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Policy and pedagogical pliability: Enrichment in Võro-language revitalization in Estonia
| Content Provider | Scilit |
|---|---|
| Author | Brown, Kara D. |
| Copyright Year | 2018 |
| Abstract | This article explores policy and pedagogical pliability as strategies for perpetuating and protecting regional languages, like Võro, in the twenty-first century. The concept of pliability, as I develop it in this article, refers to the flexibility and adaptability of policies that are free from prescriptive and strict mandates. By examining this case from Estonia, I posit that the notion of enrichment plays a significant role in shaping the pliability and durability of contemporary Estonian regional-language policy. Whether an intentional or accidental approach on the part of Võro-language supporters, an emphasis on enrichment effectively helps to position the regional-language speakers with the national majority and establish proximity to their political and cultural interests. The data for this analysis were gathered during a diachronic, qualitative yearlong, school-based ethnography of Võro-language teachers in southeastern Estonia in 2001–2002 and 2013–2014. As a result of this ethnographic analysis, I find that enrichment as an ideology carries significant implications across macro and micro levels of language planning for revitalization including contributing to the curtailment of possibilities for long-term legal recognition for the language, perpetuating a classroom emphasis on oral skills over written skills, and emphasizing the arts- and performance-based value of language learning. The article concludes with lessons learned from the pliability of policy and pedagogy for language revitalization efforts elsewhere in Europe and beyond. |
| Related Links | http://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/mult.ahead-of-print/multi-2018-0007/multi-2018-0007.xml |
| Ending Page | 131 |
| Page Count | 19 |
| Starting Page | 113 |
| ISSN | 01678507 |
| e-ISSN | 16133684 |
| DOI | 10.1515/multi-2018-0007 |
| Journal | Multilingua |
| Issue Number | 1 |
| Volume Number | 38 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH |
| Publisher Date | 2019-01-26 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Multilingua Language Studies Enrichment Pliability Revitalization Estonia Journal: Multilingua, Issue- 4 |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
| Subject | Communication Linguistics and Language |