LANGUAGE PLANNING &

POLICY

Problems faced by a country in

making decisions

How to modernize the language?

How to disseminate the language through
population?
How to adjust educational system
according to the changes?
How to develop a corpus?
How to use language for science and
technology?

Factors addressed in the

field

What is the language profile of the

country?
What are the factors leading to language
spread?
What literacy planning and legislation,
policy and implementation is currently
taking place?
What factors are leading to language shift
and maintenance in society?
How are these language planning
activities occurring in the field?

Language
Planning

A body of ideas; laws,

regulations, rules, beliefs,
and practices intended to
achieve a planned change.

Language Policy

Includes rules regarding status of

language
Refers to laws and policiestraditions and customs
Features:
1.
2.
3.
4.

As old as language
Can be unconscious preferences or
conscious implementation of decisions
Can be negative or positive
Can be directed at government level or
individual

Elements involved in Language

planning

Macro level (Government involved)

Micro level- (Institutionseducational/libraries etc)

Educational
agencies
Quasi
governmental
agencies
Influential
groups and
individuals

Government
agencies

Stages of Language
Planning

Society-( Status
Planning)

1. Selection (decision
procedures)
a.
Problem identification
b. Allocation of norms
3. Implementation
(educational spread)
c.
Correction procedures
d. Evaluation

Language-(Corpus
Planning)

2. Codification (Standardization
procedures)
a. Grammatication
4. Elaboration
(functional development)
b. Modernization
c.
Development
d. internationalization

Status, Use & Institutional

support

Concentric approach to language status

and use.

Expanding
Non-native
Tradition
al

Status, Use & Institutional

support

Status planning
Provincial communication
Wider communication
International communication
Use in centers of power
Use within certain groups
Medium of education
Educational subjects
Literary use
Religious use

Sociolinguistic surveys

Domains of Power

Who speaks what to whom under what

conditions and for what purpose?

Intended mainly to provide a picture of

the existing language situation in the
state.

Language-In-Education Planning

Education sector has to take a number of

language planning and policy decisions:
Medium of instruction
Supply of teachers
Profile of the students
Methodologies to be employed
Assessment process involved
Economic and physical resources required

Language situation in Pakistan

Multilingual/multiethnic
country
6 major and 57 minor
languages
Urdu the national language
and the language of the
mohajirs that make 3% of
the entire population
Lost vitality of local
languages

Langu
age

% of
speake
rs

Punjabi

44.15

Pashto

15.42

Sindhi

14.1

Siraiki

10.53

Urdu

7.57

Balochi

3.57

Other

4.0

Source: Census 2001

Language policy of
Pakistan

Strengthen the state by promoting Urdu as a national

language

Modernize the state through English as official language.

The language policy according to the Constitution of Pakistan is:

1. The national language of Pakistan is Urdu, and arrangements
shall be made for it being used for official and other purposes
within 15 years from the commencing day.
2. The English language may be used for official purposes until
arrangements are made for its replacement by Urdu

(Article 251 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,

1973)

Language & Education in Pakistan

1947- Urdu medium of instruction for masses and English for

elite
1959- first education policy of Pakistan made but never
implemented.-(primary and secondary education in Urdu and
higher education in English)
1973- Urdu as (future) official language policy and provinces free
to make individual choices.
1977- Islamization by Zia-ul- Haq- Arabic introduced- English
compulsory subject till grade 4 and examinations to be
conducted in Urdu by 1989 (emergence of private English
medium schools).
1989- English made a compulsory subject from grade 1
1998- Existence of parallel systems of education
2007- White paper issued English to be taught as a subject
from grade 1, while maths and science in English to be taught
from grade 6.
2009- science & maths in english to be taught from grade 4-5.

Language & Education in Pakistan

Medium of Instruction policy determines which
social and linguistic groups have access to
political and economic opportunities.
English is an examination subject
English teachers do not use English
Other languages are marginalized

Consequences
Parallel systems of education
Lack of unity
Lack of sense of identity
Neglect of local urdu language

Pakistans Language policy

Rationale for keeping Urdu as

national Language and giving
importance to regional languages
National

language
Symbol of identity
Maintenance of cultural roots
Additional tools for communication

Support for English

English entrenched in domain of power

especially civil services and military
English separates elites from masses
Elites have invested in Parallel system of
education
Means of wider communication
English Media available
Globalization
English is the international language