This document discusses language policy and planning (LPP) and provides an overview of key concepts in the field. It begins by situating LPP within the broader field of linguistics, noting that LPP investigates language behavior in relation to society and identity. The document then discusses some basic definitions of LPP and related fields. It provides examples of how LPP case studies are analyzed using levels of abstraction, with the goal of identifying participants, outcomes, and potential ethical dilemmas. Finally, it discusses speculative scenarios for addressing issues identified in the analysis in an idealistic, minimalistic, or pragmatic manner.

1. Language Policy and Planning
Between Economics and Identity
Federico Gobbo
Amsterdam
⟨F.Gobbo@uva.nl⟩
9th Int’al Teaching and Training Week EUBA, Bratislava, 15 Oct 2019
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2. What is Language Policy and
Planning?

3. The place of LPP in Linguistics
■ General Linguistics : ‘a study of the phenomena, historical changes, and
functions of language without restriction to a particular language or to a
particular aspect (as phonetics, grammar, stylistics) of language’.
(Merriam-Webster dictionary)
□ Theoretical Linguistics (…)
□ Applied Linguistics : ‘refers to a broad range of activities which involve
solving some language-related problem or addressing some
language-related concern’ (G. R. Tucker, LSA)
■ (…)
■ Sociolinguistics
■ Ethnolinguistics
■ Language Policy and Planning (LPP)
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4. The place of LPP in Linguistics
■ General Linguistics : ‘a study of the phenomena, historical changes, and
functions of language without restriction to a particular language or to a
particular aspect (as phonetics, grammar, stylistics) of language’.
(Merriam-Webster dictionary)
□ Theoretical Linguistics (…)
□ Applied Linguistics : ‘refers to a broad range of activities which involve
solving some language-related problem or addressing some
language-related concern’ (G. R. Tucker, LSA)
■ (…)
■ Sociolinguistics
■ Ethnolinguistics
■ Language Policy and Planning (LPP) ⇐ here we are
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5. Some basic definitions of LPP and its siblings
■ Sociolinguistics investigates language behaviour in relation with
society.
■ Ethnolinguistics investigates the relation between language and
identity, in particular ethnic identity.
■ Language Policy deals with the policies concerning languages: what
they are, what they should be. It is found at the border with law,
economics, and political science.
■ Language Planning is the set of tools to manipulate languages at any
level (status, corpus, acquisition) to apply language policies. You
need knowledge in many aspects of General, Socio- and
Ethno-linguistics.
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6. What LPP and its siblings have in common
■ Language as a social construction they do not take language as an
abstract uniform entity, but as a real-world interaction between
speakers (language-in-use) that produces cultural phenomena.
■ Engagement in society, as in the motto by Maks Vaynraykh: A
shprakh iz a diyalekt mit an armey un a flot.
■ Open boundaries cross-disciplinary fertilization is normal (and raise
difficulties in establishing a canon)
■ Emic vs etic they have to pay attention to the perspective of who
does (emic) and does not (etic) participate in the culture under
scrutiny.
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7. Beyond Shannon’s (1949) model of communication
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8. Immediate consequences of the anti-Shannon model
1. The message is ¨¨not transformed during the communication in the
channel.
2. The receiver is not passive in receiving the message.
3. The channel does ¨¨not modify the message.
4. Finally, communication is more than merely of messages.
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9. Natural languages? Yes, but…
Schuchardt maintained as early as in 1904 that all artificial
languages are more or less natural, and the natural languages are
more or less artificial. Jespersen reiterated the same in 1929. This
means that the difference between a “natural” and “artificial”
language is only one of degree, i.e. in all ethnic languages there
occur arbitrarily created elements.
Valter Pauli (1968:22, my emphasis)
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10. There is no zero-option
[I]n making policies on, among other things, education or simply
courtroom practices, states unavoidably have to make linguistic
decisions: fully a-linguistic state policies simply do not exist. The
correct opposition is therefore not one between linguistic freedom
and linguistic regulation but rather between different forms of
linguistic regulation. In other words, there is no zero-option in the
field of language policy. We cannot not intervene.
De Schutter (2007:17)
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11. LPP is inherently constructivist(*)
Naïve realism Constructivism Speculativism
transparency observables thought experiments
mimetism observer’s paradox scenarios
reality as it is modelling reality reality as it should be
(*) with a grain of speculation, at the end.
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12. Einar Haugen invents ‘language planning’ in 1959
By language planning I understand the activity of preparing a
normative orthography, grammar, and dictionary for the guidance
of writers and speakers in a nonhomogeneous speech
community. In this practical application of linguistic knowledge
we are proceeding beyond descriptive linguistics into an area where
judgment must be exercised in the form of making choices among
available linguistic forms. Planning implies an attempt to guide the
development of a language in a direction desired by the planners. It
means not only predicting the future on the basis of available
knowledge concerning the past, but a deliberate effort to
influence it.
Einar Haugen, 1959: 8, my emphasis
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13. Enter Language Policy (Cassels-Johnson 2013:9)
1. Official regulations – often enacted in the form of written
documents, intended to effect some change in the form,
function, use or acquisition of language – which can influence
economic, political and educational opportunity;
2. Unofficial, covert, de facto, and implicit mechanism, connected to
language beliefs and practices, that have regulation power
over language use and interaction within communities,
workplaces, and schools;
3. Not just products but processes – “policy” as a verb, not a noun
– that are driven by a diversity of language policy agents across
multiple layers of policy creation, interpretation, appropriation,
and instantiation;
4. Policy texts and discourses across multiple contexts and layers
of policy activity, which are influenced by the ideologies and
discourses unique to that context.
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14. The method of case study
analysis in LPP

15. LPP works mainly through exemplary case studies
deductive inductive abductive
rule/law (1) rule/law (3) rule/law (2)
case/example (2) case/example (2) case/example (3)
observation (3) observation (1) observation (1)

16. The Levels of Abstraction
■ it is borrowed from the Philosophy of Information (Floridi et al)
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17. The Levels of Abstraction
■ it is borrowed from the Philosophy of Information (Floridi et al)
■ information (and also language) is a social construction
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18. The Levels of Abstraction
■ it is borrowed from the Philosophy of Information (Floridi et al)
■ information (and also language) is a social construction
■ rigorous, mutuated from Formal Methods in Computer Science
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19. The Levels of Abstraction
■ it is borrowed from the Philosophy of Information (Floridi et al)
■ information (and also language) is a social construction
■ rigorous, mutuated from Formal Methods in Computer Science
There are three aspects:
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20. The Levels of Abstraction
■ it is borrowed from the Philosophy of Information (Floridi et al)
■ information (and also language) is a social construction
■ rigorous, mutuated from Formal Methods in Computer Science
There are three aspects:
1. LoAs : Levels of Abstraction : describe a model of reality in terms of
observable variables, all other being abstracted
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21. The Levels of Abstraction
■ it is borrowed from the Philosophy of Information (Floridi et al)
■ information (and also language) is a social construction
■ rigorous, mutuated from Formal Methods in Computer Science
There are three aspects:
1. LoAs : Levels of Abstraction : describe a model of reality in terms of
observable variables, all other being abstracted
2. LoOs : Levels of Organisation : describe raw data, de re
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22. The Levels of Abstraction
■ it is borrowed from the Philosophy of Information (Floridi et al)
■ information (and also language) is a social construction
■ rigorous, mutuated from Formal Methods in Computer Science
There are three aspects:
1. LoAs : Levels of Abstraction : describe a model of reality in terms of
observable variables, all other being abstracted
2. LoOs : Levels of Organisation : describe raw data, de re
3. LoEs: Levels of Epistemology : describe purposes behind actions
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23. Step 0: prima facie
1. Quite often, a case study is raised to public attention.
2. Which are our emotions, feelings, sentiments, prima facie, that is
before any rational analysis?
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24. Step 0: prima facie
1. Quite often, a case study is raised to public attention.
2. Which are our emotions, feelings, sentiments, prima facie, that is
before any rational analysis?
□ identify your degree of involvement;
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25. Step 0: prima facie
1. Quite often, a case study is raised to public attention.
2. Which are our emotions, feelings, sentiments, prima facie, that is
before any rational analysis?
□ identify your degree of involvement;
□ establish the right distance before to analyse it;
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26. Step 0: prima facie
1. Quite often, a case study is raised to public attention.
2. Which are our emotions, feelings, sentiments, prima facie, that is
before any rational analysis?
□ identify your degree of involvement;
□ establish the right distance before to analyse it;
□ eventually, take your prima facie reaction while building scenarios (step
3, see below)
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27. Step 0: prima facie
1. Quite often, a case study is raised to public attention.
2. Which are our emotions, feelings, sentiments, prima facie, that is
before any rational analysis?
□ identify your degree of involvement;
□ establish the right distance before to analyse it;
□ eventually, take your prima facie reaction while building scenarios (step
3, see below)
3. Collect opinions, even if unfair or politically uncorrect.
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28. Step 1: acquisition of information
■ Main goal: identification of the current state-of-affairs.
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29. Step 1: acquisition of information
■ Main goal: identification of the current state-of-affairs.
■ ‘facts’ are not enough: we need to find, actions, processes, agents,
stakeholders, etc.
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30. Step 1: acquisition of information
■ Main goal: identification of the current state-of-affairs.
■ ‘facts’ are not enough: we need to find, actions, processes, agents,
stakeholders, etc.
■ agency implies the LoEs;
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31. Step 1: acquisition of information
■ Main goal: identification of the current state-of-affairs.
■ ‘facts’ are not enough: we need to find, actions, processes, agents,
stakeholders, etc.
■ agency implies the LoEs;
■ processes imply the identification of LoOs.
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32. Step 1: acquisition of information
■ Main goal: identification of the current state-of-affairs.
■ ‘facts’ are not enough: we need to find, actions, processes, agents,
stakeholders, etc.
■ agency implies the LoEs;
■ processes imply the identification of LoOs.
■ LoEs and LoOs can be partially opaque, i.e. not clearly identifiable.
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33. Step 1: acquisition of information
■ Main goal: identification of the current state-of-affairs.
■ ‘facts’ are not enough: we need to find, actions, processes, agents,
stakeholders, etc.
■ agency implies the LoEs;
■ processes imply the identification of LoOs.
■ LoEs and LoOs can be partially opaque, i.e. not clearly identifiable.
■ Thus, the main tool is the construction of the correct LoAs.
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34. Step 2: LoAs as collections of observable variables
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
qualitative
analogue
discrete
quantitative
■ qualitative : e.g. a set of tags, without any internal order
■ analogue : e.g. an partial order of adjectives
■ discrete : e.g. a vector of fixed values, a gradatum
■ quantitative : e.g. a range of values expressed in natural numbers
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35. Intermezzo
LPP, economics and identity

36. Schools of thought in LPP and their consequences
Paraphrasing the semiologist Umberto Eco, the tendency is:
school apocalyptics integrated
language as identity marker neutral commodity
main issue power communication
metaphor imperialism market
methodology qualitative quantitative
conceptual frame ecolinguistics postmodernism
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37. End of Intermezzo

38. Step 3: from LoAs to dilemmas
■ for each LoAs : identify participants: stakeholders, agents,
observants, etc;
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39. Step 3: from LoAs to dilemmas
■ for each LoAs : identify participants: stakeholders, agents,
observants, etc;
■ for each participant : identify committments and expected
outcomes (also in relation to LoEs, if possible);
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40. Step 3: from LoAs to dilemmas
■ for each LoAs : identify participants: stakeholders, agents,
observants, etc;
■ for each participant : identify committments and expected
outcomes (also in relation to LoEs, if possible);
■ for each outcome : identify who has access to what; is anybody
permitted to access to the outcome or only somebody in particular?
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41. Step 3: from LoAs to dilemmas
■ for each LoAs : identify participants: stakeholders, agents,
observants, etc;
■ for each participant : identify committments and expected
outcomes (also in relation to LoEs, if possible);
■ for each outcome : identify who has access to what; is anybody
permitted to access to the outcome or only somebody in particular?
■ do outcomes produce ethical dilemmas? Is there any conflict
between alternative that, no matter what partipants do, that
involves one or more ethical principles?
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42. Step 4: speculative, but grounded
The analysis is finished in steps 1-3. It’s time to propose solutions:
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43. Step 4: speculative, but grounded
The analysis is finished in steps 1-3. It’s time to propose solutions:
1. Idealistic scenario : describe the best possible world scenario,
where all participants are happy – beware, it should still be
realisable!
Nota bene: reprise the prima facie opinions previously collected.
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44. Step 4: speculative, but grounded
The analysis is finished in steps 1-3. It’s time to propose solutions:
1. Idealistic scenario : describe the best possible world scenario,
where all participants are happy – beware, it should still be
realisable!
2. Minimalistic scenario : describe the minimal requirements to
obtain an acceptable outcome that does preserve the most
important objectives not to be missed at any cost;
Nota bene: reprise the prima facie opinions previously collected.
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45. Step 4: speculative, but grounded
The analysis is finished in steps 1-3. It’s time to propose solutions:
1. Idealistic scenario : describe the best possible world scenario,
where all participants are happy – beware, it should still be
realisable!
2. Minimalistic scenario : describe the minimal requirements to
obtain an acceptable outcome that does preserve the most
important objectives not to be missed at any cost;
3. Pragmatistic scenario : describe a positive scenario based on
practical considerations about its feasibility.
Nota bene: reprise the prima facie opinions previously collected.
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46. Levels of Abstraction in LPP
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47. The standard model: Cooper-Hornberger (1989, 2006)
status planning
language policy modification
corpus planning
graphization, standardization, modernization
acquisition planning
formal, informal, non-formal

48. Status planning: two aspects, many domains
type observables
formal laws & document, currency,
public broadcasting & web sites, education, etc
informal market, music, fashion, family language use, etc
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49. Status planning: two aspects, many domains
type observables
formal laws & document, currency,
public broadcasting & web sites, education, etc
informal market, music, fashion, family language use, etc
Exercise: can you identify observables of (in)formal language status
and their respective LoAs?
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50. Exercise: currencies and language policies
Tip: think about (a) the historical sacrality of currencies, linked with
sovereignity (e.g. Czech koruna, Danish krone) and (b) linguistic
information written on them (source: MentalFloss).
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51. The standard model: Cooper-Hornberger (1989, 2006)
status planning
language policy modification
corpus planning ⇐ here we are
graphization, standardization, modernization
acquisition planning
formal, informal, non-formal

52. Language corpus: three steps
1. graphization development, selection, modification of orthographic
conventions;
2. standardization choice of a single variety (promotion) or
development of a contact variety (mélange) as normative;
3. modernization expansion of domains so to rebrand the language
(including coolification).
Nota bene: the three steps are consequent upon language planning
activities
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53. Exercise: where to collocate this language sample?
Background: murales in Orgosolo, Sardinia, written in Sardinian, by
Francesco Del Casino, in honour of Juanne Maria Angioy (1751 - 1808),
Sardinian politician and patriot (source: progetto Geatracks).
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54. Graphization example: Sardinian
Source: Which Sardinian for education? (Gobbo & Vardeu, in press)
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55. Exercise: where to collocate this language sample?
Background: public street sign for tourists, indicating a notable Church
(source: Wikipedia).
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56. Every theoretical discussion is vain; LSC functions
Written use of the Sardinian language can’t only come from above but
it is necessary to consider its end language users. We recommend:
■ to test systematically the Limba Sarda Comuna (LSC) in schools;
■ to extend the research in the South of Sardinia;
■ to consider possible southern student’s negative reactions, far from
compromising the introduction of LSC at school, could be an
opportunity to introduce some changes and to make the written
language fit speakers’ needs.
Source: Gobbo & Vardeu, in press
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57. The strange case of standardization of Norwegian
One national language, two standards (source: Wikipedia, today)
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58. Bokmål and Nynorsk (L. S. Vikør (2015) in Språkrådet)
The idea of reforming the language itself was first formulated in the
1830s. Already then two different strategies were formulated: to
introduce Norwegian elements (lexically and idiomatically) into the
standard of Danish in Norway, leading to a separate version of
Danish [that lead to Bokmål]. The other strategy was to start with
an investigation of spoken dialects, particularly those that had
preserved Old Norse features in lexicon, pronunciation and
morphology, and then codify a common standard on the basis of
these features[, leading to Nynorsk.] In speech, there is much
blending between dialects, Bokmål and Nynorsk, but in writing, the
varieties are kept more clearly apart. Nynorsk is mostly used in
Western Norway as a written language (by roughly 10% of the
people, amounting to about half a million), Bokmål is dominant in
the rest of the country, and is used in writing by close to 90%.
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59. An entry in the Bokmål Wikipedia…

60. …and the corresponding entry in Nynorsk
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61. The constant modernization of Esperanto

62. Esperanto is a planned language
Languages can be planned from scratch if someone decided to do so,
writing the (normative) grammar, setting up the (basic) lexicon and
giving some texts in the language.
You can always identify double articulation (phonetic space +
morphosyntactic level) in a planned language – they are languages
for human beings – even the “alien” ones, e.g. Klingon.
Often the language planner acts alone, rarely in committees or groups
– but always with a clear leader, that is called the language planner.
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63. For planned languages orality is a challenge
normative variety
language planning
continuum of language variation
language use
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64. Why planning languages from scratch?
Languages can be planned for different purposes. The language can be
secret (esoteric) if the grammar is known only by initiates; otherwise it
is public (exoteric).
Languages planned with a public in mind can be:
1. general, if their overt purpose is to facilitate the communication
among people from different nations, in a constant strive to
modernize it for fulfilling all needs;
2. specific, when languages are planned for specific purposes, often for
art, literature, especially fiction.
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65. general
specific
publicsecret
<empty>
Esperanto
Latino sine Flexione
Ido
Basic English
Novial
Volapük (19th c.)
Interlingua etc.
Lojban
Lincos
Logical Languages
International Auxiliary Languages
Dothraki
Klingon
Tolkien (21st c.)
Volapük (20th c.)
Na’vi
etc.Hollywood languages
Tolkien’s (20th)
Bâl-A I-Balan Toki Pona
Europanto
Gatlòik
Araìk
Montessori Lab languages

66. Community of practice: a sociolinguistic definition
The value of the notion ‘communities of practice’ to
Sociolinguistics and Linguistic Anthropology lies in the fact that it
identifies a social grouping not in virtue of shared abstract
characteristics (e.g. class, gender) or simple co-presence
(e.g. neighborhood, workplace), but in virtue of shared
practice. In the course of regular joint activity, a community of
practice develops ways of doing things, views, values, power
relations, ways of talking. And the participants engage with these
practices in virtue of their place in the community of practice, and
of the place of the community of practice in the larger social order.
Penelope Eckert (2006), my emphasis
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67. Example of modernization candidates in Esperanto
original compound borrowing
hospital mal-san-ul-ej/o hospital/o
computer komput-il/o komputer/o, komputor/o
21st century
blog ret-ĵurnal/o blog/o
Facebook Vizaĝ-libr/o / Vizaĝ-ar/o Fejsbuk/o
Twitter Pep-ej/o Tviter/o
Legenda:
■ mal- ← antonymizer
■ -il- ← instrument, tool (of some kind)
■ -ej- ← place
■ -ul- ← guy (with a quality)
■ -ar- ← set (of)
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68. The standard model: Cooper-Hornberger (1989, 2006)
status planning
language policy modification
corpus planning
graphization, standardization, modernization
acquisition planning ⇐ here we are
formal, informal, non-formal

69. Acquisition planning: three aspects
type explicitness voluntariness examples
formal explicit, mandatory from primary school
official or voluntary to University
informal implict non-voluntary neighbourhood,
unplanned in the playground
non-formal explicit, voluntary online course,
planned no certification
After decades of case studies, we can safely say that:
school is important but it is not enough.
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70. Case study: school education of minorities
Tove Skutnabb-Kangas has worked for years in this field, and it offers a
model to evaluate strategies for the educational programs.
Goals:
1. high levels of multilingualism (minimum, bilingualism);
2. a fair chance of achieving academically at school;
3. a strong, positive and multicultural identity (inclusiveness);
4. a positive attitudes toward self and others.
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71. The three prototypical models
According to the goals above, there are three prototypes:
1. nonmodels: no goal achieved. They lead to monolingualism or
strong dominance of the majority language.
2. weak models: assimilationist, but not quite harsh for the child. They
may reach goal 2 (fair chance) and the minimal goal 1 (bilingualism).
3. strong they promote all goals, multilingualism and multiliteracy.
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72. The deficiency theory
Traditionally, minorities are blamed for any failure at schools. These
are the handicaps most commonly used:
■ L2-related: the minority child (and/or parents) do not know A well
enough;
■ diastratic: the children’s parents represent the lowest social groups,
little formal education, high rates of unempliyment, etc. No
school-related support at home.
■ cultural: the minority culture clashes with the value of the
dominant group; sometimes, the myth of the ‘noble savage’ is
evocated (“they need to be ‘civilized’ ”)
■ L1-related: the minority child in struggling for assimilation does not
know the home language enough, without a solid basis for
L2-learning (semilingualism).
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73. The nonmodels
The deficiency theory argues that minorities are themselves a problem,
bilingualism included. Typically, nonmodel schools show:
■ a sink-or-swim program: children are forced to accept instructions in
the prestige language with no linguistic help – this can be the
acrolect or the European language in post-colonial countries;
■ teachers do not care: they neither understand nor treat the minority
language as a value for the child;
■ transitional program: the “humane” way of assimilation: the home
language is auxiliary to achieve a minimum of oralcy in the
language of instruction, i.e., it is instrumental only.
■ A variant is the segregation program, where apart classes are formed,
with poorly trained teachers and few resources.
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74. The additive theory
The additive theory argues that early bilingualism (i.e., for pupils in
their primary school years) has many advantages:
■ social and cultural: having two identities (in some cases, more)
permit to have a broader view of the world;
■ economic: for job finding, travelling, etc.;
■ cognitive (mental): multilingualism is the natural state of the brain,
while monolingualism is a handicap;
□ children separate A and B early (8 months), even if similar (e.g.,
Catalan/Spanish): the two languages are always ‘on’ (Antonella Sorace);
□ they have better language learning abilities for any other language
□ they have higher metalinguistic awareness;
□ they are more precocious readers;
□ better in task-switching, longer focused attention
For cognition, it doesn’t matter which languages bilinguals learn.
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75. The weak models
Weak models consider bilingualism as a value, but treat languages as
something separate from the rest.
■ foreign language teaching: L2s are a separate subject; no clear
relation to the content of other subjects. Sometimes the language
serves no clear purposes in the life of the learners.
■ no connection with the families: L2s are learned only in school,
without engagement or ‘parents’ programs’ to learn the L2s
together;
■ strongest languages only: no apart attention is given to the minority
languages, powerful languages are preferred;
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76. The strong models 1/2
Strong models consider multilingualism the main asset (strong
argument: in general multilinguals get better job opportunities)
■ CLIL programs for majorities: Content and Language Integrated
Learning: A-speakers learn B through a specific content;
■ code switching for content: avoid the ‘divide et impera’: languages of
instruction are switched during semesters to avoid a domain
separation;
■ fully bilingual teachers: they answer in B to the questions in A,
initially, requiring that A-children learn to speak in B too.
■ Language shelter programs: organized by ethnolinguistic minority
communities, they offer full education in B, providing biliteracy
with A (especially for access to the material)
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77. The strong models 2/2
■ two-ways programs: class are organised with 50% of A-children and
50% of B-children. They alternate hours in A and B, as well as
subjects.
■ EU school model: literacy in the home language is achieved through
specific groups of children, while all other subjects are in others’
languages, introduced gradually, so that literacy is guaranteed.
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78. An evaluation
After years of observation, results show that:
■ The EU school model is the best one for children, but there are
diastratic considerations to be taken (élitist);
■ It is better to learn L2s if they use the home language too, not only
the dominant one (e.g. English learned by Turkish in Germany with
also material in Turkish)
■ Bilingual teachers should have a strong competence in B in two-way
programs and CLIL for majorities, in order to be successful.
Unfortunately, strong models are still less frequently used. Weak
models are preferred, even if based on no scientific and pragmatic
evidence in fostering stable and effective multilingualism.
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79. The ultimate goal for schools
If social integration is taken to be a psychological state
characterized by positive self/ingroup identity along with positive
other/outgroup identification, then bilingualism, both at the
individual and at the social levels, seems to promote social
integration.
Ajit Mohanty
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80. Applying the method of case
study analysis in the real world
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81. Step 0: prima facie reaction
■ Amsterdam university drops bachelor’s degree in Dutch
■ by Janene Pieters on February 25, 2019, NL Times.
■ The Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam is dropping its bachelor’s
degree in Dutch due to a lack of students. The program has been
struggling with too few students for years. This year only five new
students enrolled, and the degree has five staff members.
Spokesperson Wessel Agterhof called it a “loss-making operation”,
Het Parool reports. The number of students studying Dutch
decreased by 60 percent over the past decade, according to the
spokesperson.
■ John Koppenhol, professor of older Dutch literature, called this an
“extraordinarily regrettable” decision by the university. “We’re
talking about our mother tongue here”, he said to the newspaper. “It
is important that we continue to study it, because the mother
tongue is also the means to understand our culture.”

82. Step 0: prima facie reaction
■ Amsterdam university drops bachelor’s degree in Dutch
■ by Janene Pieters on February 25, 2019, NL Times.
■ The Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam is dropping its bachelor’s
degree in Dutch due to a lack of students. The program has been
struggling with too few students for years. This year only five new
students enrolled, and the degree has five staff members.
Spokesperson Wessel Agterhof called it a “loss-making operation”,
Het Parool reports. The number of students studying Dutch
decreased by 60 percent over the past decade, according to the
spokesperson.
■ John Koppenhol, professor of older Dutch literature, called this an
“extraordinarily regrettable” decision by the university. “We’re
talking about our mother tongue here”, he said to the newspaper. “It
is important that we continue to study it, because the mother
tongue is also the means to understand our culture.”
Your turn ⇒ What is your prima facie reaction?

83. Step 1: acquisition of information
■ The Dutch public funding of Universities see education as a service,
students as returns to be kept as high as possible. If popularity is
the criterion for keeping courses, what is the consequence for
research? Similar numbers for mathematics.
■ The University of Amsterdam has removed language courses no
longer given anywhere else in the country.
■ Those who want to study Dutch can still do so at the University of
Amsterdam and at the universities in Leiden, Utrecht, Nijmegen and
Groningen.
■ According to newspaper AD, only some 200 students enrolled for the
degree in Nederlandistiek nationwide last year 2018-2019.
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84. Step 1: who is involved?
■ Dutch national government in The Hague;
■ University Steering Boards (CvBen);
■ student population;
■ Dutch public opinion.
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85. Step 1: who is involved?
■ Dutch national government in The Hague;
■ University Steering Boards (CvBen);
■ student population;
■ Dutch public opinion.
Your turn ⇒ Do you find other participants, stakeholders?
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86. Step 1: identify Levels of Abstraction
■ status planning
1. formal : the top level Dutch studies reduced;
2. informal : prestige of Dutch in the society hampered;
3. meanwhile, English highens its prestige in the Dutch society;
■ corpus planning
1. risk of possible domain loss in Dutch in the long run, taken by English;
■ acquisition planning
1. proficiency level of Dutch L1 becoming lower (“I express myself better
in English talking than in Dutch about X and Y”)
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87. Step 1: identify Levels of Abstraction
■ status planning
1. formal : the top level Dutch studies reduced;
2. informal : prestige of Dutch in the society hampered;
3. meanwhile, English highens its prestige in the Dutch society;
■ corpus planning
1. risk of possible domain loss in Dutch in the long run, taken by English;
■ acquisition planning
1. proficiency level of Dutch L1 becoming lower (“I express myself better
in English talking than in Dutch about X and Y”)
Your turn ⇒ Do you find any ethical dilemma here?
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88. Step 2: define observable variables
■ absolute number of University students in the Netherlands show:
1. rapidly growing influx of international students (322 percent over the
past 12 years);
2. deteriorating student-to-teacher ratios;
3. severe shortages of student housing, and rising rents;
4. in 2018, English-only programmes were 23% of all BA and 74% of all MA.
■ Over-60 Dutch population: from 25% in 2017 to 34% by 2050
1. meanwhile, the overall population size is projected to remain flat.
2. attracting foreign talent though Universities can counter the aging of
Dutch society and the risk of labor shortages.
■ School teaching is underpaid;
1. Dutch (as L1 and L2) is not much attractive for students
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89. Step 2: define observable variables
■ absolute number of University students in the Netherlands show:
1. rapidly growing influx of international students (322 percent over the
past 12 years);
2. deteriorating student-to-teacher ratios;
3. severe shortages of student housing, and rising rents;
4. in 2018, English-only programmes were 23% of all BA and 74% of all MA.
■ Over-60 Dutch population: from 25% in 2017 to 34% by 2050
1. meanwhile, the overall population size is projected to remain flat.
2. attracting foreign talent though Universities can counter the aging of
Dutch society and the risk of labor shortages.
■ School teaching is underpaid;
1. Dutch (as L1 and L2) is not much attractive for students
Your turn ⇒ Any other variable to be identified?
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91. Step 3: possible ethical dilemmas
■ The extent and speed of internationalization: are Dutch
students marginalized? should Dutch universities put quotas to
non-Dutch (and/or non-EU) nationals?
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92. Step 3: possible ethical dilemmas
■ The extent and speed of internationalization: are Dutch
students marginalized? should Dutch universities put quotas to
non-Dutch (and/or non-EU) nationals?
■ Compartimentalization of disciplines: if hard sciences like
informatics or engineering go English-only, Dutch risks to become
“heart language” only; if Dutch is pushed back by public money,
Universities can lose their international attractiveness;
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93. Step 3: possible ethical dilemmas
■ The extent and speed of internationalization: are Dutch
students marginalized? should Dutch universities put quotas to
non-Dutch (and/or non-EU) nationals?
■ Compartimentalization of disciplines: if hard sciences like
informatics or engineering go English-only, Dutch risks to become
“heart language” only; if Dutch is pushed back by public money,
Universities can lose their international attractiveness;
■ Quality of teaching: growing unease in the oversimplification of
the academic discourse in L2 English (both sides: professors and
students), in spite if the general high level of English proficiency in
the Netherlands.
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94. Thanks for your kind attention and participation!
Your turn: any case study?
If not now, send afterwards to:
⟨F.Gobbo@uva.nl⟩
More info about me (also in Dutch, Esperanto, Italian):
https:/federicogobbo.name/
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