ABSTRACT

Language policy and planning in Nepal has been contested due to the co-existence of multiple contradictory discourses concerning teaching and learning of local, national, foreign, and international languages. Recently a multilingual policy was issued to create space for the once-banned ethnic/indigenous languages in public schooling, further complexifying the landscape. A few studies have paid attention to teaching and learning of the lesser taught ethnic/indigenous and foreign languages; however, what discursive orientations have contributed towards enabling (or constraining) the use of such languages in education and how have yet to receive scholarly attention. Framed by the perspectives of the intersectionality of discourses, and drawing on in-depth interviews with policymakers, headteachers, teachers, students, and their parents of five schools of Nepal, this paper concludes that the interplay between broader discourses such as globalisation, neoliberal marketisation and nationalism has played a significant role in shaping language policy decisions and localised practice of language(s). It also reveals that the spaces for ethnic/indigenous languages in education are delimited, in preference of English, Nepali, and other emerging foreign languages, leading to their further marginalisation. Such trends diminish the potential use of lesser taught languages, threatening Nepal’s multilingual education policy towards sustaining existing linguistic diversity.

摘要

由于在当地、国家、外国和国际语言的教学和学习方面存在多种相互矛盾的话语，尼泊尔的语言政策和规划一直存在争议。最近发布了一项多语种政策，为曾经被禁止的民族/土著语言在公立学校创造空间，使情况进一步复杂化。少数研究关注较少教授的民族/土著语言和外语的教与学；然而，哪些话语取向有助于（或限制）在教育中使用此类语言，以及如何获得学术关注。以话语交叉性的观点为框架，并利用对政策制定者、校长、教师、学生的深入访谈，和他们的父母在尼泊尔的五所学校，本文得出结论，全球化、新自由主义市场化和民族主义等更广泛的话语之间的相互作用在塑造语言政策决策和语言的本地化实践方面发挥了重要作用。它还表明，民族/土著语言在教育中的空间是有限的，优先于英语、尼泊尔语和其他新兴外语，导致它们进一步边缘化。这种趋势减少了教授较少的语言的潜在使用，威胁到尼泊尔维持现有语言多样性的多语言教育政策。新自由主义市场化和民族主义在塑造语言政策决策和语言本地化实践方面发挥了重要作用。它还表明，民族/土著语言在教育中的空间是有限的，优先于英语、尼泊尔语和其他新兴外语，导致它们进一步边缘化。这种趋势减少了教授较少的语言的潜在使用，威胁到尼泊尔维持现有语言多样性的多语言教育政策。新自由主义市场化和民族主义在塑造语言政策决策和语言本地化实践方面发挥了重要作用。它还表明，民族/土著语言在教育中的空间是有限的，优先于英语、尼泊尔语和其他新兴外语，导致它们进一步边缘化。这种趋势减少了教授较少的语言的潜在使用，威胁到尼泊尔维持现有语言多样性的多语言教育政策。