Language Policy and the Internationalization of Universities: A Focus on Estonian Higher Education (Issn, 15)

Many universities around the world are actively engaged in the process of the internationalization of their higher education systems, trying to become more competitive in all possible respects, especially in the areas of research and teaching. Language, naturally, plays a central role in this process, but this is not always explicitly recognized as such. As a result, key sociolinguistic challenges emerge for both individuals and groups of people. Most prominently, the question of whether English constitutes an opportunity or a threat to other national languages in academic domains is a controversial one and remains unresolved. The analysis featured in this book aims at addressing this question by looking at language policy developments in the context of Estonian higher education. Adopting a discourse approach, the book emphasises the centrality of language not only as a site of struggle, but as a tool and a resource that agents in a give field utilize to orient themselves in certain positions. The book will be of interest to language policy scholars, linguistic anthropologists, and critical sociolinguists. Education scholars interested in discourse studies will also find it useful. Many universities around the world are actively engaged in the process of the internationalization of their higher education systems, trying to become more competitive in all possible respects, especially in the areas of research and teaching. Language, naturally, plays a central role in this process, but this is not always explicitly recognized as such. As a result, key sociolinguistic challenges emerge for both individuals and groups of people. Most prominently, the question of whether English constitutes an opportunity or a threat to other national languages in academic domains is a controversial one and remains unresolved. The analysis featured in this book aims at addressing this question by looking at language policy developments in the context of Estonian higher education. Adopting a discourse approach, the book emphasises the centrality of language not only as a site of struggle, but as a tool and a resource that agents in a given filed utilize to orient themselves in certain positions. The book will be of interest to language policy scholars, linguistic anthropologists, and critical sociolinguists. Education scholars interested in discourse studies will also find it useful Acknowledgements 7 Preface 11 Contents 13 List of Figures 16 List of Tables 17 1. Sociolinguistic and language policy perspectives on the internationalization of higher education. An introduction to the volume 19 2. Language policy responses to the internationalization of higher education: Conceptual and material discourses in place 41 3. University language regimes in Estonia: (Re)creating discourses in place 75 4. Language ideologies and the internationalization of higher education in Estonia 103 5. A historical perspective on language choice and attitudes in academia and higher education in Estonia 132 6. Language policy discourses at the internationalizing university: Estonian perspectives on a global issue 167 Bibliography 180 Index 190