Robert Phillipson
Biographic Data
| ID | 86020 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Robert Phillipson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Robert |
| FAMILY NAME | Phillipson |
| SIGNATURE | PHILLIPSON R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Copenhagen Business School |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2363-1262 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 62 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 235 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 59 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 3 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1986 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Colonialism and Language Policy and Planning
Key factors that account for European languages and Christianity being transplanted worldwide are identified. The privileged position of excolonial languages has been consolidated through Western influence on educational policies and linguistic imperialism. The existence of alternative language policies that create greater social justice shows that much‐needed change is possible.
Skutnabb‐Kangas, Tove
Tove Skutnabb‐Kangas grew up bilingual in Finnish and Swedish. She had university qualifications in Swedish and education from Helsinki Universisty. As a research assistant to Einar Haugen at Harvard she was introduced to bilingualism studies, the ecology of languages, and language policy. With a social pychologist she undertook empirical studies of Finnish children's learning in Swedish schools that were published in two UNESCO reports in the 19…
Linguistic Imperialism
The entry presents the key constituents of linguistic imperialism. Principles for English learning that are central to the promotion of English worldwide by the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States are questioned. Monolingualism was imposed in the UK historically and in settler colonies in the Americas and Australasia. This occurred in Roman times and in the racist empires of other European countries. The myth of terra nullius , the false ma…
The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet
Book review of The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet by Gerald Roche. Cornell University Press, 2024. 264 pages
In memoriam: Tove Skutnabb-Kangas 1940–2023
Eduardo D. Faingold: Language Rights and the Law in Scandinavia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, The Faroe Islands, and Greenland
The Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights
A groundbreaking new work that sheds light on case studies of linguistic human rights around the world, raising much-needed awareness of the struggles of many peoples and communities The first book of its kind, the Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights presents a diverse range of theoretically grounded studies of linguistic human rights, exemplifying what linguistic justice is and how it might be achieved. Through explorations of ways in which ling…
Structural violence and hope in catastrophic times: From Camus’ The Plague to Covid-19
Covid-19 has triggered a resurgence of interest in Albert Camus’ book, The Plague . The novel is a complex narrative of an epidemic, stressing the human factor in addressing a social crisis as well as how individuals experience the personal drama of quarantine, isolation and death. These existentialist tropes have powerful resonance in the age of Covid-19. However, Covid’s interlocking with structural violence worldwide requires a different engag…
Languages in public policy, and constraints in academia
The article explores evidence of public policy ignoring scholarly recommendations, and describes instances of this in the field of language policy at both supranational and national levels. One significant contemporary influence is that university autonomy and academic freedom are being constrained by neoliberal pressures. Evidence of this in the United Kingdom and Denmark is described. These trends are connected to the wider context of the trans…
A response to the rejoinder of Jacques Mélitz
Preview this article: A response to the rejoinder of Jacques Mélitz, Page 1 of 1 /docserver/preview/fulltext/lplp.00048.phi-1.gif
Linguistic Imperialism
The study of linguistic imperialism entails analyzing the policies by which dominant languages, nationally and internationally, have been consolidated and what the consequences are for other languages. The presence of European languages worldwide reflects language policy as a key dimension of colonial empires—Anglo‐American, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish—both in countries where Europeans settled and in exploitation colonies. This entry…
Myths and realities of European Union language policy
The article focuses on the need for calibration in the language rights and language use in law and in practice related to the European Union language policy. It mentions the impact of Brexit on linguistic imperialism and European Commission language policies and mentions use of English in higher education. It also states the need for language teaching and learning to ensure management of multilingualism
Myths and realities of ‘global’ English
Multilingual Europe: Multilingual Europeans
Review of: Multilingual Europe: Multilingual Europeans. (European Studies: An Interdisciplinary Series in European Culture, History and Politics, Vol. 29). Eds. Láslá Maràcz & Mireille Rosello. Rodopi, 2012. 323 pp
Linguistic Imperialism
The study of linguistic imperialism focuses on how and why certain languages dominate internationally, and attempts to account for such dominance in a theoretically informed way.
How to strengthen the sociolinguistics of globalization: A review article based on challenges in The sociolinguistics of globalization
English: From British empire to corporate empire
The article exemplifies and presents the characteristics of linguistic imperialism, linguistic capital accumulation following the same pattern as capitalist economic dominance. The text summarizes the way English was established in the colonial period. Many of the mechanisms of linguistic hierarchy have been maintained and intensified since then, as African and Indian scholarship demonstrates. Language plays a key role in education, the World Ban…
Getting language rights right: A response to Makoni
Indigenous Children's Education as Linguistic Genocide and a Crime against Humanity? A Global View/Linguistic Justice for Europe and for the World
Robert Phillipson Responds to Humphrey Tonkin's Language and the Ingenuity Gap in Science: The Empire of Scientific English
Humphrey Tonkin's article (2011, this issue) refers to many relevant parameters in the current dominance of English in science. His conclusion that publication in English “is erroneously equated wi
Linguistic Human Rights: Overcoming Linguistic Discrimination
Social Justice through Multilingual Education
Cultures, Contexts, and World Englishes by Yamuna Kachru and Larry E. Smith
English in Globalisation, a Lingua Franca or a Lingua Frankensteinia
Udgivelsesdato: June
(Re‐)Locating Tesol in an Age of Empire
Realities and Myths of Linguistic Imperialism
This is a response to Alan Davies' s review article ' Ironising the Myth of Linguicism' (1996). It summarises principles for the analysis of linguistic imperialism and demonstrates that the phenomenon is far from mythical. The theoretical anchoring is followed by a response to some of the specific points raised by Davies so as to show that his fairly sweeping generalisations are not justified. In conclusion, issues of educational aid, its myths a…
English for Globalisation or for the World's People
Lingua franca or lingua frankensteinia ? English in European integration and globalisation 1
The paper explores how we think of English and ‘English Studies’ in present‐day Europe. It questions the apparent neutrality of the term lingua franca by suggesting a more differentiated set of terms. It relates the current consolidation and expansion of English to processes of global Americanisation and Europeanisation. The European Union (EU) member states are increasingly integrating their economies and cultures in a US‐dominated world. The hi…
Linguistic Rights and Wrongs
Linguistic human rights (LHRs) are analysed as one type of human right, reflecting an inalienable norm Rights are needed for speakers of dominated languages, who individually and collectively experience linguistic 'wrongs', marginahzation, and ultimately the extinction of the languages Work in promoting LHRs in many international fora is reviewed, including various associations of applied linguists The extent to which LHRs are protected in existi…
Linguistic Human Rights: Overcoming Linguistic Discrimination
Myths and realities of ‘global’ English
Global English and local language policies: What Denmark needs
The paper analyses the mythology and imagery underpinning global English, the many labels used to describe English, and the transition from an imperialist language into one that meshes with ongoing processes of Europeanisation and Americanisation, largely through the influence of transnational corporations. EU language policy does not represent a counterweight to an expansion of English, which constitutes a threat to other languages. Implications…
English Only Worldwide or Language Ecology
The multilingualisms of the United Nations, the European Union, and postcommunist Europe are very different phenomena. English plays a key role in each and is being actively promoted. The language map of Europe and linguistic hierarchies are evolving and are in need of scrutiny so that research and policy in Europe can benefit from insights that come from theoretically informed study of language planning, policy, and legislation. Overall there se…
Linguistic Human Rights and English in Europe
This paper looks at policies of linguistic expansion worldwide, in particular at English in the colonial and postcolonial periods. It addresses the issue of whether the expansion of English in continental Europe represents a threat or a blessing. It considers some of the ambiguities in English being promoted, particularly in connection with ESL expertise, as a language serving ‘international’ purposes and simultaneously British and American inter…
Language in Human Rights
Languages are today being killed at a much faster pace than ever before in human history and linguistic diversity is disappearing relatively faster than biological diversity. Still, linguistic diversity is as necessary for the existence of our planet as biodiversity, and the two are correlated. Linguistic human rights are a necessary (but not sufficient) prerequisite for the maintenance of linguistic diversity. Violations of linguistic human righ…
Reflections on scholarship and linguistic rights: A rejoinder to Jan Blommaert
The attachment that many peoples have to their language is clear from the fact that it often becomes a symbol of their very existence (see, e.g. Fishman 1997). This is what makes this field interdisciplinary and vital for human rights but difficult to limit to traditional empirical research. There are elements of identity, access issues, and questions of ownership. (Michael Clyne, personal communication
English: From British empire to corporate empire
The article exemplifies and presents the characteristics of linguistic imperialism, linguistic capital accumulation following the same pattern as capitalist economic dominance. The text summarizes the way English was established in the colonial period. Many of the mechanisms of linguistic hierarchy have been maintained and intensified since then, as African and Indian scholarship demonstrates. Language plays a key role in education, the World Ban…
Linguistic imperialism: A conspiracy, or a conspiracy of silence
Indigenous Children's Education as Linguistic Genocide and a Crime against Humanity? A Global View/Linguistic Justice for Europe and for the World
Globalizing English: Are linguistic human rights an alternative to linguistic imperialism
English language spread policy
L'A. examine l'evolution, d'un point de vue historique, des politiques linguistiques exterieures de la Grande-Bretagne et des Etats-Unis, dans leurs investissements pour la diffusion de l'anglais a travers le monde
Languages in public policy, and constraints in academia
The article explores evidence of public policy ignoring scholarly recommendations, and describes instances of this in the field of language policy at both supranational and national levels. One significant contemporary influence is that university autonomy and academic freedom are being constrained by neoliberal pressures. Evidence of this in the United Kingdom and Denmark is described. These trends are connected to the wider context of the trans…
Myths and realities of European Union language policy
The article focuses on the need for calibration in the language rights and language use in law and in practice related to the European Union language policy. It mentions the impact of Brexit on linguistic imperialism and European Commission language policies and mentions use of English in higher education. It also states the need for language teaching and learning to ensure management of multilingualism
English in Globalisation, a Lingua Franca or a Lingua Frankensteinia
Udgivelsesdato: June
Post-Imperial English: Status Change in Former British and American Colonies, 1940-1990
Minority workers or minority human beings? A European dilemma
Getting language rights right: A response to Makoni
(Re‐)Locating Tesol in an Age of Empire
Reflections on World Englishes
English in Globalization: Three Approaches
(2004). English in Globalization: Three Approaches. Journal of Language, Identity & Education: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 73-84
Pragmatische aspekte in der interimsprache: Eine untersuchung des englischen fortgeschrittener deutscher lerner
Glottopolitics and Linguistic Warfare
English, Panacea or Pandemic
The paper explores the key elements in the conference topic – universities, global, English, medium – in relation to current language policy trends and scenarios. It explores these central concepts by situating universities and globalisation historically, and assessing whether the continued use of English in postcolonial contexts and its current expansion in Europe is purely positive – the lure of the panacea – or life-threatening for other langu…
Reply from Robert Phillipson
Linguistic Imperialism
English language spread policy
L'A. examine l'evolution, d'un point de vue historique, des politiques linguistiques exterieures de la Grande-Bretagne et des Etats-Unis, dans leurs investissements pour la diffusion de l'anglais a travers le monde
Community Languages in Australia
Community Languages. The Australian Experience . Michael Clyne
Linguistic Rights and Wrongs
Linguistic human rights (LHRs) are analysed as one type of human right, reflecting an inalienable norm Rights are needed for speakers of dominated languages, who individually and collectively experience linguistic 'wrongs', marginahzation, and ultimately the extinction of the languages Work in promoting LHRs in many international fora is reviewed, including various associations of applied linguists The extent to which LHRs are protected in existi…
Is India throwing away its language resources
An analysis with European implications of whether the expansion of English-medium education in India is restricting the evolution of Indian languages
On English in Europe
ROBERT PHILLIPSON comments on recent articles in ET about English in the European Union, and particularly Ross Smith's ‘Single market, single currency, single language’
Power, Politics, and Language Rights
The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language. Language in Social Life Series. Alastair Pennycook. Linguistic Human Rights: Overcoming Linguistic Discrimination. Contributions to the Sociology of Language 67. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas and Robert Phillipson (Eds.) Power and Inequality in Language Education. Language in Social Life Series. Alastair Pennycook
English Only Worldwide or Language Ecology
The multilingualisms of the United Nations, the European Union, and postcommunist Europe are very different phenomena. English plays a key role in each and is being actively promoted. The language map of Europe and linguistic hierarchies are evolving and are in need of scrutiny so that research and policy in Europe can benefit from insights that come from theoretically informed study of language planning, policy, and legislation. Overall there se…
Minority workers or minority human beings? A European dilemma
Linguistic Human Rights and English in Europe
This paper looks at policies of linguistic expansion worldwide, in particular at English in the colonial and postcolonial periods. It addresses the issue of whether the expansion of English in continental Europe represents a threat or a blessing. It considers some of the ambiguities in English being promoted, particularly in connection with ESL expertise, as a language serving ‘international’ purposes and simultaneously British and American inter…
Realities and Myths of Linguistic Imperialism
This is a response to Alan Davies' s review article ' Ironising the Myth of Linguicism' (1996). It summarises principles for the analysis of linguistic imperialism and demonstrates that the phenomenon is far from mythical. The theoretical anchoring is followed by a response to some of the specific points raised by Davies so as to show that his fairly sweeping generalisations are not justified. In conclusion, issues of educational aid, its myths a…
Besprechungen / Reviews / Compte-rendus
Malcolm Offord, auteur connu en sociolinguistique du fran9ais contemporain par son ouvrage de 1990, a reuni en un reader 27 textes, parus originellement entre 1977 et 1994, qu'il repartit en quatre rubriques: The French language in France today, Linguistic diversity in France, French outside France, et French and gender.II conserve la langue d'origine des textes (un seul en anglais, tout le reste en fransais).II n'y a rien dire de son introductio…
Language in Human Rights
Languages are today being killed at a much faster pace than ever before in human history and linguistic diversity is disappearing relatively faster than biological diversity. Still, linguistic diversity is as necessary for the existence of our planet as biodiversity, and the two are correlated. Linguistic human rights are a necessary (but not sufficient) prerequisite for the maintenance of linguistic diversity. Violations of linguistic human righ…
Globalizing English: Are linguistic human rights an alternative to linguistic imperialism
Linguistic imperialism re‐visited – or re‐invented. A rejoinder to a review essay
Voices in the portrayal of contemporary English
Post-Imperial English: Status Change in Former British and American Colonies, 1940-1990
The World Came to Sweden – But Did Language Rights
This article sets the language policy scene in Sweden in the broader perspective of the ongoing restructuring of global and local linguistic hierarchies. It analyses myths about global English, myths about the equality of the 11 official languages in the European Union, and myths about the extent to which linguistic human rights are guaranteed in international and European human rights documents. Trends in each of these language policy fields imp…
European language policy: An unmet sociolinguistic challenge
Rights to language: Equity, power, and education : celebrating the 60th birthday of Tove Skutnabb-Kangas
This work brings together cutting-edge scholarship in language, education and society from all parts of the world. Celebrating the 60th birthday of Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, it is inspired by her work in minority, indigenous and immigrant education; multilingualism; linguistic human rights; and global language and power issues. Drawn from all parts of the world, the contributors are active in a range of scientific and professional areas including bil…
English or ‘no’ to English in Scandinavia
This article reports on work on English in Scandinavian countries that is currently available in Danish, and in particular presents and analyses a recent book. This contains six papers given at a conference in Copenhagen in March 1998 on the influence of English on Danish, along with a newspaper article that had raised several of the language policy issues somewhat earlier. The book also contains the text of a policy document written for the Swed…
Linguistics (43 works) · Sociology (39 works) · Philosophy (38 works) · Political science (36 works) · Multilingual Education and Policy (35 works) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (26 works) · Law (22 works) · Philosophy (19 works) · History (16 works) · Law (12 works)