MSc Computational and Corpus Linguistics / Course details

This module aims to equip students with the key theoretical and practical concepts of language policy and language planning. It will familiarise students with the processes by which languages are promoted or discouraged, e.g. by governments, and what impacts such choices have in areas such as education, minority languages, community empowerment, linguistic human rights, access to health and nation building. Students will gain a solid understanding of the different phases of language planning, including topics such as language standardisation, codification, implementation, and harmonisation. They will also gain practical experience in analysing language policies in various contexts including homes, schools and institutions. This course will introduce students to research methods in language policy and planning, and students will learn to critically examine language policy and planning strategies of different countries from the Global South and the Global North.

After satisfactorily completing this module students will:

• Demonstrate a general understanding of the core concepts in the field of language policy and planning
• Develop the ability to analyse the language policies and planning strategies used by countries in different parts of the world
• Develop research skills in areas such as language power and inequalities, language and human rights, language vitality, language in education and language economic development
• Develop a theoretical a practical understanding of methodologies for researching language policy and planning

Lecture 1: Introducing issues in Language Policy & Planning?

Lecture 2: Language officialisation, standardisation, nationalisation

Lecture 3: Linguistic imperialism

Lecture 4: Language planning in ex-colonies

Lecture 5: Language and education

Lecture 6: Language attitudes and ideologies

Lecture 7: Language endangerment and revitalisation

Lecture 8: Linguistic rights

Lecture 9: Linguistic Landscapes: (practised) language policy in public and private spaces

Lecture 10: Research methodologies in Language Policy

Lecture 11: Revision and essay writing

1 weekly 2 hours lecture

1 bi-weekly 1 hour seminar

Blackboard discussion forum

Revision materials made available on Blackboard

Upon completion of this course, students will develop a strong understanding of:

• The relationship between general linguistics and applied linguistics
• The importance of language attitudes and ideology for language planning
• The consequences of informed and uninformed political choices on the management of linguistic resources
• The importance of language in education, development and access to opportunities

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Develop critical thinking
• Argumentation in written and oral modes
• Critical examination of language policy and planning projects
• Analysis of language management approaches
• Ability to review relevant academic publications

Student will gain experience in:

• Conducting small scale research on language policy and planning
• Critically assessing language policies made by governments and international institutions
• Data analysis
• Presenting their arguments orally and in writing

Students will develop:

• Abilities to identify and solve problems independently
• Teamwork skills through group work
• Data gathering, processing and data analysis
• Writing skills
• Oral presentation skills

Kaplan, R. B. & Baldauf, R. B. (1997) Language planning from practice to theory. Clavedon: Multilingual Matters.

Skutnabb-Kangas, T. & Phillipson, R. (1995) Linguistic human rights: overcoming linguistic discrimination. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Spolsky, Bernard. 2004. Language Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Spolsky, Bernard. 2012. The Cambridge handbook of language policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tollefson, James W. & Miguel Pérez-Milans (eds.). 2018. The Oxford handbook of language policy and planning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.