Foundations of Language Policy and Planning: For EFL University Students
Abstract
Foundations of Language Policy and Planning: For EFL University Students is a free introductory textbook for adult university students worldwide who study through English as a foreign language. Part of the Applied Linguistics branch of English Language Studies for EFL University Students, it uses clear B2 academic English to examine decisions about language status, form, learning, rights, everyday use, and digital access. No previous university course in language policy is required. Fifteen chapters introduce policy and planning concepts, models, language ideologies, multilingualism, actors, and agency before examining status and corpus planning, official languages, standardization, language rights and linguistic justice, maintenance and revitalization, acquisition planning, language-in-education policy, multilingual education, and medium of instruction. Later chapters address family and institutional policy, policy design and evaluation, global English and political economy, migration and public services, digital multilingualism, language technology, and AI policy. Each chapter contains a central question and roadmap, five main subtopics, explanations, worked examples, guided activities, five practice tasks, a takeaway, an infographic, key terms, a ten-item quiz, and explained answers. Original figures and tables, a glossary, sources, and a subject index support classroom learning and independent study. The book is designed for approximately 35–45 classroom contact hours. Documented cases are attributed; constructed cases and numerical examples are clearly presented as teaching materials. First Edition, Version 1 (2026). Directed by Munassir Alhamami, Professor of Applied Linguistics at King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. Original content is licensed under CC BY 4.0, except where otherwise stated; credited external sources retain their own rights and terms. AI-use disclosure: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and NotebookLM assisted with research, drafting, revision, visual development, and production of this textbook. ChatGPT Image generated the cover and instructional illustrations. Text, labels, calculations, and QR codes were added through precise layout and encoding. Munassir Alhamami, the Project Director, is responsible for the final editorial decisions and released version. The illustrations depict conceptual situations, not documentary photographs of the policy cases; the figures and tables use conceptual comparisons or explicitly constructed teaching examples. Series website: https://sites.google.com/view/els4efl/home
