language of wider communication n
a language used for communication within a region or country by different
language groups. English is a language of wider communication for many
speakers in India, as is Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea, where many
regional languages and language varieties are spoken.
language pathology n
see speech pathology
language pedagogy n
also language didactics
a general term sometimes used to describe the teaching of a language as a
first language, asecond language or aforeign language.
language planning n
planning, often by a government or government agency, concerning choice
of national or official language(s), support for minority and community
languages, ways of spreading the use of one or more languages, spelling
reforms, the addition of new words to the language, and other language
problems. Through language planning, an official language policy is estab-
lished and/or implemented. For example, in Indonesia, Malay was chosen
as the national language and was given the name Bahasa Indonesia
(Indonesian language). It became the main language of education. There
were several spelling reforms and a national planning agency was established
to deal with problems such as the development of scientific terms. In
pluralistic countries or in federal states, language planning may not be
monolithic and several “plans” may coexist. Teachers’ implementation of
programmes such as bilingual educationor resistance to such plans
may also have an effect on language planning at the local or micro-level.
see also language treatment, sociolinguistics, sociology of
language
language policy n
decisions made about languages and their uses in society. Sometimes the
term is used only in the narrow sense of what governments do – through
laws, regulations, court decisions, or other means – to encourage or
discourage the use of particular languages or to establish the rights of
individuals or groups to use and maintain languages. Other times the term
is used more broadly to refer to decisions about language made by individuals
or groups on many different social levels. Overt language policies,
which are explicit and formalized, can also be contrasted with covert
policies that are implicit, informal and unstated. For example, the US State
language of wider communication