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What's Wrong with Bilingualism and Becoming Multilingual? An Analysis of Discourses in Alberta's Updated French Policy.

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Title: What's Wrong with Bilingualism and Becoming Multilingual? An Analysis of Discourses in Alberta's Updated French Policy.
Authors: Gillis, Steven1
Source: Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics / Revue Canadiennne de Linguistique Appliquée. 2025, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p1-20. 20p.
Subject Terms: *Language policy, *Language planning, *Learning, *Multilingualism, *Bilingualism, *Second language acquisition, Participation, Canadian history
Geographic Terms: Canada, Alberta
Abstract (English): This paper employs the 'What's the problem represented to be?' (WPR) method to explore language learning and language planning policy in Alberta, Canada through the provincial government's newly published update of a document titled 'French Policy'. Through an analysis of its discourse, along with the political and pedagogical contexts in which the French Policy finds itself, the underlying belief emerges that learning in languages other than English in Alberta should only be reserved to the few who qualify for official minority education obligated by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The argument is made in this paper that the province would actually benefit from the opposite: that an educational turn towards promoting the learning of multiple languages would better achieve the goals of inclusion and social and economic progress for which the government is claiming to be endeavouring in the French Policy and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Abstract (French): En se servant de la méthode WPR (« Quel est le problème représenté ? » - « What's the problem represented to be? »), employée sur le document « French Policy » (traduite, « Politique française »), dont une mise à jour a été récemment publiée par le gouvernement provincial albertain, cette étude explore la politique d'aménagement linguistique et pédagogique en Alberta au Canada. À travers d'une analyse de discours et des contextes politiques et pédagogiques autour du document, une conviction sous-jacente ressort : en Alberta, l'apprentissage de langues autres que l'anglais doit être uniquement réservé pour le petit groupe y ayant le droit, comme l'exige la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés. Cet article présente l'argument que la province bénéficierait en fait d'une approche inverse : que la promotion de l'apprentissage de plusieurs langues à l'école atteindrait mieux les buts inclusifs, sociaux et économiques auxquels le gouvernement prétend viser dans le document « French Policy » et ailleurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics / Revue Canadiennne de Linguistique Appliquée is the property of Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: What's Wrong with Bilingualism and Becoming Multilingual? An Analysis of Discourses in Alberta's Updated French Policy.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Canadian+Journal+of+Applied+Linguistics+%2F+Revue+Canadiennne+de+Linguistique+Appliquée%22">Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics / Revue Canadiennne de Linguistique Appliquée</searchLink>. 2025, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p1-20. 20p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+policy%22">Language policy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+planning%22">Language planning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning%22">Learning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multilingualism%22">Multilingualism</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bilingualism%22">Bilingualism</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+language+acquisition%22">Second language acquisition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Participation%22">Participation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canadian+history%22">Canadian history</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Alberta%22">Alberta</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract (English)
  Group: Ab
  Data: This paper employs the 'What's the problem represented to be?' (WPR) method to explore language learning and language planning policy in Alberta, Canada through the provincial government's newly published update of a document titled 'French Policy'. Through an analysis of its discourse, along with the political and pedagogical contexts in which the French Policy finds itself, the underlying belief emerges that learning in languages other than English in Alberta should only be reserved to the few who qualify for official minority education obligated by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The argument is made in this paper that the province would actually benefit from the opposite: that an educational turn towards promoting the learning of multiple languages would better achieve the goals of inclusion and social and economic progress for which the government is claiming to be endeavouring in the French Policy and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract (French)
  Group: Ab
  Data: En se servant de la méthode WPR (« Quel est le problème représenté ? » - « What's the problem represented to be? »), employée sur le document « French Policy » (traduite, « Politique française »), dont une mise à jour a été récemment publiée par le gouvernement provincial albertain, cette étude explore la politique d'aménagement linguistique et pédagogique en Alberta au Canada. À travers d'une analyse de discours et des contextes politiques et pédagogiques autour du document, une conviction sous-jacente ressort : en Alberta, l'apprentissage de langues autres que l'anglais doit être uniquement réservé pour le petit groupe y ayant le droit, comme l'exige la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés. Cet article présente l'argument que la province bénéficierait en fait d'une approche inverse : que la promotion de l'apprentissage de plusieurs langues à l'école atteindrait mieux les buts inclusifs, sociaux et économiques auxquels le gouvernement prétend viser dans le document « French Policy » et ailleurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics / Revue Canadiennne de Linguistique Appliquée is the property of Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 20
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Language policy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Language planning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multilingualism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Bilingualism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Second language acquisition
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Participation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Canadian history
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Canada
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Alberta
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: What's Wrong with Bilingualism and Becoming Multilingual? An Analysis of Discourses in Alberta's Updated French Policy.
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            – D: 01
              M: 07
              Text: 2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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            – TitleFull: Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics / Revue Canadiennne de Linguistique Appliquée
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