EL 104 – Language Programs and Policies in Multilingual Societies 1st Class | PRELIMS

OUTLINE
 Overview of Language Policy and Practice in Education around the world
 Understanding language
 Understanding multilingualism
 Language Acquisition
 Models of MTBMLE
 Literacies in the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)
 Strategies in Teaching the Mother Tongue
 Planning and Executing a Lesson in the Mother Tongue
 Historical background of the Language Policy in the Philippines and the legal bases of MTB-MLE
We hope to discover that language is really a thing in the whole World. Around the world, a number of
societies as well as nation are sharing various dialects and languages.

Learning Outcomes
 Describe contrasting policy environments for language education for learners from non-dominant
communities and approaches to the implementation of MIB-MLE in different national or regional
context.
 Have the confidence to dialogue effectively about policy change and approaches to the
implementation of MTBMLE with stakeholders from multiple sectors.
 Have grown in their capacity to plan and implement advocacy strategies to better advance and
support language education for speakers of non-dominant language communities.

Introduction
Language Policy: the legislation on the practices pertaining to the use of languages in a society
 Any nation has legal basis/legal mandates on the implementation of rules in using a language
 It is important that we have legal basis when we implement to use a specific language
 Example: August is our Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa – it has legal basis before it was implemented
Language in Education Policy: the legislation on the practices pertaining to languages or media of
instruction and languages of literacy used in basic education
 Medium of instruction in the education system
 Policies to be applied in the education system in reference to language
 The Language in Education Policy is always anchored in the Language Policy

FORMS OF LANGUAGES
1. Written – books, newspaper, journal, flyers, researchers
  How does books make use of the language? – it connects to us, it makes sense to you
2. Spoken – vlogs, spoken poetry, speech
3. Formal Language – lectures, conference, job interviews
4. Informal Language – talking with friends

Linguistic diversity should not be seen as in inseparable problem, but as a key factor in designing
intervention in literacy and other areas of development – Robinson, 2005
 We are in a world that diversity do exist in terms of language.
 Linguistic diversity is a problem, but it should not be treated as in inseparable.
 It’s a challenge but there be an intervention
 K12 - According to research, learners who are taught in their mother tongue will easily learn

Language Policy and Planning

 National governments and regional agencies such as ASEAN or the European Union, determine
language policies, determine which languages will be used for what purposes, including deciding
on the language in education policy.
 How we are going to improve our education system in terms of medium of instruction.
 Philippines is not living alone and not isolated from other countries. We have this association
where Philippines is part of it.
 When they talk about policy in language, we are part of it. We make decision together with other
ASEAN countries.
 We are part of their decision in terms of the language policy in education

AFRICA (1960s)
 Impact of social change and national integration on language use and language development
 Ferguson (2006)
 Fishman (1967)
 Das Gupta (1968) Language Problems of Developing Nations
 One of the key factors for a nation to develop is having a one concrete language.

INDIA
 The Ethnologue lists more than 400 individual languages (the country is to huge and the
population is also big in number)
 22 official languages (even though they belong in a same nation, they seem to be apart from each
other)
 Telegu is the official language of Andhra Pradesh
 Malayalam of Kerala State (other than these 2, meron pang iba)
  The language can really unite people and when we get to be united by language, we get to
contribute to the development

EUROPE
 Industrial revolution led to geographical isolation
 Celtic speaking people in Britain
 Basques in Spain
 Frisians in Netherlands

WALES
 Industrialization and the resultant internal economic migration from rural countries to South
Wales caused the decline of Welsh language
 English speakers remained monolingual while Welsh speakers were required to become bilingual
 The Welsh Language Act of 1967 gave equality to Welsh and English
 The dominant language before industrialization is Welsh but because of the industrialization and
economic crises they have to go out in Wales and look for a place where they can work that’s why
English became dominant language at that time

Language Policy in the Philippines

 The language problem in the Philippines is the problem of reconciling the competing demands
of ethnicity (mother tongue or vernacular, nationalism.
 The Philippines is geographically. We are isolated (the 3 islands are separated) that’s why it is
expected the people in Visayas will be very loyal to their vernacular
 The language in the Philippines is very challenging because we tend to love our own vernacular to
show our ethnicity.
 7000 islands with more than 180 languages
 Over 180 languages spoken in the Philippines - indeed Philippines is very diverse
 Education for All strategies
o EFA – Education for all
 Millennium Development Goals
o Importance of language (2015)
 Sustainable Development Goals
 Language Policy as it relates to education cannot be examined in isolation from the community
and the broader social, economic, and political contexts that impact the provision.
o The language policy will affect the language policy of education.
o Language policy is always connected to education, it cannot be isolated from each other
 Philippines has a rich and diverse linguistic and cultural heritage (Lewis, 2015)
 The language policy of the Department of Education (1974, 1987) required the use of two
languages of instruction: Filipino and English (The mandate or the legal basis)
  A recognition and legitimization of the on-going practice of using different media of instruction in
class including the use of the home language for explaining content taught in Filipino and in
English.

The Role of English in the Philippines towards a Multilingual Education Policy

Institutionalization of MTB – MLE (happen with the implementation of the k12 curriculum)

Discussion Questions
1. Do you believe that English contributes to social and social inequalities in the Philippines?
 No, it does not divide people.
 We cannot deny the fact that there are number of learners who seems to have a least chance to
study.
 It shows inequality in a way that people who was not given the opportunity to learn.
 Our common mentality as a filipino is – kapag marunong mag English ibig sabihin matalino at
magaling ka on the other hand kapag hindi ka marunong mag English ay low-class ka.
 Colonial Mentality
2. Does English undermine the culture of the Philippines?
 It does not destroy the culture of the Philippines. It is up to us, Filipinos on how we will show our
love for our culture.