Language policy and planning in Ghana : a monolingual ideology, ethos, and discourses in a multilingual society?
This thesis examines language policy and planning in Ghana and how they affect students' learning. It identifies the ideology behind language policy and planning in Ghana, and the discourses that are fashioned to propel them, leading to what I call 'a monolingual ethos'. Underlying the research is the tension between government agendas for nation building and government policy for democracy evident in language policy, planning and practice in the contemporary educational system in Ghana. Raising questions about the role and nature of the ideologies at play in this tension, the study analyses what specific discourses identify these ideologies and how they operate to set up the tensions between government agenda for nation building and government policy for democracy. To illuminate this tension, I draw mainly on Wittgenstein's conceptualisation of 'condensation' and 'anomaly', Bourdieu's articulation of the nature of 'habitus' and resistance, Pennycook's insights on 'talking back', Illich's concepts of care and control, and Phillipson's postulation of linguistic imperialism. The thesis employs a case study of a rural school in the Volta Region to illustrate the systematic inculcation of a monolingual ethos through
Adjoe, Casimir Komla
Language policy and planning in Ghana : a monolingual ideology, ethos, and discourses in a multilingual society?. This thesis examines language policy and planning in Ghana and how they affect students' learning. It identifies the ideology behind language policy and planning in Ghana, and the discourses that are fashioned to propel them, leading to what I call 'a monolingual ethos'. Underlying the research is the tension between government agendas for nation building and government policy for democracy evident in language policy, planning and practice in the contemporary educational system in Ghana. Raising questions about the role and nature of the ideologies at play in this tension, the study analyses what specific discourses identify these ideologies and how they operate to set up the tensions between government agenda for nation building and government policy for democracy. To illuminate this tension, I draw mainly on Wittgenstein's conceptualisation of 'condensation' and 'anomaly', Bourdieu's articulation of the nature of 'habitus' and resistance, Pennycook's insights on 'talking back', Illich's concepts of care and control, and Phillipson's postulation of linguistic imperialism. The thesis employs a case study of a rural school in the Volta Region to illustrate the systematic inculcation of a monolingual ethos through
language_policy plan ghana monolingual ideology ethos discourse multilingual society examines language_policy planning ghana affect student_learning identifies ideology behind language_policy planning ghana discourse fashion propel lead call monolingual ethos underlying tension government agendas nation build government_policy democracy evident language_policy plan practice contemporary educational_system ghana raising question role nature ideology play tension study analysis specific discourse identify ideology operate set tension government agenda nation build government_policy democracy illuminate tension draw_mainly wittgenstein conceptualisation anomaly bourdieu articulation nature habitus resistance insight talking back concepts care control linguistic imperialism employ case_study rural school region illustrate systematic monolingual ethos