Minority Language Rights in Canadian Provincial

Schools: Implications for Policy makers and Teachers

Naghmeh BabaeePhD Candidate in Second Language

Education

University of Manitoba, Canada

Outline

Background Two questions to think about The historical, sociopolitical and

educational contexts in Canada Minority language rights challenges in

Canada Discussion

Background

The widespread use of English (Crystal, 2004)

› 400 million: English as a First Language› 400 million: English as a Second

Language › 600 million: English as a Foreign

Language

Two questions

What are potential impacts of the widespread use of English on other languages › all over the world? › Within a bilingual/multilingual

context such as Canada?

In a bilingual or multilingual context, should immigrant children maintain their heritage languages, that is, continue using their first languages? Why/Why not?

Potential impacts of the widespread use of English:

Linguistic imperialism (Phillipson, 2009) Language rights violation : violating

“rules that public institutions adopt with respect to language use in a variety of different domains” (Arzoz, 2007, p. 4).

› Implications of language rights (Phillipson, Ranuut & Skutnabb-Kangas, 1995): Mother tongue medium instruction (MTMI) Learning at least one official language, as

well

Linguistic minority=immigrant=ESL students

The Importance of Heritage Language Maintenance

Personal (Babaee, 2010a) Social (Wong Fillmore, 2001) Cognitive (Cummins, 2001)

The Historical Context in Canada

Immigration to Canada: Late 16th century

The total population in 2006: 31,241,030

Speaking a language other than English or French as a first language: 6,147,840 (almost one fifth of the total population)

Immigration: linguistic diversity Many immigrants: struggling with

heritage language maintenance (for example, Kouritzin, 1999)

The Sociopolitical Context

Family and first language (L1) community (Guardado, 2010; Guardado, 2002; Torres, 2006; Yu-Tung Carol, 2009)› L1 use at home (Guardado, 2010): Spanish

families in BC› the L1 community

Resources (Iqbal, 2005): Francophone mothers in BC

Size (Guardado, 2010): Spanish families in BC

School

› Attitudes towards HLs (Sotto, cited in Xie, 2010, p. 31) Principals Staff Teachers Peers

• Language policy The medium of instruction: an official

language (English or French) MTMI: Anglophone minorities in QB and

Francophone minorities outside QB (the Charter, 1982)

Other minorities: if a sufficient number of immigrants in a community seek MTMI

The Educational Context

Submersion programs› English/French medium instruction

HL programming: › Bilingual programs (BC, AB, SK, MB)› HL courses (BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QB, NS)

Minority Language Rights Challenges in Canada

Vague policy: “sufficient” number of immigrants seeking MTMI

Bilingual programs: limited to certain provinces and heritage languages› Iranian immigrants in BC: No Farsi/English

bilingual programs, no Farsi as a heritage language courses

Potentially insufficient instructional time in heritage language programs, for example, two and a half hour per week in ON› An objective of HL education: developing

communicative competence

Suggestions

For policy makers › Extending HL instructional time

Especially those outside school hours

› Bilingual programs in other HLs

› HL courses in other HL languages

› Informing community members of the possibility of HL education at public schools

› Partnership with L1 communities: Offering HL courses in L1 communities, taking credits

for Teachers

› Creating a supportive atmosphere in the classroom

› Facilitating collaborative and cooperative learning opportunities in the classroom (pair/group work)

› Inviting community members to their classrooms

› Asking students to relate subject areas to their ethnic backgrounds, comparing and contrasting with peers

Communicative skills: › Translation (words and short stories)› Functions e.g. greetings in first languages

(English and HLs)› Guessing games e.g. talking in a HL and

acting out› Posters in all students’ L1s (English and

HLs) on the walls› Drawing attention to prefixes, roots,

suffixes in English and asking for equivalents in HLs

The academic proficiency › Translating terms (for example, The

Internet, bilingual dictionaries)› Additional resources (for example, books,

websites)› Simplified instructions

Pictures Simplified language Additional explanation

• Modified assignments– Recognition, rather than, production

• Modified assessment

– Multiple choice, rather than essay type, format

These strategies tend to › communicate the message to

immigrant students that their HLs are recognized, valued and used at school, and that using these languages could facilitate the learning of English.

› include a variety of HLs, not simply specific ones.

› communicate the message to English-speaking students that HLs must be recognized and respected in the classroom.

Thank you for your attention.

Naghmeh_um@yahoo.ca

Discussion

Other suggestions for protecting language rights in Canada?

Your own context: › Are minority language rights protected or

violated? How?› Any suggestions?

Other relevant issues