Rosemary Salomone
St. John's University, School of Law, Faculty Member
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This chapter examines the “foreign language deficit” in the United States. It begins with the failure of the government to address the problem beyond isolated programs and intermittent “calls to action” in response to crises. It considers... more
This chapter examines the “foreign language deficit” in the United States. It begins with the failure of the government to address the problem beyond isolated programs and intermittent “calls to action” in response to crises. It considers the country’s history as a “settler nation” and its conflicted views on language in attempting to preserve a national identity in the face of successive waves of newcomers. It looks at declining numbers in foreign language programs and enrollments from elementary school through university while recognizing the rising popularity of Korean as a culturally driven phenomenon and the growing interest in streaming foreign language media. It uncovers concerns that affect access and opportunity tied to social capital and systemic exclusion. The chapter notes the potential of students from immigrant families who could meet the demand for bilingual service providers in immigrant communities. It further underscores the risks of monolingualism to foreign diplo...
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Are English-taught courses a trend that western European countries should embrace? Is it time for rethinking and moderation? This chapter examines the movement toward English medium instruction (EMI) and the ways in which it is tied to... more
Are English-taught courses a trend that western European countries should embrace? Is it time for rethinking and moderation? This chapter examines the movement toward English medium instruction (EMI) and the ways in which it is tied to internationalization, including student and faculty recruitment, scholarly work, and academic conferences. It examines the incentives and challenges for institutions, particularly the connection between EMI placement in international university rankings. It lays bare the benefits and burdens of EMI to faculty members and students and the divide in teaching and professional advancement opportunities between those who are proficient in English and those who are not. It addresses the concerns raised by scholars regarding “domain loss,” especially in the hard sciences, and the production and dissemination of knowledge. It examines steps that the Nordic countries have taken, particularly in “parallel instruction,” to internationalize their faculty and stud...
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This chapter examines controversies in France and Italy that underscored the political tensions and legal consequences for universities moving toward English-taught courses and programs. Each case, in a distinct way, mined the depths of... more
This chapter examines controversies in France and Italy that underscored the political tensions and legal consequences for universities moving toward English-taught courses and programs. Each case, in a distinct way, mined the depths of cultural pride and academic governance as universities came under pressure to promote internationalization through English. In France, the debate focused on a proposal to ease legislative restrictions on teaching in languages other than French in the nation’s universities. In Italy, it centered on a legal challenge to a plan adopted by the prestigious Polytechnic Institute in Milan to offer all graduate courses and programs in English. The chapter fleshes out the competing arguments on remaining competitive in the global economy versus preserving academic quality, national identity, and the national language. In doing so, it presents a diverse and interesting cast of stakeholders sparring over the role of English in academia and beyond.
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This chapter looks at English in India throughout wavering national policies shaped by a lingering caste mindset, a growing class system tied to language, a vast multilingual landscape, and a nationalist government seeking to unite the... more
This chapter looks at English in India throughout wavering national policies shaped by a lingering caste mindset, a growing class system tied to language, a vast multilingual landscape, and a nationalist government seeking to unite the country through Hindi. It considers the compromise in the 1949 constitution naming Hindi as the official though not the national language, while English has continued as a “subsidiary official language” under the Official Languages Act of 1963. Focusing on education, the chapter examines the preference among parents for their children to learn through English. It delves into the proliferation of private schools, including low-fee schools where the quality of English teaching is especially poor. It discusses the 2009 Right to Education Act and its failed attempt to impose standards and equalize access. It further addresses longstanding disagreements between Hindi and non-Hindi states on using Hindi or English as the country’s “link” language and recent...
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Research Interests: Law and Supreme Court
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This chapter examines the growing interest in dual language immersion programs that, abandoning the deficit narrative, respond to demands of globalization and migration. The chapter looks at notable examples in two states and one city and... more
This chapter examines the growing interest in dual language immersion programs that, abandoning the deficit narrative, respond to demands of globalization and migration. The chapter looks at notable examples in two states and one city and the political and demographic factors that have made each one succeed. The California discussion focuses on grassroots efforts by Californians Together in building a coalition of advocates and state legislators despite a state law limiting bilingual instruction. In Utah it examines the collaboration among business interests, language advocates, and the state, with an overlay of religious pragmatism. The discussion lastly turns to New York City and the “bilingual revolution” led by French-speaking families with the support of the French embassy. The chapter reveals the challenges facing these programs in staffing, funding, and materials and in assuring that they serve the less privileged students whose bilingual potential the approach was originally...
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This chapter explores the efforts of educators, government officials, and civil society to develop a workforce that meets the needs of the global economy. It begins with research findings on the cognitive advantages of bilingualism, which... more
This chapter explores the efforts of educators, government officials, and civil society to develop a workforce that meets the needs of the global economy. It begins with research findings on the cognitive advantages of bilingualism, which have resonated especially among educated parents, policymakers, and school officials. It delves further into critiques of those findings and looks at more recent fine-grained studies that yield hopeful though not definitive conclusions. It examines several federal initiatives in recent years promoting language study, including the Language Flagship Program focusing on critical languages. It discusses the 2017 report of the Commission on Language Learning, as well as several initiatives that have grown out of the report’s recommendations. The chapter sets the spotlight on the states in discussing the State Seal of Biliteracy, adopted in forty-three states plus Washington, DC, which officially recognizes multilingual proficiency in secondary school s...
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Is English a bridge or a barrier to economic advancement and social mobility as it spreads worldwide? To what extent do domestic and global politics determine those outcomes? Who are the winners, losers, and resisters? How are France and... more
Is English a bridge or a barrier to economic advancement and social mobility as it spreads worldwide? To what extent do domestic and global politics determine those outcomes? Who are the winners, losers, and resisters? How are France and China using the “soft power” of language to overtake English, and to what ends? What role do globalization, a knowledge-based economy, and neoliberalism play in these developments? Using education as its lens, this book critically unpacks these and related questions in a sweeping journey across four continents through diverse political and historical settings. It begins in Europe with the European Union and its promotion of multilingualism and with controversies over English-taught courses and programs in universities in the name of internationalization. It then moves to the postcolonial world, where disputes over English in the schools reveal longstanding grievances and the inequities of historically rooted and politically motivated language polici...
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To what extent has South Africa achieved redress and transformation as envisioned in its post-apartheid constitution? What racial and class inequities related to language remain, and how can they be remedied? Addressing these questions,... more
To what extent has South Africa achieved redress and transformation as envisioned in its post-apartheid constitution? What racial and class inequities related to language remain, and how can they be remedied? Addressing these questions, this chapter examines the role of English versus Afrikaans and indigenous languages, particularly in education. It discusses the Black population’s identifying Afrikaans with apartheid oppression while viewing English as the language of resistance and upward mobility. It looks at three decisions of the Constitutional Court, one of which laid the groundwork for addressing the right to “receive education in the official language of one’s choice.” The other two decisions upheld university policies that eliminated or minimized instruction in Afrikaans in favor of English. The chapter questions whether the Court’s most recent “multilingual turn” looking beyond the past, in the case against Stellenbosch University, can effectively reshape public discourse ...
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To what extent is the European Union’s push toward multilingualism a reality? What impact has English had on the EU’s multilingual agenda? To answer these questions, this chapter explores the use of English within EU organizations along... more
To what extent is the European Union’s push toward multilingualism a reality? What impact has English had on the EU’s multilingual agenda? To answer these questions, this chapter explores the use of English within EU organizations along with official statements supporting multilingualism to promote integration, enhance job mobility, and counterbalance English. While focusing on the EU, it briefly looks at the Council of Europe’s work promoting individual plurilingualism. It further examines efforts by France to resist English and restore the status of French within EU institutions, especially post-Brexit. Critiquing the EU’s “mother tongue plus two” program for all Europeans, the chapter looks at language learning and proficiency across EU countries. Despite years of funding for language learning, including the Erasmus+ program promoting student mobility, evidence shows that most Europeans are not gaining high proficiency in multiple languages but rather concentrating on learning En...
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This chapter explores the move toward English within French-speaking countries in Africa. It focuses primarily on Rwanda and Morocco, countries with distinct histories and political tensions that have shaped language policies,... more
This chapter explores the move toward English within French-speaking countries in Africa. It focuses primarily on Rwanda and Morocco, countries with distinct histories and political tensions that have shaped language policies, particularly in education. It considers Rwanda’s tense relationship with France following accusations of French responsibility in the 1994 genocide, the country’s official switch from French to English, and the negative impact on educational outcomes. It explores Morocco’s multilingual landscape shaped by Modern Standard Arabic, Tamazight, and French, the growing influence of English, the failures of Arabization as measured by low student performance, and the current debate over language in the schools where all four languages have coalesced in a dizzying combination of support from competing political factions and interests. It assesses the benefits and burdens of English and suggests key factors that may determine whether and how quickly Morocco will follow ...
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This chapter looks at English in India throughout wavering national policies shaped by a lingering caste mindset, a growing class system tied to language, a vast multilingual landscape, and a nationalist government seeking to unite the... more
This chapter looks at English in India throughout wavering national policies shaped by a lingering caste mindset, a growing class system tied to language, a vast multilingual landscape, and a nationalist government seeking to unite the country through Hindi. It considers the compromise in the 1949 constitution naming Hindi as the official though not the national language, while English has continued as a “subsidiary official language” under the Official Languages Act of 1963. Focusing on education, the chapter examines the preference among parents for their children to learn through English. It delves into the proliferation of private schools, including low-fee schools where the quality of English teaching is especially poor. It discusses the 2009 Right to Education Act and its failed attempt to impose standards and equalize access. It further addresses longstanding disagreements between Hindi and non-Hindi states on using Hindi or English as the country’s “link” language and recent...
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What is the value of language skills in the global knowledge economy? How do those skills meet needs in the domestic service economy? To what extent can technology fill those demands? This chapter examines ways of looking at language from... more
What is the value of language skills in the global knowledge economy? How do those skills meet needs in the domestic service economy? To what extent can technology fill those demands? This chapter examines ways of looking at language from a market perspective. It begins with “Marketing English,” moving from the treatment of call center workers in India and the Philippines to a more general discussion of English skills, the benefits and challenges for workers and companies, and the trend toward using English in multinational corporations. It then turns to “Marketing Multilingualism,” examining both the economic gains and the global need for multilingual workers. In that regard, it looks at the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom post-Brexit. Sorting through the potential and limits of technology for translation and interpretation, it underscores the importance of the human element, especially in situations that require precision, like health care and international politics.
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This chapter lays the foundation for discussing the rise of English as the world’s dominant lingua franca and its nuanced effects on educational quality, national identity, and democracy in diverse geopolitical settings. Raising the... more
This chapter lays the foundation for discussing the rise of English as the world’s dominant lingua franca and its nuanced effects on educational quality, national identity, and democracy in diverse geopolitical settings. Raising the question of English dividing the world between those who speak it and those who do not, the chapter introduces recurring themes that tie the book together, including the use of language as a political and economic tool, the ways in which English intersects with globalization and the knowledge economy, and the driving force of neoliberal ideas as they shape government decisions on languages in schools and universities. It further poses related questions of whether a common world language is necessary, whether English can “do it all,” and whether English-speaking countries and others should promote multilingualism.
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Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 19641 was enacted as part of a larger package of federal legislation aimed at redressing the wrongs of past discrimination and at preventing future transgressions against members of identified... more
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 19641 was enacted as part of a larger package of federal legislation aimed at redressing the wrongs of past discrimination and at preventing future transgressions against members of identified groups-most notably racial minorities. 2 This ...
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In 1981, the Supreme Court decided Widmar v. Vincent, 1 holding that a state university that created a" limited open forum" by opening its facilities to student organizations must grant equal access to religiously affiliated... more
In 1981, the Supreme Court decided Widmar v. Vincent, 1 holding that a state university that created a" limited open forum" by opening its facilities to student organizations must grant equal access to religiously affiliated groups. The university's failure to do so constituted ...
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This chapter looks at English-taught university courses and programs in the Netherlands, a country where English proficiency is high and the internationalization of higher education through English is longstanding and widespread. It... more
This chapter looks at English-taught university courses and programs in the Netherlands, a country where English proficiency is high and the internationalization of higher education through English is longstanding and widespread. It begins with the1992 Higher Education and Research Act, which laid out parameters for using other languages and preserving Dutch in the universities. Addressing the pros and cons of English in internationalization, it continues up to the present with repeated manifestos posted by professors and students, a series of reports and public meetings, and a failed court challenge, all informing the debate. It weighs the arguments on each side, focusing on the benefits of English to student diversity and employability versus the harms to academic quality and access and to the Dutch language as a vehicle for intellectual engagement and knowledge production. It ends with pending legislative proposals to find a better balance and a national consensus among the compe...
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Abstract: A careful analysis of judicial precedence and legislative history supports a view that private litigants in educational discrimination cases may seek judicial redress of institutional wrong provided that the action seeks to... more
Abstract: A careful analysis of judicial precedence and legislative history supports a view that private litigants in educational discrimination cases may seek judicial redress of institutional wrong provided that the action seeks to protect the rights of large numbers of ...
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Since the early 1960's when the struggle for women's rights gained renewed strength and hope from the civil rights movement, a number of federal laws have been enacted to protect the rights of women in employment. Among these... more
Since the early 1960's when the struggle for women's rights gained renewed strength and hope from the civil rights movement, a number of federal laws have been enacted to protect the rights of women in employment. Among these laws are included Title VII of the Civil ...
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Since 1975 when the former Department of Health, Education and Welfare (hereinafter referred to as HEW) 1 initially promulgated regulations pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (hereinafter referred to as Title IX), 2... more
Since 1975 when the former Department of Health, Education and Welfare (hereinafter referred to as HEW) 1 initially promulgated regulations pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (hereinafter referred to as Title IX), 2 four Courts of Appeals and ...