Abstracts Language, Literature, and Linguistic

Investigating language policy from a linguistic justice perspective in multilingual higher education - a case study of the science and technology schools in Adrar University, Algeria

by Assala Mihoubi

This thesis attempts to understand language policy and practice at the level of university education while examining different linguistic behaviours to assess how linguistically just they are using a normative approach. This study seeks to answer the following research questions 1. How is the Algerian language policy operationalised at the level of universi-ty education generally and in science and technology classrooms specifical-ly? 2. What are students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the effect of implicit and explicit language policy on their academic experience? 3. What are students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards languages, choice, and multilingual universities, and how can this be reflected in a successful lan-guage policy? 4. How can we assess to what extent language policies (implemented in this context, explicit or implicit) are linguistically just? Through qualitative methods and thematic analysis, this study unveils how stu-dents and teachers at Adrar University use languages, their attitudes toward them in the classroom, and their perceptions of language policy. The findings are analysed using frameworks of linguistic justice inspired by the works of Rawls (1999), Sen (2010), Van Parijs (2011), and Kymlicka and Patten (2003). Findings of this study suggest that linguistic justice can be assessed through manifestations of different linguistic practices such as language use and choic-es (choice of medium of instruction, for instance). It is also concluded that lan-guage practices and policies at the level of Adrar University are not always just according to the framework of justice discussed in the literature review. The recommendations presented at the end of this thesis will pave the way for lan-guage planning and policy that are more considerate of linguistic justice, espe-cially in multilingual settings.