Languages after Brexit: How the UK Speaks to the World

by Michael Kelly (Editor)

Overview

This book represents a significant intervention into the debates surrounding Brexit and language policy. It analyses the language capabilities and resources of the United Kingdom in a new, post-referendum climate, in which public hostility towards foreign languages is matched by the necessity of renegotiating and building relationships with the rest of Europe and beyond. The authors scrutinize the availability of key resources in diverse sectors of society including politics, economics, business, science and education, while simultaneously offering practical advice and guidance on how to thrive in the new international environment. This extremely timely edited collection brings together leading researchers from across the field of language policy, and is sure to appeal not only to students and scholars of this subject, but also to practitioners, policy makers and educators.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319651682
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	10/20/2017
Edition description:	1st ed. 2018
Pages:	271
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michael Kelly is Emeritus Professor of French at the University of Southampton, UK. A specialist in modern French culture and society, he is active in developing public policy relating to languages and cultural diversity. He edits the European Journal of Language Policy, while his most recent books focus on languages in the context of war and conflict.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction; Jean Coussins and Philip Harding-Esch.- Part I. Living in a world of languages.- Chapter 2.Why are so many people resistant to other languages?; Michael Kelly.- Chapter 3. Trouble with English?; Jennifer Jenkins.- Chapter 4. A language-rich future for the UK; Maria K Norton.- Part II. What the UK needs in languages.- Chapter 5. This post-Brexit Linguanomics; Gabrielle Hogan-Brun.- Chapter 6. Speaking to a global future – the increasing value of language and culture to British business post-Brexit; Bernardette Holmes.- Chapter 7. Science and languages; Charles Forsdick.- Chapter 8. Languages in the Eye of the Law; Ann Carlisle.- Chapter 9. Language Plenty, Refugees and the post-Brexit world. New Practices from Scotland; Alison Phipps.- Chapter 10. What every policy maker needs to know about cognitive benefits of bilingualism; Dina Mehmedbegovic.- PartIII. Where the UK stands in language capacity.- Chapter 11. Languages in English secondary schools post-Brexit; Teresa Tinsley.- Chapter 12. Modern Languages in Scotland in the context of Brexit; Hannah Doughty and Marion Spöring.- Chapter 13. Speaking from Wales: Building a Modern Languages Community in the Era of Brexit; Claire Gorrara.- Chapter 14. Languages in Northern Ireland: policy and practice; Janice Carruthers and Mícheál Ó Mainnín.- Chapter 15. Building capacity in UK Higher Education; Jocelyn Wyburd.- Chapter 16. Support unsung heroes: community-based language learning and teaching; Kate Borthwick.- Chapter 17. Language learning by different means: formal and informal developments; Tim Connell.- Chapter 18. Translation and Interpreting in a post-Brexit Britain; Myriam Salama-Carr, Svetlana Carsten, Helen Campbell.- Chapter 19. Language Teacher Supply: the vicious cycle, the effects of theEU referendum and attempts to solve supply shortage; René Koglbauer.- Part IV. What can be done to make the UK language-ready?.- Chapter 20. Collaboration, connectedness, champions: approaches within government; Wendy Ayres-Bennett.- Chapter 21. Speaking to the world about speaking to the world; David Crystal.- Chapter 22. Conclusion: Steps towards a strategy for the UK; Michael Kelly

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The UK's future hangs on maintaining both its position in international trade and our soft power—on being outward-facing. This perceptive book makes the case for a strategic approach to language-learning as authoritatively as you'd expect from such a diverse and expert group of contributors.” (Richard Hardie, Senior Adviser UBS UK)

“The book is both timely and urgent. Language practitioners in the UK are very concerned with the new challenges they face following the Brexit decision, which comes on top of many years of decline of MFL teaching at all levels of the UK education system. It is helpful to read not only an analysis of the problem but also specific recommendations to mitigate it.” (Naomi Segal, Birkbeck, University of London, UK)

Editorial Reviews

Languages after Brexit: How the UK Speaks to the World is a timely and thought-provoking study. … the first book-length research of the linguistic issues pertaining to Brexit and should be of interest to all who are involved in the academic study of the interplay between languages and politics. … It is believed that more research output in this respect will be yielded.” (Hong Diao, Journal of Language and Politics, Vol. 19 (1), 2018)

From the Publisher