engleski

Multilingualism, Language Ideology and Population Censuses: Language Policy Practices in Immigration Countries

The basic aim of this paper is to employ those parts of population censuses in which reference is made to language question(s) in order to present a specific analysis of language policy practices in particular immigration countries. Since population censuses may themselves be regarded as constituent elements used to define different countries' language policies, insights into the structure of those parts of censuses which make reference to language question(s) (if such exist(s)) might shed some light on construction and maintenance of other elements of language policies. The analysis opens with a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of using national population censuses as points of reference on the basis of which countries decide not only on general questions regarding citizens' welfare, but more specifically, on issues regarding language planning and ways in which countries choose to deal with various multilingual situations. Inasmuch as the process of devising the structure of questionnaires in most countries which carry out national population censuses on a regular basis includes reference to the recommendations of the United Nations Statistics Division, outlined in the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, the analysis of the data is preceded by an insight into those parts of the document which position the language element in relation to other elements of the census questionnaire, but also into the recommended structure of the language part of the census. The central part of the paper consists of presenting the collected data on the language part of population censuses of twenty-four countries of the world. The countries are chosen on the basis of a single criterion which is identified as the characteristic they all share – different patterns of immigration. Such a criterion allows for an extensive analysis of language policies in specific multilingual contexts. The data are correlated to other elements of the countries’ language policies. As language policy elements, population censuses (at least those which actually include a section on language) usually make reference to more than one language or variety which may be in contact and, possibly, in conflict. In consideration of the fact that situations of language contact and conflict represent prominent sites for investigation of language ideologies, the results of our research are interpreted within the framework of language ideologies. In addition to conclusions regarding language policies in designated countries which are drawn in light of specific interpretations of the concept of language ideologies, the analysis also reveals that the advantages largely outnumber the disadvantages of using population censuses in similar linguistic research.

population census; language ideology; multilingualism; language policy

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