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This is the final draft, after peer-review, of a manuscript published in Language Policy. The published version is available online at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10993-004-6564-4 ; This paper examines the historical and current connections between English language education policy and economic development policy in Singapore. Policy statements on English language education policy in Singapore are used to demonstrate the ways that English is given a role in economic development and modernization by government officials and educators. The discourse of policy statements on the economic utility and cultural value of languages is discussed with reference to Bourdieu's concepts of capital and field. Comparative reference is made to policy statements on so-called 'Mother Tongue.' The analysis provides background on language policy in Singapore and locates current reform efforts within that discourse.

This book explores Singapore's language education system. Unlike previous volumes, which discuss the bilingual requirement for learning, it focuses on Singapore's quadrilingual system, bringing together articles on each of the four languages - English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil - as well as articles that examine more than one language. It highlights past successes, current concerns, and future directions for language education. The book focuses on classroom pedagogy in all four official languages, showcasing how languages are taught and learned in Singapore as a basis for better understanding the system "from the inside out." The authors present empirical, classroom-based studies on language pedagogy in all four languages, as well as updated information on the current socio-political context and how it has influenced attempts at pedagogical innovation. Consideration is given to the dialectical relationship between policy and practice. The chapters also include discussions of pre-school-age learning, influences of language policy, home literacy practices, and commentaries by international language-in-education scholars. This approach also provides a basis for international comparison - especially for those who are interested in fostering English proficiency while maintaining one or more national languages. The volume is particularly important in light of the continuing international efforts to integrate English into national educational systems where it is not the dominant language

This is the final draft, after peer-review, of a manuscript published in Language Policy. The published version is available online at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10993-004-6567-1 ; This report presents findings from the PPELE study of English language instruction in classrooms in five countries and discusses how those findings relate to stated governmental policies on language and education. Data from classroom lessons and teacher rationale statements show that teachers are aware of policy initiatives related to language education and to the potential longer-term needs of students for English. However, teachers focus on immediate classroom priorities that influence daily lessons and give emphasis to student learning. These findings support a multidirectional interpretation of language policy – derived not only out of structural priorities and classroom priorities, but also influenced by the social and personal dimensions of classroom teaching and by of teachers' goals and beliefs.

Cover -- HalfTitle -- Series -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- 1 What Is the Role of Language in Education? -- Introduction -- The nature of language -- Linguistic inquiry -- Language in educational settings -- Teachers' awareness of language -- Intended audience and purpose of this volume -- Overview of the chapters -- Discussion and reflection questions -- Recommended reading and viewing -- 2 What Is the Structure of Language? -- Introduction -- Phonetics -- Morphology -- Syntax -- Semantics -- Meaning connection between sentences -- Relevance to educational settings -- Discussion and reflection questions -- Recommended reading and viewing -- 3 How Do We Use Language to Make Meaning? -- Introduction -- What makes a text? -- Text and discourse -- Classification of texts -- Analysing language use -- Language and power -- Relevance to educational settings -- Discussion and reflection questions -- Recommended reading and viewing -- 4 Why Is There Variation within a Language? -- Introduction -- Regional variation -- Standard dialects -- Social variation -- Expressing identity -- Relevance to educational settings -- Discussion and reflection questions -- Recommended reading and viewing -- 5 How Do Children Learn Language? -- Introduction -- Some major milestones: An overview -- How do we know what is 'normal'? -- The journey into language: What happens before the first word -- Taking off: Words and beyond -- Learning a new language after childhood -- Relevance to educational settings -- Discussion and reflection questions -- Recommended reading and viewing -- 6 How Do Speaking and Writing Support Each Other? -- Introduction -- Features of speech and writing -- Relationship between speaking and writing -- Acquiring spoken and written language -- Developing advanced and disciplinary literacies.

AbstractThe official narrative told by national census data in Singapore is that of massive language shift within one generation from a myriad of Chinese dialects towards Mandarin and English as dominant home languages. This story of shift is often told in ways that suggest the community completely and pragmatically transformed its practices and allegiances (

The official narrative told by national census data in Singapore is that of massive language shift within one generation from a myriad of Chinese dialects towards Mandarin and English as dominant home languages. This story of shift is often told in ways that suggest the community completely and pragmatically transformed its practices and allegiances (Jaffe 2007) in alignment with government policy. However, such notions are premised on narrow ideological assumptions of language with fixed attendant linguistic practices. The choices that people make about their language practices and how they identify with language is much more complex that the term "language shift" captures. We employ Bourdieu's conceptual tools of field, capital and habitus – especially field – to understand the "messier" realities of historical language shift in Singapore alongside a persistence, even a renaissance, in the use of dialects despite government policies and quadrilingual discourses. We anchor our discussion on the Speak Mandarin Campaign, the keystone of continuing government efforts to influence the habitus within the linguistic field. We provide two specific examples: the continued agitation for the use of dialects in the mass media, and the government's failed attempt to influence a change in family surnames. Singapore's story problematizes the notion of language shift in multilingual communities. It also raises interesting questions about the nature and impetus of language shift, the socio-political discourses surrounding these shifts, and the complex interplay of government policy and community and personal choices.

Intro -- Contents -- Contributors -- 1 Introduction to the Volume: Mapping the Language-Related Knowledge Base for Content Teaching -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.1.1 Background: Language in Learning -- 1.1.2 Teachers' Roles -- 1.2 Language-Related Knowledge Base for Content Teaching (LRKCT) -- 1.2.1 Knowledge of Language (KL) -- 1.2.2 Knowledge About Language (KAL) -- 1.2.3 Knowledge of Students (KS) -- 1.2.4 Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) -- 1.2.5 Mapping LRKCT -- 1.2.6 LRKCT for Content Teaching and the PCK of Language Teachers -- 1.2.7 LRKCT and the PCK of Content Teachers -- 1.3 Overview of the Volume -- 1.3.1 Sociocultural Perspectives -- 1.3.2 Systemic Functional Linguistics -- 1.3.3 Building on the LRKCT Framework -- References -- Part I Studies in Science and TLA -- 2 Unpacking the Language-Related Knowledge Components of Science Teachers Through the Language Awareness Lens -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Literature Review -- 2.2.1 The Importance and Role of Language-Related Knowledge in Science Teaching -- 2.2.2 The Lens of Teacher Language Awareness -- 2.2.3 The Relevance of TLA to Science Teaching -- 2.3 Research Design -- 2.3.1 Research Context -- 2.3.2 Inquiry Cycle -- 2.3.3 Data Sources -- 2.3.4 Analysis -- 2.3.5 Declarative TLA (dTLA) -- 2.3.6 Procedural TLA (pTLA) -- 2.4 Findings -- 2.4.1 Knowledge About (Scientific) Language (KAL) -- 2.4.2 Knowledge About Students' Language (KS) -- 2.4.3 Procedural Dimension of TLA (pTLA) -- 2.5 Discussion -- References -- 3 Raising Science Teachers' Language Awareness: A Functional Literacy Approach to Teaching Science -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Literature Review -- 3.2.1 A Functional Literacy Approach to Literacy -- 3.2.2 Teacher Reflections -- 3.3 Methodology -- 3.3.1 Context of Study -- 3.3.2 Teacher Inquiry and Knowledge Building Cycles -- 3.3.3 Analysis of Teacher Reflections -- 3.4 Findings.