Tolerance and Control. Developing a language policy for an EMI university in Uzbekistan

Linn, A., Bezborodova, A. and Radjabzade, S. 2020. Tolerance and Control. Developing a language policy for an EMI university in Uzbekistan. Sociolinguistica. 34 (1), p. 217–237. https://doi.org/10.1515/soci-2020-0013

TitleTolerance and Control. Developing a language policy for an EMI university in Uzbekistan
TypeJournal article
AuthorsLinn, A., Bezborodova, A. and Radjabzade, S.
Abstract

This article presents a practical project to develop a language policy for an English-Medium-Instruction university in Uzbekistan. Although the university is de facto English-only, it presents a complex language ecology, which in turn has led to confusion and disagreement about language use on campus. The project team investigated the experience, views and attitudes of over a thousand people, including faculty, students, administrative and maintenance staff, in order to arrive at a proposed policy which would serve the whole community, based on the principle of tolerance and pragmatism. After outlining the relevant language and educational context and setting out the methods and approach of the underpinning research project, the article goes on to present the key findings. One of the striking findings was an appetite for control and regulation of language behaviours. Language policies in Higher Education invariably fall down at the implementation stage because of a lack of will to follow through on their principles and their specific guidelines. Language policy in international business on the other hand is characterised by a control stage invariably lacking in language planning in education. Uzbekistan is a polity used to control measures following from policy implementation. The article concludes by suggesting that Higher Education in Central Asia may stand a better chance of seeing through language policies around English-Medium Instruction than, for example, in northern Europe, based on the tension between tolerance on the one hand and control on the other.

KeywordsPolicy-making
EMI
language ecology
higher education
international business
Uzbekistan
JournalSociolinguistica
Journal citation34 (1), p. 217–237
ISSN0933-1883
1865-939X
Year2020
Publisherde Gruyter Mouton
Accepted author manuscript
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1515/soci-2020-0013
Publication dates
Published19 Nov 2020

Related outputs

British Council (Uzbekistan) English Medium Instruction Project Impact Evaluation
Linn, A. and Bezborodova, A. 2022. British Council (Uzbekistan) English Medium Instruction Project Impact Evaluation. Tashkent British Council.

Introduction
Linn, A. and Ahn, E.S. 2022. Introduction. World Englishes. 41 (1), pp. 2-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12551

Current practice in English-medium education in higher education: Case studies from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh and Nepal
Linn, A., Shrestha, P.N., Hultgren, A.K. and Bezborodova, A. 2021. Current practice in English-medium education in higher education: Case studies from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. London British Council.

English in higher education in the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
Bezborodova, A. and Radjabzade, S. 2021. English in higher education in the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. World Englishes. 41 (1), pp. 72-91. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12556

English grammar writing
Linn, A. 2021. English grammar writing. in: Aarts, B., McMahon, A. and Hinrichs, L. (ed.) The Handbook of English Linguistics, Second Edition Hoboken NJ Wiley. pp. 63-80

English-Medium Instruction in Higher Education in the Countries of the South Caucasus
Linn, A. and Radjabzade, S. 2020. English-Medium Instruction in Higher Education in the Countries of the South Caucasus. London British Council.

The significance of a historical perspective on language planning and language policy making – Listening to past voices to inform future policy: the voice of Johan Storm
Linn, A. 2018. The significance of a historical perspective on language planning and language policy making – Listening to past voices to inform future policy: the voice of Johan Storm. in: Jahr, E.H. (ed.) Perspectives on Two Centuries of Norwegian Language Planning and Policy Uppsala Academia Regia Gustavi Adolphi. pp. 103-114

Modern Foreign Languages Get a Voice: The Role of Journals in the Reform Movement
Linn, A. 2018. Modern Foreign Languages Get a Voice: The Role of Journals in the Reform Movement. in: McLelland, N. and Smith, R.C. (ed.) The History of Language Learning and Teaching: volume II: 19th-20th Century Europe Oxford Legenda. pp. 145-160

Language standardization in sociolinguistics and international business: Theory and practice across the table
Linn, A., Refsum Sanden Guro and Piekkari, R. 2018. Language standardization in sociolinguistics and international business: Theory and practice across the table. in: Sherman, T. and Nekvapil, J. (ed.) English in Business and Commerce Berlin de Gruyter Mouton. pp. 19-45

Investigating English in Europe: Contexts and Agendas
Linn, A. 2016. Investigating English in Europe: Contexts and Agendas. Berlin de Gruyter Mouton.

Nordic migration to the New World
Linn, A. 2015. Nordic migration to the New World. Marlborough

English in Europe: rethinking international English
Linn, A. 2015. English in Europe: rethinking international English. emagazine. 68 (11), p. 12.

From Voss to New York: Norwegian transmigration to America and the use of virtual worlds in historical research
Linn, A. 2015. From Voss to New York: Norwegian transmigration to America and the use of virtual worlds in historical research. Historisk tidsskrift. 94 (2), pp. 229-255.

English in the language ecology of "high proficiency" European countries
Linn, A. and Hadjidemetriou, C. 2014. English in the language ecology of "high proficiency" European countries. 33 (3-4). https://doi.org/10.1515/multi-2014-0012

Parallel languages in the history of language ideology in Norway and the lesson for Nordic higher education
Linn, A. 2014. Parallel languages in the history of language ideology in Norway and the lesson for Nordic higher education. in: Hultgren, A.K., Gregersen, F. and Thøgersen, J. (ed.) English in Nordic Universities. Ideologies and practices Amsterdam John Benjamins. pp. 27-52

Vernaculars and the idea of a standard language
Linn, A. 2013. Vernaculars and the idea of a standard language. in: Allan, K. (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics Oxford Oxford University Press. pp. 359-374

Impact: Linguistics in the real world
Linn, A. 2011. Impact: Linguistics in the real world. Histoire Epistemologie Langage. 33 (1), pp. 15-27. https://doi.org/10.3406/hel.2011.3203

Can parallelingualism save Norwegian from extinction?
Linn, A. 2010. Can parallelingualism save Norwegian from extinction? Multilingua: Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication. 29 (3-4), pp. 289-305. https://doi.org/10.1515/mult.2010.014

Voices from above—voices from below. Who’s talking and who’s listening in Norwegian language politics?
Linn, A. 2010. Voices from above—voices from below. Who’s talking and who’s listening in Norwegian language politics? Current Issues in Language Planning. 11 (2), pp. 114-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2010.505070

Johan Storm: dhi grétest pràktikal liNgwist in dhi werld
Linn, A. 2004. Johan Storm: dhi grétest pràktikal liNgwist in dhi werld. Oxford Blackwell Publishers.

Constructing the Grammars of a Language: Ivar Aasen and nineteenth-century Norwegian linguistics
Linn, A. 1997. Constructing the Grammars of a Language: Ivar Aasen and nineteenth-century Norwegian linguistics. Munster Nodus Publikationen.

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/v02yz/tolerance-and-control-developing-a-language-policy-for-an-emi-university-in-uzbekistan


Share this

Usage statistics

91 total views
88 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.