ERIC Number: EJ1247949
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1745 -7823
EISSN: N/A
Lost in Diglossia? (Un-)doing Difference by Dealing with Language Variations in Swiss Kindergartens
Ethnography and Education, v15 n2 p238-253 2020
Language policy in German-speaking Swiss kindergartens recently has been subject to change. While dialect traditionally was spoken to kindergartners, the use of High German has been established to promote the integration of migrant children and equality of opportunity. In this contribution, we look at how kindergarten teachers translate the new diglossic language policy into language practices. Drawing on data from an ongoing ethnographic study, we examine four logics of language use concerning when to speak dialect or High German. As teachers' use of language differs not only according to situations and pedagogical sequences but also due to children's social and migrant backgrounds, we ask -- drawing on the theoretical concept of "(un-)doing difference" -- how different linguistic addressing reflects (and affects) children's positions in the social order.
Descriptors: Language Planning, German, Kindergarten, Dialects, Immigrants, Social Integration, Equal Education, Ethnography, Language Usage, Socioeconomic Background, Student Characteristics, Social Status, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Code Switching (Language), Classroom Communication, Educational Policy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Switzerland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A