11 - Language planning and language ecology

Summary

LANGUAGE PLANNING

As the previous discussion has shown, there are strong prescriptivist impulses underpinning the relationship between language and nationalism. But all forms of language planning are necessarily prescriptivist to some degree, since all planning presupposes intentions and desired outcomes. Consequently, all planning – not simply the puristic impulses we have just looked at – touches upon notions of identity. This psychosocial aspect is often part of a larger enterprise fuelled more directly and transparently by practical imperatives. For instance, the standardisation of the emerging national languages of Europe was a necessary development, particularly given the new requirements brought about by the growth of literacy and innovations in printing technology. Standardisation is not the only type of regulatory activity, however. In some societies, choices among different languages may be necessary, to select forms that will receive some legal imprimatur in education and officialdom (for example). Orthographies may have to be developed (or invented), lexicons may need to be modernised, and so on. When these matters demand attention, it is entirely reasonable that linguists – despite the general scholarly reluctance to prescribe, despite their sense that language change is a constant and natural process, despite their view that broad usage is the ultimate criterion of ‘correctness’ – would bring their skills to bear. Some have argued, indeed, that this is a duty, if for no other reason than that it can act to forestall other, less disinterested action.