'Building a new public idea about language'?: Multilingualism and language learning in the post-Brexit UK

In 2003, Mary Louise Pratt published a hugely influential paper in Profession where she took to task misconceptions about multilingualism and language learning apparent in the USA in the wake of 9/11 and consequent counter-terrorism measures. She argued that a new public idea about language was nece...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current issues in language planning 2022-03, Vol.23 (2), p.117-136
Main Authors: Copland, Fiona, McPake, Joanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anglosphere
English
English language
EU membership
Foreign Countries
Language
Language Attitudes
Language learning
Language Planning
Language Role
Misconceptions
Monolingualism
mulitlingualism
Multilingualism
new public idea about language
Public Policy
Second Language Instruction
Second Language Learning
Terrorism
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Summary:In 2003, Mary Louise Pratt published a hugely influential paper in Profession where she took to task misconceptions about multilingualism and language learning apparent in the USA in the wake of 9/11 and consequent counter-terrorism measures. She argued that a new public idea about language was necessary in order to ensure unity and security. This article argues that in the aftermath of Brexit, the UK also needs to develop a new public idea about language to ensure a future that is prosperous, socially, culturally and economically. To do so, it first challenges a number of prevalent myths about language learning and multilingualism in the UK through a review of scholarship, media articles and reports which focus on languages and multilingualism since 2013. It then suggests that interest in the Anglosphere has meant that the value of English is now artificially inflated and that the value of other languages is underplayed. We argue that this turn to the Anglosphere and to (English) monolingualism should be challenged through proposing a new public idea about language for post-Brexit UK.
ISSN:1466-4208
1747-7506
1747-7506
DOI:10.1080/14664208.2021.1939976