Amy B .M. Tsui: Language Policies in Asian Countries:
Issues and Tensions
This is an excellent summary of how English is getting more and more spoken as a lingua franca, in spite of anti-colonialist pride.
Amy B .M. Tsui: Language Policies in Asian Countries: Issues and Tensions
The Centrality of Medium of Instruction Policy
http://w2.edu.hku.hk/lspace/pcedpt/2003/esc3/ESC3_Topic_4_reading_040202.doc.
She teaches at The University of Hong Kong
The language of a nation, or an ethnolinguistic group, is a symbol
of its identity and allegiance. It is an embodiment of its values,
culture and traditions. Language policies are therefore emotionally
charged and highly political. Decisions regarding which language(s)
are given official status, which to adopt as working language(s),
and which to use as the medium (or media) of instruction are shaped
by sociopolitical processes of which they are a part. Therefore, in
order to make sense of their development, formulation and
implementation, it is essential to situate language policies and the
debates surrounding them in their sociopolitical contexts, which
cannot be separated from their historical contexts.
Many countries in Asia^2 have suffered a colonial past or foreign
invasion. Many of them gained political independence or were freed
from the threat of foreign invasion only in the last half of a
century or so ago. As such, Asian countries share a great deal in
common. Many were confronted with the task of nation building after
decolonization or after invasion by foreign countries. Many have as
their national goal full integration into the global economy and
full participation in international politics. The colonial past
exerts a powerful influence over language policies in these
countries. Equally, the development of global economic structures,
global mass media, and global political institutions is crucial in
shaping their language policies (Tollefson & Tsui, 2004). Many Asian
countries are multilingual and multi-ethnic. The issue of
communication in ethnically and linguistically heterogeneous nations
is yet another powerful shaping force. The interaction between these
forces is extremely complex. While each has been grappling with
issues which are specific to its own sociopolitical contexts and
each has come up with its own solutions, there are also some issues
which are shared.
As this is the first issue of a journal published by Asia TEFL, a
newly established body which brings together the largest number of
Asian countries, it would be an arena for outlining some of these
issues.