Monolingualism and multilingualism in Australia and Germany Michael Clyne

Non-indigenous history of Australia (since 1788) – Tension between English monolingualism as symbol of Empire loyalism or Australian nationalism and multilingualism as symbol of multiculturalism stemming from migration.

19 C – more bilingual ed than 21 st so far Media/ business incl tenders International conflicts -> aggressive assimilation policy – 7 decades (One nation one language ideology) 1970s – pendulum swing (a) Multicultural policies (b)

1970s – pendulum swing (a) Multicultural policies (b) Pressure for national languages policy accepted by government (bipartisan) Senate inquiry and Policy (1987) English, LM, LL, multilingual service provision; research institute

Remaining today: Preceded NPL - Open-ended: Matriculation in over 40 languages (some states with bonus scores) Schools of languages to teach them Govt. multilingual radio (68 langs.) and Multicultural TV – English sub-titled films; news Telephone interpreter service Census questions on language use.

Table 1:Top 20 LOTEs spoken at home in Australia in 2006 Top20 LOTEs in 2006 Speakers in 1991 Speaker s in 2001 Speakers in 2006 %Change since 1991 % Change since Italian Greek Cantonese Arabic Mandarin Vietnamese Spanish Tag./Filipino German Hindi Macedonian Croatian Korean Turkish Polish Serbian French Indonesian Persian Maltese

Language teaching in schools Low time allocation Low participation esp. senior years Inadequate teacher supply and quality Inferior status of LOTEs /Monolingual mindset Because English is national language, choice of languages BUT problems connected with that (Policy changes)

Germany Migrant children discouraged by some schools from speaking L1. (Herbert Hoover School Case, 2006) BUT: Some policy recommendations transcend monolingual habitus: German National Integration Plan 2006 – recommends promotion of multilingualism, acquisition of German plus maintenance of heritage languages with certification Hamburger Modell (2007) argues for 2-way integration

2005 Mikrozensus – 44.8% of all children 6-18 have migrant background (1 st, 2 nd generation). No census data on languages (citizenship and some on birthplace) – problems:

Minority language speakers (Kurdish, Chinese) 2 nd, 3 rd generation with German passports Ethnic Germans from Poland, Russia Stateless, other Berlin: 57,000 Tu ( ), 11,500 Ru

Multilingualism promoted through FL teaching 1 st foreign language increasingly English in all Länder exc. Saarland – including Grade 3 and early years of primary (superseding elective migrant langs and langs of neighbouring countries and other compulsory language programs eg in Bavaria). Rationale – continuity to Hauptschule Weinrich plan (Eng as L3) and Eng as basis for multilingual studies not taken seriously.

European schools – 50:50 modified Content based programs mainly Eng. Some language programs in languages with migrant populations (Sp, Tu, It, Russ, Port) Limited use of community resources (esp Ru) Exceptional: NRW 19 migrant langs in 100 schools with/without migr. pop. as L3 Anomaly: L2 (Yr 7) for home bckgnd, L3 (Yr 9)

Academic language – MA, BA courses in Eng. (Originally intended to be bilingual) Humboldt fellows regret having little opportunity to use their German Mocikat et al – Plea to give more support for foreign academics. Students to integrate linguistically German companies – English increasingly used : amalgamations, foreign investors, foreign staff

Germans tend to use English with speakers of other languages, thereby weakening German’s status (Cf. Merkel, Westerwelle) despite the Graddol prediction on English – Australia multilingual because of migration, Germany because of SLA?

Germany: Languages firmly embedded in curriculum More than one FL European schools (bilingual) Australia: Choice of main languages (English national language) Community language resources valued to a point

Multiple language examinations Government Schools of Languages Official multilingual media Past: Pluralist change easier Esp. in teaching of community languages to everyone.