Transcript European Language Policies EU & Council of Europe Language Planning Instruments: ECRML & FCNM Donostia, October 26, 2012 Alex RIEMERSMA Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and.

European Language Policies
EU & Council of Europe
Language Planning Instruments:
ECRML & FCNM
Donostia, October 26, 2012
Alex RIEMERSMA
Mercator European Research Centre on
Multilingualism and Language Learning
www.mercator-research.eu
European Policies: EU
 European Union (1957)
Seat: Brussels / EU Parliament also Strasbourg
 Structure:
 Council of (national) Prime Ministers
 Councils of national subject Ministers
 European Commission (= Executive)
 European Parliament (> 700 seats)
EU Languages
 27 member states /
 23 official working languages
(Letzeburgish treaty language only)
 But in practice 3, 2 or 1 working language(s)
 and some co-official languages (in the EP)
Basque, Catalan, Galician, Welsh.
 > 60 Regional and Minority Languages
 > 175 Immigrant Languages
EU Language Policies
 Mother tongue + 2 other languages
 Multilingualism as an asset
 Lifelong Learning Program > Erasmus
for All
European Policies: EU
 European Treaty:
“EU respects the religious, cultural and
linguistic diversity.”
 Definition “Mother tongue” = state language
 Principle of “subsidiarity”
is in favour of national languages
 “All languages are equal” > “mainstreaming”
is in fact in favour of English (only) !
EU Parliament Resolutions
• 1981 Arfé
> EBLUL 1982 – 2006;
• 1983 Vandenmeulenbroecke
> earmarked budget € 1,2 million (> 2006)
• 1987 Kuijpers
> Mercator project (1987-2006) 3 partners:
Aberysthwyth (media),
Barcelona (legislation),
Ljouwert / Leeuwarden (education)
Follow up
• EBLUL extinct, followed up by
Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity
(NPLD): 11 regional authorities & 19 NGOs
• Mercator Network continued,
re-gained EU funding from 2009,
new Mercator partners:
Budapest
Stockholm
EU Parliament Resolutions
• 2004 Michael EBNER
> EU Agency for Linguistic Diversity,
but not accepted by EU Commission
 2005: Feasibility Study > Networks
 2012 François ALFONSI
>?
EU Commission Actions
 2007: High Level Group Multilingualism
+ on line consultation
 2008: EU Communication
 2008: Amin Maalouf Report
A Rewarding Challenge
(proposal: “adoptive language”)
 2011: Civil Society Platform on
Multilingualism
EU funded projects & networks
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Euromosaic
Smile
DYLAN
SUS-DIV
Linee
EUNoM
RML2future
MELT
NPLD
EU Agenda 2020
European Policies: CoE
 Council of Europe (1949, Strasbourg)
(47 member states; 800 million people)
 Parliamentary Assemblee
 Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities (CLRAE)
CoE relevant institutions
 Language Policy Division (Strasbourg):
a.o.: Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEFR)
 Centre for Modern Languages (Graz):
projects for the access to and quality of
language teaching
CoE relevant instruments
 Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages (to protect & to promote)
(ETS 148)
 Framework Convention on the
Protection of national Minorities (FCNM)
(ETS 157)
Charter for language planning
• Charter key words:
“to protect & to promote” /
“to safeguard & to encourage”
• Language planning key words:
State:
Citizen:
Capacity
Command
Opportunities
Use
Desire / Plan
Will
European Charter on RMLs
 Charter of the Council of Europe (1998)
25 ratifications (< 47 CoE member states)
13 ratifications (< 27 EU member states)
 Autochthonous Regional and Minority
Languages
 No dialects; no immigrant languages
 Part II: principles and objectives
(non-discrimination; state obligations and
education rights)
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European Charter on RMLs
 Part III: undertakings in domains
art. 8: Education
art. 9: Judicial authorities
art. 10: Administration & public services
art. 11: Media
art. 12: Cultural affairs
art. 13: Economic & social life
art. 14: Transfrontier exchanges
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Charter characteristics
 Inclusive approach (all domains)
 Common responsibility of state and
language community
 Template or menu-system
> tailor made approach
 Monitoring system
 International comparison & cooperation
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Charter menu system
 Article 8: Education
 Pre-school provisions
 Primary Education
 Secondary Education
 Vocational Training
 Higher Education
 Adult Education
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Charter menu system
 Article 8: Education
 Level i: obligatory
 Level ii: partly obligatory
 Level iii: optional
 Level iv: on request of parents
 Always: “where appropriate” =
sufficient demand / proportionality
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Monitoring system
 Consulting body according art. 7.4:
“needs and wishes” of the people
 Periodical reports by treaty parties
 Committee of Experts (each treaty party
one member) / on-the-spot visits
 Bi-annual report Secr.-General to
Assembly of Council of Europe
 > Recommendations to treaty parties
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Common European Standards
 Core goals in language command
 Time investment
 Teaching OF and teaching IN
 Continuity of teaching & learning
 Teaching materials
 Teacher training and qualification
 Valuable tests on language command
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Literature References
 François GRIN, Language Policy
Evaluation and the Charter for Regional
+ Minority Languages (2003)
 The European Charter for Regional or
Minority Languages: Legal Challenges
and Opportunities (2008)
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Framework Convention
National Minorities (FCNM)
 Individual Human Rights
 More general descriptions >
interpretations (+ discussions) in the
monitoring process
 18 members in the Advisory Committee
 State reports
 Thematic Reports
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FCNM articles re Education
 Art. 4: non-discrimination / integration
 Art. 6: education for tolerance
 Art. 8: religious diversity and tolerance
 Art. 9: awareness raising for journalists
 Art. 12: intercultural perspectives
 Art. 13: private educational provisions
 Art. 14: right to learn minority language
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FCNM thematic report Education
 Protection of minority cultures and
languages, effective equality and
access to education
 Actors at central and local level: school
heads, teachers, parents and students
 Tools: bi- and plurilingual curricula and
qualified teachers, multicultural
environments
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Project “From Act to Action”
Example: Implementing language
acts in
Finland, Ireland and Wales
Brussels, December 8th 2005
Siv Sandberg, Åbo Akademi University
Finland
Making language legislation work
in Finland, Ireland and Wales
1. Comparing different systems (national
level): legal and institutional
framework
2. Comparing different mechanisms
supporting the enactment of language
legislation
3. Comparing individual public authorities
Combining two views
The practitioner’s point of view
Providing information on what works
 Identifying good practices
 Producing tools for diagnoses and
performance measurement
The academic point of view
 Comparing the effects of different
institutional arrangements
Three crucial levels of analysis
1.
Relationship between the national authority
in charge of language act and the individual
public authorities
2.
The individual organization
3.
The interface between the organization and
the citizens/customers
The importance of covering all
three levels
Because:
Good interplay between
central monitoring agency
and language officers in
individual authorities…
Good implementation of
specific language policy
within the organization…
…does not necessarily
mean that…
…the level of commitment
to bilingualism in
organization as a whole is
sufficient.
…the citizens are satisfied
with the level of services
provided.
Factors affecting performance
1. The national context
2. The local context
(number of minority language
speakers, tradition, supply/demand)
3. The institutional context
(type of authority)
4. “Universal factors”
(staff, organization, leadership)
Constructing the ideal system?:
Four aspects to be elaborated further
…versus
National initiative
Specific language focus
Local initiative
Language as part of
broader quality focus
Systematic approach to
Person based approach to
language issues
language issues
Complaint-driven systems Pro-active, leadership
(Ombusman / Observatory) based systems
Coherent EU Language Policy
 EU Legal base and / or Treaty partner
to European Charter for RML, FCNM
 Vitality & empowerment of all languages
 Co-responsibility in stead of
“subsidiarity”
 Incentive to inclusiveness of RML / IML
 Partnership to permanent networks of
stakeholders for regular strategic review
EU Agenda 2020
 Linguistic Diversity as a priority
 Co-operation between EU and the
Council of Europe & ECML (= European
Centre for Modern Languages in Graz)
 National EU Agencies to raise
awareness and assist endangered
language communities to apply
EU Research Agenda 2020
 Eurobarometer on Languages to
include:
Mother tongue + father tongue
 Multilingual education: continuity &
common standards
 Media >>> Social media
 Plurilingual Literacy
Application of CoE instruments
 Common European Framework of
Reference (CEFR):
- can do – statements for L1, L2, Lf
- parallel assessments of L1, L2, Lf
 European Language Portfolio:
- electronic
- plurilingual approach

• Köszönöm
Tankewol
• Eskerrik asko
• Grazia
• Mercé plan
• Dankscheen
• Graciis
• Kiitos
• Diolch
• Hvala
• Trugarez
• Dz'akuju so
• Merci
• Multumesc
• Mange Takk