Scholarship and activism on language

Abstract

Language teachers and language researchers have the most detailed and reliable knowledge about language in society, yet in many language-policy debates, teachers and researchers play only a marginal role. Instead, public discussion of language is often dominated by anecdote rather than research evidence, disorganized analysis of language problems, and a disregard for the expertise of language professionals. This paper proposes explanations for the failure of language professionals to have impact on language policy by focusing on the tension between two competing responsibilities of language professionals: to develop theoretically sound understandings of language in society, and to apply those understandings to the solution of important language problems. It is argued that three important factors affect language-policy debates: tension between the “objectivity” of scientific research and the demands of social activism; the role of “common sense” in policy discussion; and the failure of language specialists to understand how to be effective in the rough-and- tumble struggles of language politics.

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