CIAO DATE: 01/05

Fighting Words: Language Policy and National Development in India

Michael E. Brown and Sumit Ganguly

MIT Press

November 2004

 

Abstract

Language policy is a sensitive issue in most countries. In countries where more than one language is spoken—the vast majority of countries—language policies affect the ability of individuals and groups to participate in government, to be treated fairly by governmental agencies, to have access to government services, to take advantage of educational opportunities, and to pursue economic success.

Language policies also affect the prospects for survival of ethnic groups that define themselves on the basis of language. Assimilationist policies can threaten the existence of minority groups as distinct entities. Accommodationist policies might allow many ethnic groups to flourish but weaken national unity. In many countries, disputes over language policies have led to ethnic tensions and, in some cases, to violent ethnic conflicts.

This book analyzes the impact of different kinds of language policies on ethnic relations in fifteen multiethnic countries in Asia and the Pacific. The analyses include discussion of the origins of different language policies and of how the policies have evolved over time. The book develops policy recommendations, both for individual countries and in more general terms.

 

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction
Michael E. Brown and Sumit Ganguly

I.  South Asia

1. Language Policy and National Development in India (PDF, 30 pgs, 543.4 KB)
   Jyotirindra Dasgupta

2. The Politics of Language Policy in Pakistan
   Alyssa Ayres

3. Language, Identity, and the State in Bangladesh
   Amena Mohsin

4. Ethnolinguistic Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka
   Neil DeVotta

II.  Southeast Asia

5. Language Policy in Modern Burma
   Mary P. Callahan

6. The Politics of Language in Thailand and Laos
   Charles F. Keyes

7. Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Vietnam
   Thaveeporn Vasavakul

8. The Politics of Language Policies in Malaysia and Singapore
   Sumit Ganguly

9. Language Policy and the Promotion of National Identity in Indonesia
   Jacques Bertrand

10. Harmonizing Linguistic Diversity in Papua New Guinea
    R. J. May

11. Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in the Philippines
    Caroline S. Hau and Victoria L. Tinio

III.  East Asia

12. The Evolution of Language Policies in China
    June Teufel Dreyer

13. The Evolution of Language Policies and National Identity in Taiwan
    June Teufel Dreyer

IV.  Conclusions

14. Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Asia
    Michael E. Brown

Suggestions for Further Reading

Contributors

Index

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