LINGUIST List 13.962

Mon Apr 8 2002

Disc: Economic Value of Language Diversity

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Elizabeth J. Pyatt, Re: 13.954, Disc: Economic Value of Language Diversity

Message 1: Re: 13.954, Disc: Economic Value of Language Diversity

I generally concur with the position that in many cases parents often 
encourage their children to learn a majority language so they can get 
ahead economincally (right or wrong - that seems to be the case).

One interesting twist though are the Welsh language schools. 
Obviously, they were started as a way to preserve the language, but 
from what I have heard, they became especially popular with parents 
because the level of education was felt to be better than in the 
counterpart English-language schools. In this case using the 
non-official language DID have an economic advantage (although most 
Welsh speakers, even those attending Welsh schools, retain some 
fluency in English).


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Elizabeth J. Pyatt, Ph.D.
Instructional Designer
Education Technology Services
Penn State University
ejp10psu.edu, (814) 865-0805

228A Computer Building
University Park, PA 16801
http://www.personal.psu.edu/ejp10