Elite Vs. Folk Bilingualism: The Mismatch between Theories and Educational and Social Conditions
Main Article Content
Abstract
This article aims at contributing to the ongoing discussion about how bilingualism is understood in the current National Bilingualism Plan (PNB for its initials in Spanish). Based on previous research and discussions held at academic events, it is evident that the promoters of the PNB use the term “bilingualism” in a rather indiscriminate way, without adopting a clear approach or definition. This ambiguity in conceptualization has serious consequences in the way the PNB is implemented around the country. The main contribution of this reflection article is, then, to explore from a theoretical perspective two opposite types of bilingualism: elite/folk bilingualism to show that even though on the surface the PNB seems to aim at an elite bilingualism, the educational and social conditions show otherwise.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The authors of the manuscripts accepted for publication in HOW journal are required to sign a nonexclusive license agreement allowing ASOCOPI to reproduce the full text on the Internet or in any other available source. Authors retain copyright of their manuscripts with the following restrictions: first publication is granted to ASOCOPI; nonexclusive agreements with third parties can be established as long as the original publication in the HOW journal is properly acknowledged.
References
Baetens Beardsmore, H. (1993). The European school model. In Baetens Beardsmore, H. (Ed.), European models of bilingual education (pp. 121-154). UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Baetens Beardsmore, H. (1995). European models of bilingual education: Practice, theory and development. In García, O. & Baker, C. (Eds.), Policy and practice in bilingual education: A reader extending the foundations (pp. 139-151). UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Baker, C. (2001). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. USA: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Baker, C. & Jones, S. (1998). Encyclopedia of bilingualism and bilingual education. UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Banfi, C. & Day, R. (2005). The evolution of bilingual schools in Argentina. In De Mejía, A. M. (Ed.), Bilingual education in South America (pp. 65-78). UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Butler, Y. & Hakuta, K. (2004). Bilingualism and second language acquisition. In Bhatia, T. & Ritchie, W. (Eds.), The handbook of bilingualism (pp.114-144). Malden, MA, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Canagarajah, S. (2005). Critical pedagogy in L2 learning and teaching. In Hinkel, E. (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 931-949). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, publishers.
Cárdenas, M. L. (2006a). Bilingual Colombia: Are we ready for it? What is needed? Paper presented at the 19th Annual EA Education Conference.
Cárdenas, M. L. (2006b). Language policies and classroom realities: Bridging the gap. Keynote speech given at the 41st ASOCOPI Annual Conference, Ibagué, Colombia.
Cárdenas, M. L. (2010). Encuentros y desencuentros en la formación de profesores de inglés en Colombia: Una mirada a las políticas del “Programa Nacional de Bilingüismo”. En Gimenez, T. y De Góes M. C. (Eds), Formação de Professores de Línguas na América Latina e Transformação Social (pp. 19-44). Campinas, Brasil: Pontes Editores.
Castillo, R. (2003). ASOCOPI Present in the Bogotá and Cundinamarca Bilingual Project. ASOCOPI Newsletter, October, 4-6.
Cely, R. M. (2011). Interview in eleducador.com. Retrieved from http://www.eleducador.com/col/contenido/contenido.aspx?conID=205
Council of Europe (2001). Common European Framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
De Mejía, A. M. (2002). Power, prestige, and bilingualism: International perspectives on elite bilingual education. UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
De Mejía, A. M. (2005). Bilingual education in Colombia: Towards an integrated perspective. In De Mejía, A. M. (Ed.), Bilingual education in South America (pp. 48-64). UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Escobar, W. (2010). Identity formations in discourses about ELT in the document “Educación: Visión 2019”. Unpublished master’s thesis. Universidad Distrital “Francisco Jose de Caldas”. Bogotá.
Fishman, J. (1976). Bilingual education: An international sociological perspective. Rowley: Newbury House Publishers, Inc.
Fishman, J. (1977). The social science perspective. In Fishman, J. (Ed.), Bilingual education: Current perspectives, Vol 1: Social science (pp.14-62). Arlington: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Feng, A. (2005). Bilingualism for the minor or the major? An evaluative analysis of the parallel conceptions in China. The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 8(6), 529-551.
García, O. (1997). Bilingual education. In Coulmas, F. (Ed.), The handbook of sociolinguistics (pp. 405-420). Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Genesee, F. (1995). The Canadian second language immersion program. In García, O. & Baker, C. (Eds.), Policy and practice in bilingual education: A reader extending the foundations (pp. 118-133). UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Guerrero, H. (2008). Bilingual Colombia: What does it mean to be bilingual within the framework of the National Plan of Bilingualism? Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 10(1), 27-45.
Grosjean, F. (1994). Individual bilingualism. In Asher, R. E. & Simpson, J. M. (Eds.), The encyclopedia of language and linguistics (pp. 1656-1160). Oxford and New York: Pergamon Press.
Hamers, J. & Blanc, M. (2000). Bilinguality and bilingualism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Harding-Esch, E. & Riley, P. (1986). The bilingual family: A handbook for parents. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hornberger, N. (1987). Bilingual education success, but policy failure. Language in Society, 16(2), 205-226.
Hornberger, N. (1989). Continua of biliteracy. Review of Educational Research, 59(3), 271-296.
Hornberger, N. (1991). Extending enrichment bilingual education: Revisiting typologies and redirecting policy. In García, O. (Ed.), Focus on bilingual education: Essays in honor of Joshua A. Fishman, Vol. 1 (pp. 215-234). Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Hornberger, N. & Skilton-Sylvester, E. (2003). Revisiting the continua of biliteracy: International and critical perspectives. In Horberger, N. (Ed.), Continua of biliteracy: An ecological framework for educational policy, research, and practice in multilingual settings (pp. 35-67). UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Kachru, B. (1985). Standard, codification, and linguistic realism: The English language in the outer circle. In Quirk, R. & Widdowson, H. (Eds.), English in the world: Teaching and learning the languages and literature (pp. 11-30). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lai, P. & Byram, M. (2003). The politics of bilingualism: A reproduction analysis of the policy of mother tongue education in Hong Kong after 1997. Compare, 33(3), 315-334.
Lastra, S. (2009). An understanding of the concept and conditions of bilingualism: A study in an EFL setting. HOW, A Colombian Journal for Teachers of English, 16, 167-187.
Lewis, E. G. (1980). Bilingualism and bilingual education: A comparative study. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico.
Martin-Jones, M. (2007). Bilingualism, education and the regulation of access to language resources. In Heller, M. (Ed.), Bilingualism: A social approach (pp. 161-182). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Masch, N. (1993). The German model of bilingual education: An administrator’s perspective. In Baetens Beardsmore, H. (Ed.), European models of bilingual education (pp. 155-172). UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Ministerio de Educación Nacional. (2006). Estándares básicos de competencias en lenguas extranjeras: Inglés. Formar en lenguas extranjeras: el reto. Lo que necesitamos saber y saber hacer. Bogotá: Imprenta Nacional.
Ordoñez, C. (2005). EFL and native Spanish and elite bilingual schools in Colombia: A first look at bilingual adolescent frog stories. In De Mejía, A. M. (Ed.), Bilingual education in South America (pp. 116-141). UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Paulston, C. B. (1980). Bilingual education: Theories and issues. Massachusetts: Newbury House Publishers, Inc.
Paulston, C. B. (1988). Bilingualism and bilingual education: An introduction. In Paulston, C. B. (Ed.), International handbook of bilingualism and bilingual education (pp. 1-15). NY: Greenwood Press.
Pennycook, A. (2000). Language, ideology and hindsight: Lessons from colonial languages policies. In Ricento, T. (Ed.), Ideology, politics and language policies (pp. 49-66). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Probyn, M. (2006). Language and learning science in South Africa. Language and Education, 20(5), 391-414.
Romaine, S. (1989). Bilingualism. Oxford; New York: Blackwell Publishers.
Ruiz, R. (1984). Orientations in language planning. The Journal for the National Association for Bilingual Education, 8(2), 15-34.
Usma, J. (2009). Education and language policy in Colombia: Exploring processes of inclusion, exclusion, and stratification in times of global reform. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 11(1), 123-141.
Valdés, G. & Figueroa, R. (1994). Bilingualism and testing: A special case of bias. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation.