Language as a Resource: Public Sector Discourse on the Role of Regional Minority and Community Languages in Integration and Employment

Autor/in	Easlick, Kathleen
Titel	Language as a Resource: Public Sector Discourse on the Role of Regional Minority and Community Languages in Integration and Employment
Quelle	In: Current Issues in Language Planning, 23 (2022) 1, S.1-20 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Easlick, Kathleen)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1747-7506
DOI	10.1080/14664208.2021.1897381
Schlagwörter	Language Minorities; Second Language Learning; Social Integration; Language Role; Second Languages; Employment Opportunities; Language Skills; Public Sector; Cross Cultural Studies; Foreign Countries; Language Planning; Language Attitudes; Multilingualism; English; Finno Ugric Languages; Welsh; Swedish; Finland; United Kingdom (Wales); United Kingdom (Manchester) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sprachminderheit; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Soziale Integration; Second language; Zweitsprache; Berufschance; Beschäftigungschance; Language skill; Sprachkompetenz; Öffentlicher Sektor; Cultural comparison; Kulturvergleich; Ausland; Sprachwechsel; Sprachverhalten; Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; English language; Englisch; Walisisch; Schwedisch; Finnland
Abstract	This paper presents a thematic analysis of public sector discourse on the values assigned to regional minority and community languages within the UK and Finland. This paper draws from semi-structured interviews conducted in Manchester, Cardiff, Helsinki, and Rovaniemi. Two key themes emerged from the interview data: "Language as a Resource for Integration" and "Language as a Resource for Employment." The findings demonstrate that the concept of language as a resource is multidimensional and complex, as majority, regional minority, and community languages are valued differently within macro-policy and service provider discourse. In the public sector discourse, the majority language skills were positioned as necessary resources for migrants' integration into society. However, the regional minority languages, Welsh in Wales and Swedish in Finland, were framed as providing additional integration benefits. Community language skills were acknowledged as resources for meeting the diverse language needs of the public sector. However, both regional minority and community languages were positioned as ancillary to the majority languages for employment opportunities. Overall, these patterns reveal a hierarchical attribution of value based on underlying ideologies that emphasise the civic and economic benefits of multilingualism. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01