Overview
- Explores the role of language in the context of the internationalisation of higher education from a language policy and planning perspective, considering universities as globally engaged research institutions
- Presents a picture of how Catalan universities respond to the challenge of becoming more internationally connected, while remaining locally grounded and nationally relevant
- Combines document analysis of university language policies with a more situated, qualitative and ethnographic account of the specific situation at one public university in Catalonia
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book investigates the sociolinguistic dimension of the internationalisation of higher education, examining the linguistic tensions and ambiguities experienced by universities around the world, particularly in non-anglophone contexts. Joining current debates within discursive and ethnographic approaches to language policy, the authors analyse the narrative emerging from university language policy documents, and then trace the stance-taking processes of different stakeholders at a small university in Catalonia. They pay particular attention to how teachers, administrative staff, and exchange students position themselves in connection to the role of Catalan and its coexistence with other languages at the university. This book will be of interest to language policy scholars and practitioners, as well as graduate students in sociolinguistics and applied linguistics
Reviews
“This book will not only benefit scholars who are specialists in the field of language policy and planning and multilingualism but will also offer some policy insights for university administrative staff and language policy makers. … this book links macro and micro perspectives on language policy and internationalization in higher education and offers some important insights on how different stakeholders may respond to the challenges associated with glocalization.” (Yi Wang, Language in Society, Vol. 50 (3), 2021)
“The clarity of the writing and coherent organisation makes this a useful book for a heterogeneous readership. For the general audience, the book includes essential theoretical and methodological concepts about internationalisation, LP and ethnographic methods indispensable for familiarisation with the topic at hand. … this book contributes to the field of LP with a fresh perspective, valuable for anyone interested in the relationship between internationalisation and language in higher education.” (Rosana Villares, Miscelánea, Vol. 62, 2020)
“This timely book offers a compelling account of the tensions between internationalisation and national priorities in higher education – as seen through Catalan language policies. Written by renowned experts in the field, it is a must read for researchers, policy makers and anyone even remotely interested in the profound sociolinguistic changes higher education systems across the world are grappling with.” (Anna Kristina Hultgren, Senior Lecturer in English Language and Applied Linguistics, The Open University, UK)“Essential and stimulating reading for anyone studying the language impacts of internationalisation in higher education institutions in non-anglophone and minority language contexts. Through their critical, constructive and insightful analyses of original data from a university in Catalonia, the authors show us the tensions arising from the competition between Catalan, Spanish and English amidst national and global goals, and weigh up the position of the Catalan language and its prospects.” (Peter Garrett, Emeritus Professor, School of English, Communication and Philosophy, Cardiff University, UK)
Authors and Affiliations
About the authors
Josep Soler is Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Department of English, Stockholm University, Sweden. His main research interests cover the areas of language policy and linguistic ideologies; he has recently focused on the role of English in the internationalisation of higher education, and on the study of practices and ideologies in multilingual families.
Lídia Gallego-Balsà is a Post-doctoral Researcher and Lecturer at the Department of English and Linguistics at the University of Lleida, Spain. Her interests include multilingualism, language policy, internationalisation, interculturality, discourse analysis, and ethnography.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Sociolinguistics of Higher Education
Book Subtitle: Language Policy and Internationalisation in Catalonia
Authors: Josep Soler, Lídia Gallego-Balsà
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16677-9
Publisher: Palgrave Pivot Cham
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-16676-2Published: 17 May 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-16677-9Published: 07 May 2019
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 134
Number of Illustrations: 11 b/w illustrations, 5 illustrations in colour
Topics: Sociolinguistics, Language Policy and Planning, Linguistic Anthropology, Applied Linguistics, Higher Education