Ethnic minority languages versus Frisian in Dutch primary schools: A comparative perspective

Abstract

In this paper, a comparative perspective is given on the position of ethnic minority languages vs. Frisian in Dutch primary schools. The rationale for such a comparison steins from the rather long history and high status of Frisian as a school subject and a medium of instruction in the Netherlands, and from remarkable similarities and differences in experiences and trends on both sides. First, there is a presentation of basic sociodemographic data on ethnic minority groups in the Netherlands, and arguments in favour of bilingual education in various contexts in which children's home language is dominated by a different school language. Apart from some similarities between Frisian and ethnic minority languages in Dutch primary schools, there is a number of noteworthy differences with respect to preferred arguments, legislation and educational models for minority language instruction (MLI), the actual use of minority languages, the attitudes of parents, teachers and children towards MLI, the pressure groups in favour of MLI, and, finally, the quality of teachers and learning materials. These differences are successively taken into account. Moreover, the need for better research data on bilingualism and better policy guidelines for bilingual education is discussed.

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