Language Policy Language policy is an issue of critical importance in the world today. In this up-to-date introduction, Bernard Spolsky explores many debates at the forefront of language policy: ideas of cor- rectness and bad language; bilingualism and multilingualism; language death and efforts to preserve endangered languages; language choice as a human and civil right; and language education policy. Through looking at the language practices, beliefs and management of social groups from families to supra-national organizations, he develops a theory of modern national language policy and the major forces controlling it, such as the demands for efficient communication, the pres- sure for national identity, the attractions of (and resistance to) English as a global language and the growing concern for hu- man and civil rights as they impinge on language. Two central questions asked in this wide-ranging survey are how to recog- nize language policies, and whether or not language can be managed at all. bernard spolsky is Emeritus Professor at Bar-Illan Uni- versity, Israel, and Senior Associate, the National Foreign Lan- guage Center at the University of Maryland. His previous pub- lications include Conditions for Second Language Learning (1989) and The Languages of Israel: Policy, Ideology and Practice (1999). He has published over 200 journal articles, is Editor-in-chief of Language Policy and was founding editor of Applied Linguistics. www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-80461-5 - Language Policy Bernard Spolsky Frontmatter More information