groups among Amerindian people:
- 1.
1) Mesoamerican plateau (Mexico, Guatemala and Belize – Náhuatl and Modern Mayan
languages are dominant)
2) Andean Area (Columbia, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru – Quechua and
Aymara are dominant)
3) Characterized by higher density
- 2.
1) 300 languages: main areas: Central America, Caribbean Coast of South America and
Amazonian Basin and extreme south
2) Characterized by low demographic density, high linguistic diversity and wide variety
of stages on the continuum of assimilation
- 3.
1) Urban indigenous population: poor living conditions
2 colonialist strategies:
- Assimilation vs. subordinate preservation of indigenous people
- Materialized through education and teaching of Portuguese and Spanish
1) 1. Strategy: linguistic and cultural assimilation through direct imposition of the
national language submersion and fast transitional programs
2) 2. Strategy: transitional and some exceptional maintenance programs bilingual
methods for instruction and initial alphabetization
Today: 2 issues about Indigenous educational centres:
- Alternative to assimilation: plurilingual and pluricultural politics
- Instead of bilingual and bicultural programs gave way to intercultural bilingual education:
more of indigenous knowledge and worldview should be included in education = children
should know and appropriate their own culture to build a solid base of competencies, values
and knowledge and ethnic identity + mainstream students are supposed to learn about the
indigenous culture from the start and develop positive values towards diversity
1) In regions with high indigenous density: Bolivia, Mexico,…
Vs. More radical discourse:
- Proposes decolonization of society and education to overcome the historical submission of
indigenous culture and recognition of both worldviews and equal status
Officially adopted intercultural bilingual model:
- Includes right to mothertongue literacy and content teaching + Spanish and Portuguese as a
second language (for indigenous natives)
- The indigenous language should be taught as a second language where ppl speak European
language better
, - BUT: many against implementation because: of discrimination and pervasive diglossic
ideology that is rooted in idigneous and and mainstream attitudes
- But: the most widespread modality is still Castillanization = teaches literacy and content
areas in Spanish and uses indigenous languages as the initial medium of instruction when
necessary
1) Most indigenous education contributes to language shift and loss rather than
maintenance
2) But: novel experimental projects (eg. Bilingual uni) with the goal to maintain and
revitalize the Indian language comply more with linguistic rights than mainstream
indigenous education
Elite bilingual education
- Immigrants (mostly from Europe) formed elite schools and became economic and cultural
and linguistic elite – with elite schools became model for language schools and those schools
who couldn’t keep up with these global language schools were left behind (lacked funding,..)
- Education became an expensive commodity
- Whereas immersion education typically produces high achievements in elite schools,
submersion leads to poor results in indigenous education (619)
Elite bilingual education (EBE) and Indigenous bilingual education (IBE) both pose challenges with
integration:
- The internal integration of curriculum and school communities
- The national integration or indeed segregation form the countries political and cultural
context
- The integration into a global community of education and international networks
- Mos LA countries have developed in close relationship to the construction of a homogenous
nation state – reflects interests of European immigrant groups
- - language policy in LA has been challenged by conflicting orientations between global
integration via English and regional integration through Spanish- Portuguese bilingualism
- Some nationalist groups question the loyalty to the state if indigenous groups don’t speak
the national language and see ethnolinguistic minorities as a threat
- Many minorities members have internalized this hegemonic ideology and exhibit defensive
attitudes against regarding the legitimacy of their language.
- LA needs to embrace diversity and pluricultural and plurilingualism
L2: Language Policy in Brazil: monolingualism, and
linguistic prejudice by Gladis Massini-Cagliari
- Analyzes the linguistic situation in Brazil and discuss the relation between Portuguese and
the 200 other languages
- Focus on 3 points:
1) Historic process of language unification
2) Recent official language policy initiatives
3) linguistic prejudice =lingualism
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