Research Faculty of Media and Communication
Hokkaido University Global COE Program (Slavic Research Center)

International Symposium on

Multilingualism:
Perspectives from Europe and Japan
Room 105, 1st floor
Research Faculty of Media and Communication(North 17, West 8, Sapporo)
Hokkaido University

Monday, 26th of September, 2011

11:00-11:10

Satoshi Hashimoto (RFMC)
Introductory remarks

Multilingualism in Europe
11:10-12:30

Vít Dovalil (Charles University Prague)
Equality of languages as an ideology in the European political andlegal discourse
This presentation on the ideological issue of the equality of languages inthe European Union is structured in four steps. First, it clarifies theconceptual basis. After an explanation of how ‘ideology’ is used, the crucial
question is raised - in which sense can languages be viewed as equal? The
structural-anthropological and the sociolinguistic perspectives are
considered in this point. Third, several selected examples of the language
policy/planning discourse are analyzed in which the European institutions
espouse language equality. Finally, a dispute taken to the European Courtof Justice in Luxembourg, the subject of which was the issue of theequality of languages, is analyzed.

12:30-14:00

Lunch

14:00-15:20

Marián Sloboda (Charles University Prague)
Bilingualization of public signage in Europe: Advocacy coalitions andlanguage policy processes in Croatia, Czechia, Hungary and Wales
Contemporary European societies aim to support their minority
languages also by displaying them in public signage, i.e. on signs placedby public organizations and public service providers. However, theseprocesses of bi- or multilingualization of signage proceed in various ways,

are initiated by various social actors and meet with various degrees ofacceptance and resistance in different parts of Europe. In order to explain
the differential development in four traditionally bilingual, but otherwise
diverse locations, the study presented in this lecture has combined twotheoretical frameworks – Language Management Theory, coming fromapplied linguistics, and Advocacy Coalition Framework, coming frompolitical science – suggesting thus also a new way of language policy
analysis.

15:20-15:50

Afternoon break

Multilingualism in Japan
15:50-16:35

Kylie Martin (RFMC)
Mapping the Ainu sociolinguistic ecologies: the relationship between
language learning, pride and self-identity amongst Kantō Ainu
The Ainu language is currently in a state of socio-linguistic revival asAinu people begin to re-learn their ancestral language in classrooms
throughout Japan. In the Kanto Ainu community (Greater Tokyo), there
appears to be a strong desire to learn the language, and attendance atlanguage classes is slowly increasing. The Kanto Ainu population is now
estimated to be around 5000, which accounts for approximately 17% of theoverall official Ainu population of Japan. In this presentation, two casestudies will be discussed to better understand those linguistic andnon-linguistic factors which have affected the desire to learn and use thisendangered language within the urban Ainu community of Tokyo.

16:45-17:30

Nicolas Jegonday (RFMC)
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and theforeign language learning context in Japan
In 2001, the Council of Europe published the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). This framework
represents a landmark policy in the history of language teaching within
Europe. For the first time, it provides clear parameters to the variousactors involved in language learning and teaching for common baseline
evaluation of language classroom practice at six different levels. This
framework also allows for interesting didactical orientations to be adopted,
which can be connected to the communicative approach with an emphasison action-oriented teaching. In other words, the language-user- is viewed
as a social actor who develops skills and knowledge while attempting toachieve different goals. In this presentation, I will introduce some ofthese new elements contained within the CEFRL and relate them to thecurrent European context. I will then try to connect this change inEuropean language teaching policy to the Japanese context in an attempt
to question the idea of a “Japanese specificity” in foreign language
learning.

17:30-18:00

Final discussion