Beyond language : an ethnographic study of language planning and policy in the Yangon deaf community
In 2007 the Myanmar government made a decision to standardise the country's two sign languages, Yangon Sign Language and Mandalay Sign Language. The project was initiated without community consultation. While this paternalistic approach to sign language planning and policy is widespread, there is a paucity of academic research that explores deaf people's responses to policy making. This study presents an ethnographic account of language planning and policy (LPP) in the Yangon deaf community, giving visibility and voice to deaf people. LPP is examined at different levels, demonstrating the complex and dynamic interactions between language policy in education, unofficial community language policy and top-down attempts at standardisation. Experiences of language use in school are shown to shape unofficial LPP in the community, influencing language ideologies and linguistic practices, as well as wider beliefs regarding language, equality and citizenship. The study also highlights the agency of the community, demonstrating how participants negotiate, and subvert, official LPP by constructing their own unofficial policy towards the standardised language in accordance with their ideologies, interests and agendas.
Foote, Ellen
Beyond language : an ethnographic study of language planning and policy in the Yangon deaf community. In 2007 the Myanmar government made a decision to standardise the country's two sign languages, Yangon Sign Language and Mandalay Sign Language. The project was initiated without community consultation. While this paternalistic approach to sign language planning and policy is widespread, there is a paucity of academic research that explores deaf people's responses to policy making. This study presents an ethnographic account of language planning and policy (LPP) in the Yangon deaf community, giving visibility and voice to deaf people. LPP is examined at different levels, demonstrating the complex and dynamic interactions between language policy in education, unofficial community language policy and top-down attempts at standardisation. Experiences of language use in school are shown to shape unofficial LPP in the community, influencing language ideologies and linguistic practices, as well as wider beliefs regarding language, equality and citizenship. The study also highlights the agency of the community, demonstrating how participants negotiate, and subvert, official LPP by constructing their own unofficial policy towards the standardised language in accordance with their ideologies, interests and agendas.
beyond language ethnographic_study language_planning policy deaf community government make_decision standardise country sign_language sign language sign_language project initiate without community consultation paternalistic sign_language planning policy widespread paucity academic explore deaf_people response policy_making study present ethnographic account language_planning policy deaf community give visibility voice deaf_people examine different_level demonstrate_complex dynamic_interaction language_policy education unofficial community language_policy top_down attempt standardisation experiences language_use school show shape unofficial community influence language_ideology linguistic practice well wide belief regard language equality citizenship study also_highlight agency community demonstrate participant negotiate subvert official construct unofficial policy_towards standardise language accordance ideology interest agendas