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Language Planning

The document discusses language planning, which refers to measures taken by official agencies to influence language use in a community. It involves developing policies to direct language use, such as establishing an official language or standardizing a language. Language planning aims to solve communication problems or revitalize languages. It can occur at the national or community level and involves selecting, codifying, elaborating, and promoting a language variety. Linguists play a role in language planning through activities like lexicography and assisting with codification.

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Marc Mijares Bacalso
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68 views22 pages

Language Planning

The document discusses language planning, which refers to measures taken by official agencies to influence language use in a community. It involves developing policies to direct language use, such as establishing an official language or standardizing a language. Language planning aims to solve communication problems or revitalize languages. It can occur at the national or community level and involves selecting, codifying, elaborating, and promoting a language variety. Linguists play a role in language planning through activities like lexicography and assisting with codification.

Uploaded by

Marc Mijares Bacalso
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LA N G U A G E

PLAN N I NG
WHAT IS LANGUAGE PLANNING?
The term Language Planning refers to
measures taken by official agencies to
influence the use of one or more languages 
in a particular speech community.
•LANGUAGE PLANNING IS DEFINED AS THE
DEVELOPMENT OF POLICIES OR PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO
DIRECT OR CHANGE LANGUAGE USE, AS THROUGH THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE, THE
STANDARDIZATION OR MODERNIZATION OF A LANGUAGE, OR
THE DEVELOPMENT OR ALTERATION OF A WRITING SYSTEM.
• AMERICAN LINGUIST JOSHUA FISHMAN
HAS DEFINED LANGUAGE PLANNING AS "THE
AUTHORITATIVE ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES TO
THE ATTAINMENT OF LANGUAGE STATUS AND
CORPUS GOALS, WHETHER IN CONNECTION WITH
NEW FUNCTIONS THAT ARE ASPIRED TO OR IN
CONNECTION WITH OLD FUNCTIONS THAT NEED
TO BE DISCHARGED MORE ADEQUATELY" (1987).
WHY DO WE REQUIRE IT?
• AS LANGUAGE IS AN EVER-EVOLVING EXPRESSION OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION,
LANGUAGE PLANNING IS ABSOLUTELY NOT SOMETHING THAT A LANGUAGE
REQUIRES. HOWEVER, MANY GOVERNMENTS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS DO
UPHOLD LANGUAGE PLANNING POLICIES IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE CERTAIN GOALS
REGARDING HOW PEOPLE SPEAK OR WRITE. MOST OFTEN, THIS IS DONE TO
SOLVE COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS THROUGH STANDARDIZING THE USE OF A
SINGLE LANGUAGE OR THROUGH REDUCING THE NUMBER OF LANGUAGES
SPOKEN WITHIN A REGION. LANGUAGE PLANNING MAY ALSO BE USED TO
REVITALIZE DEAD OR DYING LANGUAGES FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES. 
FOUR MAJOR TYPES OF
LANGUAGE PLANNING
•  STATUS PLANNING -  ABOUT THE SOCIAL STANDING OF A LANGUAGE

•CORPUS PLANNING -  THE STRUCTURE OF A LANGUAGE


•LANGUAGE-IN-EDUCATION PLANNING - LEARNING
•PRESTIGE PLANNING  - IMAGE
LANGUAGE PLANNING
MAY OCCUR AT THE OR
THE ;
•MACRO-LEVEL (THE STATE).
•MICRO-LEVEL (THE COMMUNITY).
LANGUAGE PLANNING
 WHEN THE GOVERNMENT CHOOSES A VARIETY AS A
NATIONAL OR OFFICIAL LANGUAGE, IT DOES LANGUAGE
PLANNING.
 LANGUAGE PLANNING: THE DELIBERATE EFFORT TO
INFLUENCE THE FUNCTION, STRUCTURE OR ACQUISITION OF
A LANGUAGE WITHIN A SPEECH COMMUNITY.
 CHOOSING A VARIETY DEPENDS ON FACTORS LIKE:

1.THE FORM OF THE VARIETY.


2.THE FUNCTIONS IT SERVES.
3.THE ATTITUDES PEOPLE HOLD TOWARDS IT.
THE PROCESS OF PLANNING
 PLANNING A LANGUAGE GOES UNDER FOUR STEPS:

1. SELECTION: CHOOSING THE VARIETY TO BE DEVELOPED.


2. CODIFICATION: STANDARDIZING ITS STRUCTURAL OR
LINGUISTIC FEATURES. THIS STEP IS ALSO CALLED
CORPUS PLANNING.
3. ELABORATION: EXTENDING ITS FUNCTIONS FOR
USE IN NEW DOMAINS.
4. SECURING ITS ACCEPTANCE: ENHANCING ITS
PRESTIGE AND ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO IT AND
LOYALTY TOWARDS IT. DEVELOP PRIDE IN
THE PROCESS OF PLANNING
 SELECTING THE VARIETY TO BE DEVELOPED IS OFTEN A POLITICAL
DECISION.
 LINGUISTS HELP IN POINTING OUT THE DIFFERENT LINGUISTIC
PROBLEMS REPRESENTED BY SELECTING ONE VARIETY THAN ANOTHER.
 THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE CHOSEN VARIETY BY THE PEOPLE WILL
REQUIRE THE SUPPORT OF POLITICIANS AND SOCIALLY PRESTIGIOUS
GROUPS.
PURPOSES OF LANGUAGE PLANNING
1. LANGUAGE PURIFICATION: TO PRESCRIBE THE USAGE
IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE “LINGUISTIC PURITY” OF A
LANGUAGE AND PROTECT IT FROM FOREIGN INFLUENCES.

 EXAMPLE: CLASSICAL ARABIC GRAMMAR BOOKS.


2. LANGUAGE REVIVAL: TO ATTEMPT TO TURN
A LANGUAGE WITH FEW OR NO SURVIVING NATIVE
SPEAKERS BACK INTO A SPOKEN MEANS OF
COMMUNICATION.

 EXAMPLE: HEBREW
3. LANGUAGE REFORM : TO DELIBERATELY CHANGE
SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF A LANGUAGE SUCH AS ORTHOGRAPHY OR
GRAMMAR IN ORDER TO FACILITATE ITS USE.

 EXAMPLE:

CHINESE [REDUCED THE NUMBER OF CHARACTERS]


TURKISH [CHANGED CHARACTERS FROM ARABIC TO LATIN]
4. LANGUAGE SPREAD: TO ATTEMPT TO INCREASE THE
NUMBER OF SPEAKERS OF ONE LANGUAGE AT THE EXPENSE
OF ANOTHER.
 EXAMPLE: THE SPREAD OF SPANISH IN PARAGUAY AT THE EXPENSE
OF THE NATIVE LANGUAGE, GUARANI.
5. TERMINOLOGY UNIFICATION: TO DEVELOP
UNIFIED TERMINOLOGIES, PRIMARILY IN TECHNICAL
DOMAINS.

 EXAMPLE: THE ARAB LANGUAGE ACADEMY


6. LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE: TO PRESERVE THE
USE OF A GROUP’S NATIVE LANGUAGE AS A FIRST OR
SECOND LANGUAGE WHERE PRESSURE CAUSE A
DECLINE IN THE STATUS OF THE LANGUAGE.

 EXAMPLE: WELSH.
THE LINGUIST’S ROLE IN
LANGUAGE PLANNING
LANGUAGE ACADEMIES, COMMITTEES AND
COMMISSIONS ARE INTERESTED IN LANGUAGE
PLANNING.
 INDIVIDUALS CAN BE LANGUAGE PLANNERS,
TOO, MAINLY SOCIOLINGUISTS AND
LEXICOGRAPHERS.
EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE
PLANNERS
 LEXICOGRAPHY: THE CRAFT OF WRITING, COMPILING OR
EDITING DICTIONARIES.
SAMUEL JOHNSON (1709 – 1784): WROTE A 40,000 WORD DICTIONARY
IN 1755. IT HELPED IN THE CODIFICATION OF ENGLISH.
ELIEZER BEN-YEHUDA (1858 – 1922): THE MOST INFLUENTIAL
PROPONENT OF THE VERNACULARISATION OF HEBREW. HE CALLED
FOR USING HEBREW AND CREATED NEW WORDS TO BE USED IN
EVERYDAY SITUATIONS.
LINGUIST’S ROLE IN LANGUAGE PLANNING

THE MAIN CONCERNS OF LANGUAGE PLANNERS ARE:

1. LANGUAGE CODIFICATION
2. VOCABULARY EXPANSION
CODIFICATION
•THE LINGUISTIC TERM CODIFICATION REFERS TO THE METHODS BY
WHICH A LANGUAGE IS STANDARDIZED. THESE METHODS INCLUDE
THE CREATION AND USE OF DICTIONARIES, 
STYLE AND USAGE GUIDES, TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR
TEXTBOOKS, AND THE LIKE.

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