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Language, lies and statistics
Speak English, people! says British politician Ed Miliband (Source: msn.com) Editor’s Note: Here on Language on the Move we have frequently documented global English fever: hardly anyone seems left on...
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Inventing languages
Excerpt from “The Haunted Lotus” by Australian-Hazara artist Khadim Ali (Source: Milani Gallery) An objection that is commonly raised against Esperanto and other auxiliary languages is that they are...
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Dodgy data and language misdiagnosis
2014 NAPLAN Year 3 Numeracy test results by language status In Australia the results of last year’s round of student and school performance on national standardized testing have just been published. As...
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Paying lip-service to diversity
Diversity in early childhood education: valued or silenced? (Source: easternct.edu) Bilingual education presents a major conundrum in contemporary diverse societies: on the one hand, bilingualism and...
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Access denied
Nanai/Hezhe children (Source: Wikipedia) We have often examined here on Language on the Move how ‘English for all’ educational policies entrench inequality rather than alleviate disadvantage (e.g.,...
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Frightful language tests
Trial by fire depicted in a medieval manuscript (Source: Wikipedia) In the Middle Ages those suspected of witchcraft were often subjected to a ‘trial by fire’ to prove their innocence or guilt. The...
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Discrimination by any other name: Language tests and racist migration policy...
Australia: The White Man’s Land (Source: NLA) Australia has a proud national narrative of migration and multiculturalism. It also has an equally prevalent history of exclusionary and discriminatory...
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Refugee children left behind as eagle lands on the moon
Yesterday, the New York Times carried a heart-breaking story about an exceptional school principal forced from her position under No-Child-Left-Behind legislation in order for the school district to...
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What is “Competent English”?
What is “Competent English”? “PR” is probably one of the abbreviations I have heard most since coming to Australia. Despite the fact that PR – “permanent residence” for the non-initiated – is the...
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Language testing for citizenship
Australian flag flying on Sydney Harbour Bridge Inside Story has a must-read article about language testing for citizenship in Australia today Citizenship for beginners The Howard government made it...
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Language test masquerading as literacy and numeracy test
Gunbalanya School in West Arnhem Land (Source: abc.net.au) Last week, the results of the 2012 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) were published. As has been the case since...
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Language, lies and statistics
Speak English, people! says British politician Ed Miliband (Source: msn.com) Every ten years the UK government conducts a census, which every British resident is obliged by law to take part in. The...
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Inventing languages
Excerpt from “The Haunted Lotus” by Australian-Hazara artist Khadim Ali (Source: Milani Gallery) An objection that is commonly raised against Esperanto and other auxiliary languages is that they are...
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Multiculturalism, linguistic diversity, and citizenship testing
Miriam’s mother arrived as a refugee in New Zealand in 1939. She still remembers the kindness her family was shown. Like many other Western countries, Australia is currently grappling with the global...
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Debating language standardization
Late last year I attended the conference “Language Standardization and Linguistic Variation in Asia from Sociolinguistic Perspectives 社会语言学视角下的亚洲语言变异与标准化国际学术研讨会” at the University of Nottingham-Ningbo,...
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Partner language requirements and new borders for family life
Australia Day Parade Melboure (Image credit: Mitchell Luo on Unsplash) In October 2020, the Australian government outlined budgetary plans to create language requirements for migrant partners seeking...
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How do universities decide whose English needs to be tested for admission?
(Image credit: Mana Akbarzadegan via Unsplash) When Muhammad* applied for admission to a postgraduate degree at an Australian university, he was asked to show evidence of his English language...
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Studying abroad is amazing, or is it?
Image from a university website “An amazing student experience awaits you!” – “a multicultural vibrant experience” in a “stunning landscape” covered by “year-round sunshine.” These phrases do not come...
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International students’ English language proficiency in the spotlight again
Master of Applied Linguistics and TESOL students at Macquarie University (Image credit: Jung Ung Hwang) As pre-pandemic levels of migration have been restored or exceeded, international students are...
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