The Multilingual Landscape of Higher Education in the Baltic States: Exploring Language Policies and Practices in the University Space

Abstract

In recent years there has been increasing debate about the role and status of different languages in the domain of higher education, with an emphasis on how a multilingual balance can be reached at that level. Language and education issues in the Baltic states have been controversial topics for quite some time. Nevertheless, to date not much attention has been paid here to analysing the sociolinguistic situation at universities. This chapter proposes an analysis of the discourses circulating in the university space in the Baltic states. Methodologically, the chapter draws on ‘nexus analysis’. The results show that the three universities examined (the University of Tartu (UT), the University of Latvia (UL) in Riga and Vilnius University (VU)) follow state official monolingualism to some extent, especially in their material space. However, there are also other spaces where other languages can be more actively incorporated. The implications of the current situation are discussed at the end of the chapter, along with a brief discussion on its effects for actual speakers.

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