CULTURE AND LANGUAGELEARNING

NEWSLETTEREast-West Center 3-2 East-West Culture Learning Institute

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RATURE: a problem of recognition

At a recent pàñe1 discussion,one of a series designed to enableadministrators and teacher train-ers to raise and discuss issuespertinent to the teaching of En-glish in countries where Englishis not the first or native language,the following two-pronged ques-tion was asked: 'Who can judgewhether or not contemporary au-thors' works are literature, andhow can we know that the booksor stories are literature?"The particular circumstance

which prompted the question wasa suggestion that at the initialstages of literary study for stu-dents of English as a non-nativelanguage, only contemporarywriting be included in the syl-labus, on the ground that the stu-dent should not be saddled withthe additional burden of coping

Dr. Marckwardt, professor emeritus ofPrinceton University, is currently a seniorfellow in the Institute's language in cul-ture and thought and expression in cul-ture learning subdivisions.

with an older state of the lan-guage. The term contemporarywas to be reasonably interpreted,of course; the point was that thelanguage be current. This hadbeen coupled with the furthersuggestion that in those coun-tries where English enjoys asecond-language status, andwhere there are native authorswho write in English, (Narayan inIndia, Emmanuel Torres in thePhilippines, Chinua Achebe inNigeria) works by such writersmight well be included in the cur-riculum in the interests of im-mediacy and relevance. Both ofthese suggestions constitute amarked departure from what isthe custom in many countries.

It is understandable, of course,that teachers of English and eventheir teachers and supervisors,especially in countries where acentralized ministry of educationhas imposed a rigid syllabus andsomething like an official canonof so-called masterpieces orgreat works upon the instruc-tional program, would feel Un-comforable and perhaps evenconfused by these two sugges-tions. They are accustomed,whether they like it or not, to re-liance upon authority, and possi-bly to rate the literary work of their

This issue of the Newsletter

spotlights the Culture LearningInstitute's participants and proj-ects in the language in culture

thematic subdivision. The otherthree areas of interest to the Insti-tute are cultural identity, cultures

in contact, and thought and ex-

pression in culture learning.

countrymen on a somewhat lowerscale than outsiders would. In thelight of these factors, the ques-tion they raised may be regardednot only as normal but one whichdeserves a thoughtful and well-considered answer.

WHAT IS LITERATURE?First of all, let us be clear on

what is to be included within the(Continued on Page 3)

CLI/RELC

Sociolinguisticsurvey launched

ByKaren Ann Watson

How to improve communica-tion across linguistic boundaries,the characteristic of multilingualsocieties, how to research theways people actually talk to eachother - these were some of thetopics for study and discussionwhen the nine principal inves-tigators in the SociolinguisticSurvey of Southeast Asia projectmet for a seven-week intensiveseminar at the East-West CenterAugust 10 through September30,1974.The principal investigators

were appointed by their govern-ments to be responsible for thetechnical end of the project intheir own countries. They came

(Continued on Page 9)

Dr. Watson is a research associate at theCulture Learning Institute, and coor-dinator of the Institute's cultural identitysubdivision.

I

Taste Before EatiniAn exhibition organized by thePacific Cultural CentersMuseum Management programas a practical exercise in the or-

ganization of temporary exhibi-tions.

A wide variety of eating and

cooking utensils, kitchen equip-ment and related examples of in-dustrial design and the fine artswere displayed at an exhibit in theCulture Learning Institute Oc-tober 24-31, 1974. Items for theexhibition were borrowed frommembers of the East-West Centercommunity and the public.The exhibition was formally

opened by Institute Director Ver-ner C. Bickley and research as-sociate Karen Watson on October24 and was on view to the publicuntil October 31. Custodial dutieswere undertaken by participants.The exhibition proved to be ex-

tremely successful in many ways;media coverage was first classand audience reaction to this ex-

hibition was in very positiveterms. The Institute's small exhi-bition hall proved to be an idealvenue for such an undertaking.The Museum Management

group is organizing another ex-hibition, of ceramics which theywill catalogue and present for

public view on January 17-23,1975.Coordinator of the museum

management activities is JamesMack, senior fellow, Culture

Learning Institute. E

Professor Betty Ecke of the Universityof HawaiiArt Department and museumparticipant Kuo-ning ('Annie") ChenCh'iu examine Chinese cooking uten-sils.

Every aspect of launching an exhibit,even the construction of tables anddisplay cases, was undertaken by theparticipants, who come from ninePacific and Asian nations and theUnited States.

Participants Lawrence Foanaota of theSolomon Islands, and Abraham

Kuruwaip of lrian Jaya, Indonesia, take

security precautions with exquisiteThai bronzeware.

Members of UH Music DepartmentOceanic Ensemble (taught by Dr. Ad-rienne Kaeppler) perform at exhibitopening on United Nations Day, Oc-tober 24.

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2 Culture and Language Learning Newsletter

LiteratureFrom Page 1

category literature." At the veryleast there is a narrow and abroad interpretation of the term,especially where the nature ofwhat is taught in the classroom isinvolved. For example, classicalliterature as it is taught in the Un-ited States, has traditionally in-cluded not only poetry and thedrama but also history, oratory,the essay (in the form of letters),and some philosophy, especiallyPlato. At the other extreme, de-partments of German almostwithout exception limit them-selves to that which is fictionaland imaginative, that is to say lit-erature in the narrow sense ofbelles lettres. For my part, I wouldnot want to subscribe to a con-cept of English literature whichexcluded Boswell, Samuel Pepys,Gibbon, Darwin, the essays ofCarlyle Arnold, Emerson, andThoreau, the nature writing ofJohn Burroughs, the philosophi-cal speculations of Santayana, tomention only a few. Not that Iwould include them in an ESOLcourse, but our concern here iswith definition and principle.

WHO JUDGES?To come at the question more

directly, rather than ask who canjudge whether or not contempor-ary authors' works are literature,let us rather ask, who does judge.The answer is simple. In effect,two groups: the intelligent read-ing public and the literary critics.On occasion their judgments dif-fer. Either or both can be wrongwhen viewed in a time spanbroader than just the presentmoment. Either or both are prob-ably right more often than theyare wrong. I would venture thehope that a professionally edu-cated teacher of English, whetheras a native or a foreign language,would feel qualified to function asa member of the intelligent read-ing public and to exercise his crit-ical judgment as a part of it.

It is true, of course, that the

reputation of books and authorschanges with time. In the mid-nineteenth century the historicalfiction of William Harrison Ains-worth was regarded as equal inmerit to that of Sir Walter Scott.Today he has all but disappearedfrom the literary scene. Con-versely, during his lifetime andextending into the first part of thiscentury, Herman Melville was re-garded as about on a par withRichard Henry Dana, the authorof Two Years Before the Mast.Today he figures among theAmerican literary giants of thenineteenth century. Among themore recent writers, ThomasWolfe and John Dos Passos nolonger command the attentionthat they did twenty-five or thirtyyears ago. But all that this de-monstrates is that values andjudgments change from year toyear, from generation to genera-tion -.- fortunately, I would say.

Now the second question:'How can we know that booksand stories are literature?" AgainI would change the operative verband ask, "How do we come toknow this?" And I would begin byasking how one makes this deci-sion for his native literature. Letus concede that there are somewho do not make it, possibly fromlack of interest or the predisposi-tion to accept someone else'sjudgment.

Yet I am enough of an optimistto believe that most teachers arecapable of applying to what iswritten in their native tongue theirown standards of excellence, thatthey are capable of recognizingwhat moves them powerfully,capable of conviction that an au-thor has said something signifi-cant. Unless they are capable ofthis kind of judgment and reac-tion, certainly their education, asit is viewed not only in Englandand the United States but perhapseven more so in many westernEuropean countries, has some-how failed of its purpose. But ifthey can make this kind of judg-ment for the native literature,there is every reason to believethat they could exercise a similarcritical role with respect to the lit-erature written in the language

they have chosen and have beentrained to teach.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, "afriend to those who live in thespirit," as Matthew Arnoldcharacterized him, gives us somepertinent advice on this point. It issummed up in the title of one ofhis most famous essays, "Self Re-liance.'' If I were teaching acourse in early twentieth-centuryGerman poetry, I would certainlyinclude the work of Max Dauth-endey. I would do so because lamconvinced that much of his poetryis on a par with that of RainerMaria Rilke and Stefan George. Iam quite aware that there aremany who disagree with myjudgment, but lam not greatly dis-trubed by this.

Nor am I unaware that much ofwhat I have written here is open tothe charge of cultural inflexibility,if not naivete. With respect to thematters I have discussed manyteachers from other countrieshave been reared in an atmos-phere considerably more au-thoritarian than that which I havedescribed and recommended. Irealize as well that I normallymake the distinction, as far asgeneral educational goals areconcerned, between a receptivecomprehension of another cul-ture in contrast to an active shiftto the attitudes, values, andmores of a non-native culture,maintaining that the first of theseis as much as can or shouldreasonably be expected.

Yet, if there is to be any group inany country for whom as com-plete a biculturalism as possible,as well as bilingualism, might beidentified as a desirable educa-tional outcome, it would seem tobe those whom society entrustswith the teaching of another lan-guage, another literature, andthrough these, another culture. Inissues such as those which havebeen raised here, there is no sub-stitute for the integrity of one'sconvictions and the indepen-dence, the courage, the will tomaintain them, and as far as thesituation permits, to act in accor-dance with them. There are noeasy choices, no canonized au-thority to whom one can ap-peal. U

Culture and Language Learning Newsletter 3

Language planning in developing nations4

ByLachman M. Khubchandani

Language plays an importantrole in the social, economic andeducational development of a na-tion. With a clear perspective andproper planning, developing na-tions with pluralistic societies,most of them possessing a richmultiplicity of languages, canthink of utilizing this potential asan accelerating factor of rapidsocial change and other 'moder-nization' programs inthecountry.In a plural society, there is ashared core of universe, and dif-ferent partial universes of thegroups within co-exist in the re-gion in a state of mutual accom-modation.

For many newly emerged na-tions, it has become a matter ofprimary concern to frame an ap-propriate language policy whichcan materially assist in social andnational integration andeconomic upliftment of theirpeople, keeping balance betweeninternal needs and externalnecessities in a modern world.Some linguistics may deny thefeasibility of introducing plan-ning in the realm of language be-havior on the lines similar tothose in technological fields. Buthistory does record some at-tempts at conscious languageplanning in Norway, Israel and afew other places, which couldsucceed only when they did notclash with spontaneous humansensitivities (Khubchandani1969).

LANGUAGE "MANIPULATION"From the narrow linguistic

concerns of 'intellectual' foster-ing of the standard languages(Prague Radio, 1932; Tauli 1968)the canvass of language planningis now enlarged to include lan-guage as an 'object of humanmanipulation', introducing the'cost-benefit' and 'decision-

Dr. Khubchandani is a senior fellow inCLI'S language in culture subdivision. Heis former professor of Indian languageat the Zagreb University, Yugoslavia.

making' models from economicsand political science (Rubin1973). But one cannot deny thatthe basic character of many lan-guage planning agencies andalso the major concern of manyinvestigators in this field haveremained largely 'normative.' Inthis sense, the deliberate changeenvisaged for a language is in ac-tual terms the 'manipulation bythe elite.' The cost-benefit modelsregard language as 'societal re-source' and the success of plan-ning is evaluated in terms of op-erational policies: targets (basedon ideologies), strategies of ac-tion, legislative authorization,implementation by executiveagencies, and periodic evaluation(Jernudd and Das Gupta 1971).1In the entire process commonman - the 'consumer' of lan-guage planning programs - ispresent only by proxy, carryingthe elite 'cross.'

By 'language development'many language experts mean"the promotion of full-fledged orautonomous status for a lan-guage as an exclusive vehicle forfull expression in different fieldsof knowledge and in all walks oflife." This aim encourages twotypes of activities in a languagecommunity guided primarily byits language-elite:

Language codification:prescribing 'standards'(i.e., authentic versions) fora language through a writ-ing system, spelling andgrammar manuals, dictio-naries, style sheets, etc.

Language elaboration: ex-pansion of language do-mains, especially for formalcommunication (educa-tion, administration, massmedia, etc.), by devisingnew terminologies, provid-ing translations, encourag-ing original writing in thenew domains, etc., undermodernization programs(see Haugen 1966; Khub-chandani 1968).

INDIAN CONTEXTThe lacuna of the 'space' di-

mension in language studies issignificantly felt when consider-ing the problems of 'language de-velopment' for heterogeneousplural communities (Khubchan-dani 1973a). In the campaign forautonomy in the Indian context,language-elites try to push for-ward elaborate instructional andorientation programs in order tointroduce new values and bringforth what they consider to be de-sirable changes in the speechhabits of the masses. These in-clude:

" prescribing 'urban-basedelite' standards for literacydrives even in remote ruralareas;

" promoting 'highbrow' dic-tion for regional languages(sprinkled with Sanskrit,Perso-Arabic, Old (Tamil), orMedieval (Telugu) flavors) forformal and public meetings;

" prescribing compulsoryteaching of two, three, andeven four languages in theschools, and other mandato-ry language requirements forvarious careers.

IN THE NAME OF MODERNIZA-TIONToday a host of language de-

velopment agencies, isolatedlanguage institutes, and indi-vidual language advisoryboards, all committed to diverse'traditions,' seem to be pulling indifferent, at times contradictory,directions in the name of moder-nization. But the speech behaviorof a heterogeneous community isguided not so much by the dictaof insulated traditions as by thedemands of ecosystems. An indi-vidual or a speech community re-sponds to the verbal needs ofheterogeneous situations spon-taneously by the processes ofconvergence, assimilation,maintenance, and creativity.

(Continued on Page 5)

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4 Culture and Language Learning Newsletter

Language...From Page 4)The unquestioning acceptance

of language as an entity or toolinstead of an ongoing activityleads many visionary languageplanners to commit themselves toproviding all authentic apparatusto the chosen one or more speechvarieties around them (which theyhave crystallized more or less ar-bitrarily, guided mainly by literarystyle and pressures from theelite). However, before the intro-duction of radical changes in thepatterns of speech behavior in thedeveloping world through thesestereotyped emphases, the un-derlying notions about languageneed to be examined, and particu-larly the functional relevance ofthese changes for the 'oraloriented' mass communicationneeds of the twentieth centuryshould be evaluated.

SWEEPING CHANGES

Many language developmentprograms often seek to-advancesweeping changes in speech be-havior without recognizing its in-nate characteristics. For exam-ple, the easy-going 'grassroots'multilingualism of the illiteratemasses is replaced by the elegantbilingualism (or trilingualism)with standardization pulls fromdifferent directions: neo-Sanskritic Hindi, Perso-Arabicized Urdu, BBC or AIR En-glish, medieval literary Telugu,classicized modern Tamil.2 Em-phasis on expecting every literateperson to master two, three, andfour distinct normative systems,nurtured in historically or geo-graphically unrelated 'traditions,'cannot fulfill the requirements foractive bilingualism in a society.Moreover, skillful mastery of sev-eral sharply insulated standardlanguages is a remarkable featthat only a few motivated profes-sionals can be expected toachieve.So far, linguists have been on

the fringe in contributing to lan-guage planning processes. Mostof the transformations sought inlanguage use in developing coun-tries -targets of language learn-ing, language autonomy, stan-dardization, the language re-

quirements of formal communi-cation, and the like - are re-garded as necessary char-acteristics of universal mod-ernization only by external stan-dards. Many language-elites,guided by post-RenaissanceEuropean trends such as the cre-ation of new standard languagesand assimilation of neighboringdialects and tribal languages, re-gard such homogenization pro-cesses as inevitable in the con-temporary stages of moderniza-tion in Asia and Africa as well. Towesternized language-elites, thedistinction between developedand underdeveloped economies,societies, and even cultures maybe so pervasive that in their thrustfor 'modernity' they either seek toget their speech recognized as adeveloped 'absolute' language,or abandon their 'handicapped'speech altogether in favor of theone they believe to be the'privileged' variety.Under the influence of the

purist tradition in philology, con-cepts like language hybridizationand grassroots multilingualism,and other processes arising fromcontact situations, have come tobe regarded as serious problemsof human adjustment. Guided bysuch assumptions, linguisticheterogeneity has been analyzedas a serious constraint on de-veloping strong national identity.The notion of the 'autonomy' of a

V

given language for full expres-sion has added to the discord andtension in the language situationsof many nations.

INSTANT SOLUTIONSThese modernization values

place great emphasis on elitiststandardization and on monisticcommitments (to selecting asingle writing system, a singlestandard grammar, a single stylefor every domain of use) in thename of bringing order out ofchaotic diversity.3 Insistence onclear-cut categorization and in-stant solutions concerning lan-guages and scripts seems to belargely responsible for promotingthe mobilization of different lan-guage pressure groups in theIndo-Pakistan subcontinent.4This pluralism, which could aid inaccelerating social change, hasled developing nations into seri-ous difficulties in social planning.Language planning theory at

this stage seems to be largelyconcerned with languageproblems, paying scanty regardto the language assets in a 'tradi-tional' speech community. Manystudies seem to imply thehandicap model to achieve thedetermined targets of develop-ment. It may be more fruitful toconsider the adaptation model totake into account the given assets

(Continued on Page 8)

CLI ethnomusicol-ogy participantsspent a week inNovember at thePolynesian Cul-tural Center, Laie,Hawaii. The weekculminated in anelaborate Tonganceremony whichwas documentedon film and videotape. Pictured isOh-sung Kwonfrom Korea.

Culture and Language Learning Newsletter 5

Cultural ManifestatioSeries Inaugurated

Fr.

* . .

- ". £IL.SL..,

Professor Koro Dewes, University ofVictoria, Wellington, New Zealand, lec-tured on Maori chant and its impor-tance in the maintenance of the cul-tural identity of hispeople.

75-member National Chinese Operthe John F. Kennedy Theatre, sponwith R.O.C. Consul General Te-ChiehDr. Edward C. H. Yang and selected acacrobatics.

L

/

-t

First of the series was a reading by youngMalaysian poet Ghafar Ibrahim on Sep-tember 25, 1974. Here Ibrahim is beingintroduced by Cultural Manifestationscoordinator Richard Via.

6 Culture and Language Learning Newsletter

Indonesian dramatist lkranagara (wife Kayis CLI degree scholar in linguistics) and eInstitute Malaysian grantee Ghulam Sar- Y'war (left) read poetry in the East-West ;Center's Pacific Room.

'?l

r* r'.

4 t 44t

i performed December 20 and 21 inre Learning Institute in cooperation

r cture-demonstration by troupe leader

ted make-up techniques, costumes, and

4.,

Indian sitarist Krishna Mohan Bhatt per-forms in the Institute's Exhibit Hall, ac-companied by EWC alumnus Frank Ber-berich, tabla, and Kathy Bhatt, tamboura.Later Bhatt was interviewed by eth-

nomusicology participant Edi Hadimulyoof Indonesia.

aa1t _ 1

Photos in this issue are by Arnotd Kishi, James Mack,and Bill Feltz.

Culture and Language Learning Newsletter 7

Language...From Page 5

as well as handicaps in meetingthe new challenges.One general concern of lan-

guage planners seems to be toadjust the speech behavior of acommunity to the new demandsof modernization. It is taken forgranted that standardization,elegance, precision, elaborationof language through the coinageof technical terms are essentialpaths for development. It is timewe start looking at the possibilityof adjusting the values of com-munication and not just the ad-justment of human beings to fitinto the new demands. Any en-quiry, such as language planning,concerned with problem solvingor decision making for a com-munity or for a country has toadopt an integrative approach. Inpluralistic nations the principlesof situation-bound languageplanning can provide a soundbasis for bringing about dynamicadjustments in response to thereal-life communication settings(for details see Khubchandani1973b).

IMPACT ON SOCIOLINGUISTICTHEORY

Studies prompted by languagedevelopment programs such asdevising orthographies, technicalterminologies, and other such is-sues dealing with language plan-ning in developing nations have,no doubt, had a significant im-pact on the formulation ofsociolinguistic theories. Prob-lems of language shift and lan-guage modernization in develop-ing countries, the tension relatingto white and black English in theUnited States, 'language-engineering' processes on theIndian subcontinent as well as inIsrael and Indonesia, demands onlanguage from computer andmass communication agencies,and other similar challenges cancertainly sharpen the understand-ing of language activity in differ-ent dimensions. So far, however,the social and behavioral sci-ences have not developed theconceptual tools with which toevaluate social planningstrategies. With a closer scrutiny

of language planning processes,one can gain insights intodeliberate behavioral change,patterns of a real and social prop-agation of linguistic innovations,as well as the motivational orrationalizing behavior behinddecision-making processes forlanguage development (seeRubin and Jernudd, 1971).Sociolinguistics as a disciplinehas the advantage of the relativelyhigh degree of formalization andrigor achieved in formal' linguis-tics. E

Notes

'Planning for deliberate changes inhuman behavior cannot be equated withthe planning for development of naturalresources or of technology. Economicplanning in many developing countrieshas so far shown very scant regard to thehuman complexities involving behavioral

changes, which result into various socio-

psychological problems, not predicted atthe time of defining the targets.2The large gap between the speech pat-

terns of a typical community and thesocialization values promoted in schooleducation is evident from the examples ofMarathi and Santali heterogeneous ruralcommunities discussed in Khubchandani1973b.3Before the invention of the printing

press, the privileged few Indian scholarshad to be acquainted with a variety of writ-

ing systems in languages that were distin-

guished according to region or domain ofuse.

41n this connection, the intense con-

troversy among the Sindhi-elite over the

recognition of Perso-Arabicor Devanagariscript for the Sindhi language providesuseful insights into the consequences ofsuch monistic assertions (Khubchandani1973c).

References

Haugen, Einar. 1966. Language conflictand language planning: the case ofmodern Norwegian. Cambridge,Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press.

Jernudd, B. H., and J. Das Gupta. 1971."Towards a theory of language plan-ning." In: Rubin and Jernudd, eds.1971.

Kalelkar, N. G., and L. M. Khubchandani,eds. 1969. Linguistics and languageplanning in India. Poona: Deccan Col-lege Postgraduate & Research Insti-tute.

Khubchandani, Lachman M. 1968.Planned change in the media of in-struction: problems of switch-over.New Delhi: National Institute of Educa-tion. Shantiniketan Seminar on Histor-ical Survey of Language Controversy.Reprinted in La Monda Lingvo-Problemo, vol. 4, 1972. London-Rotterdam.

1969. Language planning in

multilingual communication network:a study of Indian situation." Actes Du

Xe Congres International Des Lin-

guistes (1967). Vol. I, Bucharest.- ---------------------------. 1973a. "An overview on

sociolinguistics." SociolinguisticsNewsletter, IX: 2 Boulder: ResearchCommittee on Socioli nguistics, Inter-national Sociological Association. Ab-ridged version in Language Sciences,

Bloomington, 1974._______ 1973b. Language planning

processes in plural societies:tradition-inspired or situation-bound?,International Conference on LanguagePlanning, Skokloster (Sweden).

1973c. Society and script: Acase study of the Sindhi script con-troversy in India; unpublished.

Prague Radio Lectures. 1932. "StandardCzech and the cultivation of good lan-guage" (abridged translation by P. L.Garvin) in J. Rubin and R. Shuy, eds.1973. Language planning: current is-sues and research, Washington, D.C.:Georgetown University Press, 102-111.

Rubin, Joan. 1973. 'Introduction' in J.Rubin and R. Shuy (eds.).

Rubin, J. and B. H. Jernudd (eds.). 1971.Can language be planned? socioling-uistic theory and practice for develop-ing nations, Honolulu: East-WestCenter Press.

Tauli, Valter. 1968. Introduction to a

theory of language planning. Uppsala.

11

low T1'L -

Ho'oulu Cam bra, University of Hawaii instructor in Hawaiian music and dance demon-strates use of 'iii 'iii (stone castinets) for members of the institute's Pacific Cultural Centers

program. She explained how Hawaiian culture is taught in public schools using a mobileunit of the Kamehameha Schools. Mrs. Cambra (formerly Zanetta Richards) is an EWCalumnus (1962-64).

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8 Culture and Language Learning Newsletter

CLI/RELC...From Page 1

from Indonesia, Khmer Republic,Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines,

Singapore, Thailand, and the Re-

public of Vietnam - the eightmember nations of the SoutheastAsian Ministers of Education Or-

ganization.

JOINT VENTURE

Since its birth in 1972, the

Sociolinguistic Survey of South-east Asia has been a project con-ceived, designed, and carried outfrom within the region. It is a jointcooperative effort of SEAMEO's

Regional English LanguageCentre, Singapore, and the Cul-ture Learning Institute of theEast-West Center.A special aim of the project is to

foster regional cooperation and

understanding by working onsolutions to complex educationaland language problems shared

by Southeast Asian nations.Co-directors of the project are

P. W. J. Nababan from Indonesia,

specialist in linguistics at RELC,and Karen Ann Watson, researchassociate at the Culture LearningInstitute.The summer seminar was con-

ceived as a pre-funding prepara-tion for the principal inves-

tigators, in partial fulfillment ofone of the project's aims - to

provide training for researchersfrom the region in sociolinguisticmethods and techniques, in an at-

tempt to help alleviate the shor-

tage of locally trained research

personnel in Southeast Asia.

FIELD RESEARCH INHONOLULU

Perhaps the most significantundertaking of the summer was afield research practicum for the

principal investigators designedand directed by Institute degreestudents Kay Ikranagara, SusanIwamura, and John Bisazza. The

purpose of the practicum was to

give the participants practical ex-

perience in research design,questionnaire and interview de-

sign, actual field interviewing,and data analysis. The mini fieldproject was carried out in thelocal Filipino communitywith the

cooperation and assistance of

4

f

4* &'

Principal investigators and staff of the Sociolinguistic Survey of Southeast Asia gather inthe garden of the East-West Culture Learning Institute. Left to right, standing: BounliengPhommasouvanh; Edwin Goh; Lachman Khubchandani; Chum Try; Basuki Suhardi; SueIwamura; Joan Rubin; Karen Ann Watson; P. W. J. Nababan. Seated: Seree Weroha;Malaysian visitor from University of California, Berkeley; Kay !kranagara; Fe Otanes; Ton-Nu-Thi Ninh; Djajanto Supraba; Abdullah bin Ha/i Omar. Missing from photo is JohnBisazza, CLI degree scholar in linguistics.

Sheila Forman and her staff at GUEST LECTURERS

Project Manong, a local organiza-Two guest specialists came totion which tutors immigrantlecture and to work with the co-Filipino school children.directors on the project proposal.

Staff and fellows at CLI were John Gumperz from thethe main resource persons during Lang uage-Behavior Researchthe summer seminar. Senior fel-Laboratory and the Departmentlow Lachman Khubchandani (In-of Anthropology, University ofdian Insitute of Advanced StudyCalifornia, Berkeley, lectured onin Simla) and visiting researchertechniques of field research.Joan Rubin (who was principalEvangelos Afendras who will

investigator in the Languagesoon join the linguistics staff of

Planning Processes Project in In- the University of Malaya, Penang,donesia) lectured on socioling-lecured on bilingualism and theuistic theory, research, and Ian-French Canadian experience.guage development. (Continued on Page 10)

Most Institute projects include informal group activities, such as excursions to importantsiteson the islandofOahu.

Culture and Language Learning Newsletter 9

Rubin to edit EWCLI language planning newsletter

The Culture Learning Instituteis in the process of developing anumber of activities that will be ofuse to language planning prac-titioners and scholars. One en-deavor will be to provide informa-tion throughout Asia and thePacific to persons engaged in orinterested in language planning.The Institute will also try to assessthe needs of practitioners and es-tablish the appropriate facilitiesand activities to meet theseneeds.

Beginning in February 1975,the Institute will publish aLanguage Planning Newsletter,for which visiting researcher JoanRubin will serve as editor andBjorn Jernudd as associateeditor. A number of internationalscholars and planners will serveon-the advisory board. The news-letter will appear three or fourtimes a year and will be distri-buted free of charge to interestedpersons or institutions.

individuals so that they may con-sult each other on solutions tosimilar problems. Information oninstitutions and individuals in-volved in language planning ac-tivities and research is most wel-come.

BIBLIOGRAPHYIn addition, an extensive anno-

tated bibliography on languageplanning is planned. Jernudd andRubin have already made a starttoward collecting such a bibliog-raphy but the list needs to be up-dated, with appropriate annota-tion and categorization. Articlesor books which readers feelshould be included for referenceshould be mailed to Rubin at theInstitute.

The information network is thefirst activity within what isplanned as a variety of languageplanning foci. Among the otherfoci envisioned are research onlanguage planning, regionalworkshops and professionaltraining programs. Suggestionsof felt needs in this area are mostwelcome.Requests to be placed on the

mailing list, and contributions ofarticles or information, should bedirected to:

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NEWSLETTER CONTENTThe newsletterwill carry the fol-

lowing kinds of items: (1) a leadarticle describing language plan-ning activities somewhere in theworld; (2) lists of meetings, con-ferences, seminars, and work-shops of interest to languageplanners; (3) descriptions of re-search in progress on languageplanning; (4) book notices andreviews on language planning; (5)lists of articles of interest to lan-guage planners; (6) other itemswhich readers or the editorialboard feel should be included.The editor welcomes contribu-tions of any kind which relate tolanguage planning.

In addition to the newsletter,several other activities areplanned. It is hoped that informa-tion on those individuals and in-stitutions involved in languageplanning can be collected. Thisinformation, including descrip-tive brochures and research, willbe placed on reserve with the In-stitute Resource Materials Col-lection. At a later date, the Insti-tute expects to publish a volumedescribing these institutions and

Dr. Joan Rubin, EditorLanguage Planning

NewsletterCulture Learning InstituteEast-West CenterHonolulu, Hawaii 96822

CLI/RELC...From Page 9

A special contribution to thesummer seminar was given by FeOtanes, director of the LanguageResearch Institute at PhilippineNormal College and the principalinvestigator from the Philippines.With her experience as principalinvestigator of the PhilippineLanguage Policy Survey, she wasthe adviser to the practicum aswell as lecturing on the PLPS.Others were Michael Forman

(Department of Linguistics, Uni-versity of Hawaii); P. W. J. Naba-ban; and Institute research as-sociates Jerry Boucher, KrishnaKumar, Mark Lester, and KarenWatson.A highlight of the seminar was

the visit to classrooms using theinnovative Hawaii English Pro-gram at Hokulani School. Thegroup observed the use of HEPmaterials in primary classroomsand in fifth grade classroomsspecializing in language topicssuch as the language of advertis-ing and international languages.

In a number of project staffmeetings during the summer,groundwork was laid for carryingout two of the project's other ob-jectives. One is to collect andanalyze data on language use andlanguage needs which is directly

relevant to the solutions ofspecific language problems in theSEAMEO region.

RESOURCE LIBRARIESThe other objective, towards

which the staff is already working,is the establishment of a perma-nent resource library at RELC tobring back to Southeast Asia pub-lished and unpublished data onlanguage situations and use inthe region. This library would beprimarily for the use of SoutheastAsian scholars and researchers,and duplicate copies of materialson a particular country would beplaced in a smaller centrally-located resource library in thatcountry.

Principal investigators attend-ing the summer seminar were:Basuki Suhardi, University of In-donesia; Djajanto Supraba, Na-tional Language Institute, In-donesia; Chum Try, NationalCommission for SEAMEO, KhmerRepublic; Bounlieng Phom-masouvanh, Sisavangvong Uni-versity, Laos; Abdullah bin HajiOmar, Unit Bahasa, Malaysia; FeOtanes, Philippine Normal Col-lege, the Philippines; Edwin Goh,Ministry of Education, Singapore;Seree Weroha, Mahidol Univer-sity, Thailand; and Ton-Nu-ThiNinh, Faculty of Pedagogy, Re-public of Vietnam.

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10 Culture and Language Learning Newsletter

THE EAST-WEST CENTER is a national educationalinstitution established in Hawaii by the UnitedStates Congress in 1960. Formally known as "TheCenter for Cultural and Technical Interchange Be-tween East and West," the federally-funded Center isadministered in cooperation with the University ofHawaii. Its mandated goal is "to promote better rela-tions between the United States and the nations ofAsia and the Pacific through cooperative study,training and research."Each year about 1,500 men and women from the

United States and more than 40 countries in theAsian/Pacific area exchange ideas and cultural in-

sights in East-West Center programs. Working andstudying with a multinational Center staff on prob-lems of mutual East-West concern, participants in-clude students, mainly at the postgraduate level;Fellows with research expertise and/or practical ex-

perience in such fields as government, businessadministration or communication; midcareer pro-fessionals in nondegree study and training pro-grams at the teaching and management levels; andauthorities invited for international conferences andseminars. These participants are supported by fed-eral scholarships and grants, supplemented by con-tributions from Asian/Pacific governments, privatefoundations and other agencies.A fundamental aim of all East-West Center pro-

grams is to foster understanding and mutual respectamong people from differing cultures working to-gether in seeking solutions to common problems.The Centerdraws on the resources of U.S. mainlanduniversities, and Asian/Pacific educational and gov-ernmental institutions as well as organizations inthe multi-cultural State of Hawaii.

To: The DirectorCulture Learning Institute

East-West CenterHonolulu, Hawaii 96822

USA

Center programs are conducted by the East-WestCommunication Institute, the East-West CultureLearning Institute, the East-West Food Institute, theEast-West Population Institute, and the East-WestTechnology and Development Institute. OpenGrants are awarded to provide scope for educa-tional and research innovation.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ACTIVITIES 1915?6

Professional development project activities

planned for 19751978 are as follows:

ApplicationActivity Dates Deadline

Archives Management 9,11116-2i28,176 3/31175

Ethnomusicology 9/1 /15V28t16 3/31/15

Museum Management 9/1/752i29h76 3131/15Administrators of 8/117511/30/75 /29/75ESOL Programs

Trainers of ESOL 9/1/753/31/15 3/31/75Teachers

E3iltingual Education 9i15/755i15i16 3115/75

Foreign/Second 10111115-6!3046 4130/75Language MaterialsDevelopment

Cultural Aspects of 1I15f786/15/78 1/31/75EducationalLeadership

Please send, without charge, the following Culture Learning Institute publications:

This Newsletter (January, 1975) and future issues fl "Topics in Culture Learning," Volume 1, 1973

E Future Newsletters only C "Topics in Culture Learning," Volume 2, 1974

C Announcements of future Culture Learning Institute Professional Development projects

Send to (please type or print clearly):

Our/my principal interests, relevant to CLI, are:

C individual

C government agency

C private institution

Culture and Language Learning Newsletter 11

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,

Culture Learning Institute

East-West Center

Honolulu, Hawaii 96822

U.S.A.

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