Minority languages and language planning in the education systems of Spain, France and Latvia

Abstract

 

The presence of minority languages in education systems is linked to the socio-political and cultural context in which they are situated. It is, therefore, necessary to question what position they occupy in relation to the state languages and how they coexist, usually hierarchized, in public spheres of use. By applying a specific methodology for comparative education in four phases: description, interpretation, juxtaposition and comparison, we can determine whether the language planning models adopted in the chosen units of comparison are committed to linguistic ecologism. Adequate language organization in contexts characterized by language contact is essential if we consider that the majority language dominates the input in public spheres of use and, therefore, the possibility of access to valid linguistic models other than those of the languages of power is diminished. This is why it is necessary to investigate the linguistic planning of these languages in education, as it is fundamental to balance this situation. Thus, we have carried out a comparative analysis of the educational systems of the territories with their own languages in Spain, France and Latvia to find out whether these programmes provide an effective response to the needs of the students: the development of communicative skills, as a central axis for the construction of learning, and the guarantee of linguistic rights, as human rights of minorities in bilingual coordinates.