Multilingualism, Language Policy, and ELT in Karnataka Higher Education: A Qualitative Document Analysis

Technology-Enhanced Language Education under the Belt and Road Initiative: A Qualitative Linguistic Analysis of English Teaching in Multicultural Classrooms

The study suggests an iterative pedagogical cycle and assessment model of the digital English teaching responsive to language and brings together language-policy studies in the context of BRI and technology-enhanced language learning and multilingual applied linguistics within one analytical frame.

Balancing national language policy and classroom realities: teachers’ negotiations of multilingualism in Turkish schools

The Inevitability of Linguistic Challenges in Multilingual Societies: The Case of Nigeria

Nigeria presents one of Africa's most extensive multilingual settings, with more than 500 indigenous languages interacting with English, Nigerian Pidgin, Arabic and French across education, government, commerce, media, health and digital communication. This article examines why linguistic challenges recur in multilingual societies and assesses their Nigerian expressions through a conceptual and thematic review of contemporary scholarship, policy documents and foundational language-planning literature. The analysis identifies six connected pressures: unequal status allocation, contested language-of-instruction choices, weak implementation of multilingual policy, major-minority language asymmetry, intergenerational language shift and digital under-representation. The article argues that such pressures are structurally predictable because multilingual states must distribute communicative functions among languages that possess unequal institutional resources and social prestige. Their recurrence, however, does not make exclusion, conflict or language loss unavoidable. Nigeria can reduce their severity through decentralised language planning, multilingual public services, sustained corpus development, teacher preparation, community-led language transmission and equitable language technologies. The article therefore interprets inevitability as a continuing governance responsibility, not as a justification for English-only administration or the neglect of indigenous languages.

Reframing English Language Education Policy Through Translanguaging: A Conceptual Framework for Multilingual Indonesia

This study aims to highlight the importance of an adaptable English language teaching and learning curriculum as a strategic approach to strengthening English language education policy in Indonesia. Specifically, it seeks to improve students’ English proficiency while preserving local languages and cultural values. This conceptual study employs a descriptive qualitative narrative review to synthesize evidence on translanguaging and English language education policy in Indonesia. The findings indicate that a translanguaging-based English language curriculum should be contextsensitive by accommodating linguistic diversity while maintaining national learning standards. Its implementation requires adaptability in instruction, assessment, and policy to respond effectively to the linguistic dynamics of diverse educational contexts. The study's novelty lies in reconceptualizing translanguaging from a classroom pedagogical approach into a conceptual foundation for English language education policy that reflects Indonesia's multilingual reality. The study concludes that integrating translanguaging into the national curriculum, teacher professional development, and multilingual instructional materials is essential for strengthening the policy in Indonesia. It recommends establishing supportive policy mechanisms, developing an adaptable curriculum, strengthening teacher professional development, and providing flexible learning resources aligned with local contexts.

The Cost of English

The role of language in education remains a contested terrain in postcolonial Africa, where the legacies of colonialism continue to shape national policies and classroom realities. In Nigeria, English functions as both the official language and the medium of instruction, particularly in primary schools, despite the country’s vast multilingual heritage. This paper interrogates the costs of privileging English in Nigerian primary education, examining its implications for learning outcomes, identity formation, and cultural continuity. Drawing on postcolonial language debates (Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Chinua Achebe, Ayo Bamgbose), sociolinguistic theory, and the Nigerian National Policy on Education, the study critically reviews policy documents, existing literature, and empirical reports from international organisations such as UNESCO and UNICEF. The analysis reveals a persistent gap in policy, which recommends mother-tongue instruction in the early years, and practice, where English dominates due to parental pressure, prestige, and lack of resources for indigenous languages. The paper argues that the dominance of English imposes significant costs: it undermines comprehension and learning, alienates learners from their linguistic and cultural identities, and reproduces structural inequities between social classes and regions. At the same time, it acknowledges the pragmatic role of English as a global lingua franca and a tool of socioeconomic mobility. By foregrounding the “cost” framework, this study contributes to the growing body of scholarship on language and education in Africa, presenting fresh insights into the intersection of policy, pedagogy, and identity in Nigeria. It concludes with recommendations for strengthening mother-tongue education toward inclusive and culturally rooted learning.

Multilingual foreign language education policy and practice in East Asia

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the evolution of foreign language education policy and practice across three East Asian nations: China, Japan and South Korea since World War II. The purpose is to understand the dynamic forces shaping each country's linguistic identity. By tracing policy shifts over time, we can decode how nations strategically calibrate and recalibrate their linguistic investments in response to changing geopolitical, economic and socio-cultural forces. This paper adopts a qualitative, comparative case study approach. The methodology combines historical policy examination with comparative cross-national analysis. The longitudinal examination involves systematically tracing policy evolution through government documents and educational curricula over the post-war period. The comparative framework highlights common regional trends and national adaptations in informing policy decisions. This paper reveals that historically national choices in foreign language education were initially driven by realist considerations of national interest and geopolitical power, but have increasingly been informed by neoliberal tenets, as demonstrated by the dominance of English. Yet, the foreign language education policies of these three countries are indicating a constructive multilingual turn, ranging from an active embrace to a passive reception, with the transition unfolding at different speeds across countries. This paper presents a comprehensive, longitudinal and comparative analysis of foreign language policy mechanisms in the East Asian context, offering valuable insights for policymakers navigating the dynamics between global competitiveness, regional integration, national identity and educational equity, as well as planning future trajectories.