• No results found

English and Swedish in Sweden - Swedish pupils’ attitudes towards the prospect of diglossia

N/A
N/A
Protected

Academic year: 2021

Share "English and Swedish in Sweden - Swedish pupils’ attitudes towards the prospect of diglossia"

Copied!
52
0
0

Loading.... (view fulltext now)

Full text

(1)

Malmö högskola

Lärarutbildningen

Kultur – Språk - Medier

Examensarbete

10 poäng

English and Swedish in Sweden

Swedish pupils’ attitudes towards the prospect of

diglossia

Engelskan och svenskan i Sverige

En studie av svenska elevers attityder

Gustav

Dahlin

Lärarexamen 180 poäng

Moderna språk med inriktning mot undervisning och lärande i engelska.

Examinator: Sara Håkansson Handledare: Marie Källkvist

(2)
(3)

Abstract

The English language holds a powerful role world-wide and is now used in some domains in Sweden. This has caused concern for the future of the Swedish language and whether or nor diglossia is underway.

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate if there are differences in the attitudes towards the increasing use of English in Swedish society between two different populations of upper-secondary school students: a) students who attend the International Baccalaureate Programme (whose medium of instruction is English), and b) students who attend the Social Science Programme (whose medium of instruction is Swedish). The study investigates students’ pattern and language use and attitudes through the use of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and reflective journals.

The results show that the IB pupils are somewhat less positively disposed towards the increased influence of the English language in Swedish society and argue that it might pose a threat to the status of the Swedish language. However, the investigation also discloses that most IB pupils, to a much larger extent than the SP pupils, consider English paramount in order to succeed in today’s society. Furthermore, the results indicate that the IB pupils’

attitudes towards the expansion of the English language in Swedish society largely correspond to the main objective of Mål i mun, i.e. to protect the Swedish language as well as promote the English language.

Key words: diglossia, domain, language shift, attitudes, semi-structured interviews,

(4)
(5)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION 7

2 METHODOLOGY 9

2.1 Design: quantitative and qualitative data 9

2.2 Informants 9 2.3 Selected schools 11 2.3.1 International Baccalaureate 11 2.4 Instruments 12 2.4.1 The questionnaire 12 2.4.2 The interview 12 2.4.3 Reflective journals 13

2.5 The concept of attitude 14

3 BACKGROUND: 15

3.1 A theory of language shift 15

3.2 Swedish language policy 17 3.3 English as an intruder language: previous research 18

4 RESULTS 21

4.1 The questionnaire 21

4.1.1 Pupils’ purposes of using English and Swedish 21

4.1.2 Pupils’ use of English in different domains 22 4.1.3 Pupils’ attitudes towards the increased use of English in Swedish elite domains

23 4.1.4 Pupils’ attitudes towards diglossia in Sweden 25

4.1.5 Future goals 26

4.1.6 Reasons for choosing English as the medium of instruction 26 4.1.7 Summary of the results from questionnaire 27

4.2 The interview 29

4.2.1 Description of informants 29 4.2.2 The interviewees’ attitudes towards the use of English in Swedish elite domains 30 4.2.3 The interviewees’ attitudes towards diglossia in Sweden 32 4.2.4 Summary of the interviews 34

4.3 Reflective journals 35

4.3.1 The informants’ attitudes towards the use of English in Swedish elite domains 35 4.3.2 The informants’ attitudes towards diglossia in Sweden 36 4.3.3 Summary of the reflective journals 38

5 DISCUSSION 39

8 CONCLUSION 43

9 REFERENCES 45

(6)
(7)

1 Introduction

In times of globalisation English has gained more and more influence in the world. The dominant role of English-speaking countries in international affairs, and the use of English as the lingua franca on the Internet has given English an internationally important role.

Moreover, in recent times, English has begun to play a pivotal role in academia and is extensively used by researchers and scientists world-wide. In the case of Sweden, English is becoming gradually more dominant in certain domains1, more specifically in elite domains2. The prospect of language shift3 or diglossia4 has made the government take precautions in order to maintain the status of the Swedish language through Mål i mun: Förslag till

handlingsprogram för svenska språket5, a governmental language policy plan drafted by

Kommittén för svenska språket6 (Hult, 2005). Even though there is disagreement regarding the

prospect of diglossia in Sweden, there is a general consensus that it poses a potential threat to the Swedish language as it is today (Berg et al, 2001). In fact, in a study conducted by Berg et al (2001) it is pointed out that “the apparently growing prominence in elite domains” (Berg et al, 2001, pp. 314) of English might be seen as a state of pre-diglossia. Rather than suggesting that language shift is happening, they argue that the pre-diglossic situation that Swedish society is in currently might lead to diglossia and language shift (Berg et al., 2001).

Maintaining the Swedish language is a topic commonly addressed on the political agenda, and, as mentioned above, efforts to protect it have been made. In fact, Mål i mun substantiates the general concern about the future of the Swedish language and indicates that it is necessary to actively protect it (Hult, 2005). Interestingly, Kommittén för svenska språket also

emphasises the necessity of the English language in Sweden today. As a matter of fact, one of the proposal’s objective is to foster multilingualism and thus to encourage the use of English as a foreign language. It is argued that Swedish should, alongside English, be used in higher

1 ‘Domain’ is a theoretical concept that refers to communication in a setting where a particular language is

required, e.g. the neighbourhood pub, the bench, the school etc (Coulmas, 2005). Joshua Fishman was concerned with establishing “a general pattern of language use” (Mesthrie, et al., p. 154) and used the concept domain.

2 Elite domains are considered to be domains of high status and prestige, with highly competitive entry and

lucratively well rewarded, such as academia (Berg et al., 2001).

3 Language shift, Coulmas (2005) writes, is a phenomenon that refers to the gradual replacement of one language

by another. It is an ancient process, but in today’s globalised society it has significantly accelerated, creating numerous language contact situations (ibid.). Mesthrie et al. (2000) also call attention to the process of language shift and argue that in the initial phases of the process the dominating language conquers the more informal domains leaving the home, religion and folk songs to the dominated language’s last fortress.

4 Diglossia transpires when two languages or varieties of a language co-exist in a speech community. Each

language or language variety has its own assigned role in society without overlapping with each other (Mesthrie et al, 2000).

(8)

education and research in a way that the prestige and status of the Swedish language is elevated. Therefore, Mål i mun promotes, on the one hand, the use of Swedish in certain domains where it is currently being threatened by English, and the other hand, a mutual utilisation of the two languages (Hult, 2005).

The main purpose of the dissertation is to gain a deeper understanding of Swedish upper-secondary school pupils’ use of English and their attitudes towards the status of the English language. Thus, this research is useful to English teachers in their dual positions as promoters of English and protectors of Swedish.

I intend to investigate whether there are any differences between the attitudes of students who receive English-medium education and those who receive Swedish-medium education. The study includes fifty informants, who have been sampled from two different populations: a) one social science class (Swedish-medium education) and b) two International

Baccalaureate classes (English-medium education). The International Baccalaureate students are of particular interest in this study since they are experiencing diglossia; they use English in the classroom every day, whereas they use Swedish for other purposes.

Initially, I will investigate the purposes for which the informants use English and Swedish in their daily lives. I thus address the following question:

1. For what purposes do the pupils use a) Swedish and b) English in their daily lives?

Secondly, it is of importance to examine the informants’ use of English in different domains. The purpose is to find out wether diglossia already exists for Swedish students of this age. This would thus be a sign of language shift (Berg et al., 2000). The following question will consequently be addressed:

2. In what domains do the pupils use English?

It is furthermore important to examine their attitudes towards the increased use of English and the prospect of diglossia. Therefore, the following question will be investigated:

3. Do the pupils who attend English-medium education and the pupils who attend Swedish-medium education have different attitudes regarding a) the increased use of English in Swedish elite domains and b) the prospect of diglossia in Sweden?

(9)

2 Methodology

2.1 Design: quantitative and qualitative data

The instruments used are questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. The quantitative method is superior to the qualitative method when measuring facts in relation to quantity. The questionnaires made it possible to gather such factual information concerning aspects such as age, gender, education, language use etc. (Johansson et al., 2006). On the other hand, that the quantitative method is considered inferior when measuring issues of subjectivity (Johansson, et al., 2006). Therefore, qualitative data were also gathered. The interviews yielded in-depth and detailed material. In fact, it is beneficial to apply the

qualitative approach when the aim is to examine informants’ answers meticulously so that an enhanced understanding of their attitudes, perceptions and feelings may be achieved

(Johansson et al., 2006). It facilitates, in other words, the understanding of the ambiguous, subjective and vague issue of attitude (Wallén, 1996).

2.2 Informants

Fifty informants participated in the survey, selected from three different intact classes from two programmes: a) a Social Science class (referred to as SP), b) an International

Baccalaureate class (referred to as IB) and c) a preparatory International Baccalaureate class (referred to as PDP7). The IB class and the PDP class were selected on the basis of the use of English as the medium of instruction and therefore of particular interest to the present

investigation. The SP class, on the other hand, was selected to be contrasted with the other classes because of the use of Swedish as the medium of instruction. The answers from the two IB classes will be compared with the answers from the SP class.

Interviews were made with three of the IB students. The reflective journals were collected in the PDP class. The SP class was an intact class I had taught during teaching practice. The IB and PDP classes were recruited at another school in the same city, and had not been taught by myself.

I will here present the different informants based on age, gender, programme and language of medium instruction:

(10)

Table I. Description of the IB class.

PROGRAM AGE GENDER MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION NUMBER OF INFORMANTS % IB 17 Female ENGLISH 6 60 % IB 18 Female ENGLISH 2 20 % IB 19 Female ENGLISH 1 10 % IB 17 Male ENGLISH 1 10 % Total: 10 100 %

Table II. Description of the PDP class.

PROGRAM AGE GENDER MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION NUMBER OF INFORMANTS % IB (PDP) 15 Female ENGLISH 1 5 % IB (PDP) 16 Female ENGLISH 10 47 % IB (PDP) 17 Female ENGLISH 2 9 % IB (PDP) 15 Male ENGLISH 1 5 % IB (PDP) 16 Male ENGLISH 6 28 % IB (PDP) 17 Male ENGLISH 1 5 % Total: 21 100 %

Table III. Description of the social science class.

PROGRAM AGE GENDER MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION NUMBER OF INFORMANTS SP 17 Female SWEDISH 8 42 % SP 18 Female SWEDISH 1 5 % SP 17 Male SWEDISH 5 26 % SP 18 Male SWEDISH 4 21 % SP 19 Male SWEDISH 1 5 % Totalt: 19 100 %

(11)

The PDP students are younger than both the IB students and the SP students. With regards to gender, there are more females in both IB classes and, contrarily, an over-representation of males in the SP class.

It is also interesting that the commitment to the task was higher among the IB pupils than among the SP pupils. Despite having taught the SP class, and thus knowing them fairly well, they were slightly more reluctant to cooperate. In fact, none of the SP pupils volunteered to participate in the in-depth interviews, while almost all of the pupils in the two IB classes were positively inclined towards in-depth interviews. It is also worth mentioning that the SP group is comprised of pupils from different SP classes, who together take the same course of English. This may have rendered the class less homogenous.

2.3 Selected schools

The surveys and interviews were conducted in two upper-secondary schools in the south of Sweden. The pupils are predominantly high achievers and highly motivated. One of the schools has profiled itself as an athletic upper-secondary school offering, besides its

theoretical programmes, a wide range of vocational programmes. Pupils’ attitudes from this school will be juxtaposed with attitudes of pupils from an upper-secondary school offering almost exclusively academically orientated programmes. It is an old school, dating back to the eleventh century and is described as a school of old traditions.

2.3.1 International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme has English as the medium of

instruction. All subjects are taught in English except mother-tongue teaching (e.g. Swedish) and foreign language teaching (e.g. French). Contrarily to pupils attending other theoretical programmes, the pupils who attend the IB programme study fewer subjects at a more advanced level. In contrast to the social science program (where approximately 5% of the teaching is conducted in English) almost 80% of the teaching at the IB program is conducted in English (http://www.lund.se/templates/Page____31808.aspx).

Moreover, IB pupils are not obliged to choose between a natural science and a social science focus, but may combine subjects from different programmes. One of its aims is to “educate the whole person and […] will therefore not be restricted to only traditional

(12)

provides pupils with an internationally recognised diploma and will prepare them for further academic studies at Swedish universities as well as abroad.

2.4 Instruments

The instruments used for collecting data are questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. I will here present some of the advantages and disadvantages with the two different methodological instruments.8

2.4.1 The questionnaire

Questionnaires are essential because they provide an overview of a group and serve as the fundament for the succeeding interviews in that they will categorise the pupils in different attitudes, age, sex etc which is important when selecting the interviewees (Johansson et al., 2006).

In order to facilitate the collection of data concerning the informants’ attitudes, closed-ended questions are supplemented with partially open-closed-ended questions which give a more in-depth understanding of their attitudes and feelings towards the above mentioned topic. Moreover, the use of likert scales is useful when the aim is to gain an overview of participants’ attitudes (Bordens, 2005).

In order to address research question no. 3, the pupils were asked about their attitudes towards the expansion of the English language into domains where Swedish has traditionally been used and the prospect of diglossia in Sweden. Furthermore, the questionnaires provided a description of the informants’ purposes of using English and Swedish. The questionnaires also revealed the use of English and Swedish in different domains between the three classes. The questionnaire is included in Appendix I.

2.4.2 The interview

Similarly to the questionnaires, the interviews consist of both open questions and closed questions so that the collection of information of both factual nature as well as the

participants’ attitudes is facilitated. The interviews provide data relevant to the third research

8 When conducting a research the ethics of it has to be kept. It is imperative that the informants’ anonymity is

maintained and that the content of the research does not reveal anything concerning their identities. Equally important is that the confidentiality of their responses is sustained (Bordens et al, 2005).

During the surveys and interviews I have kept the informants well aware of the rights and what it is that they are participating in.

(13)

question, i.e. examining the pupils’ attitudes to the increased use of English in Sweden, and to the prospect of diglossia in Sweden. The interview questions are included in Appendix II. In order to elicit exhaustive answers I asked the pupils to talk about the issue and connect it with previous experience. According to Wray et al. (2006), the open question “offers the respondent a chance to talk or write at length” (Wray et al., pp. 155, 2006) and is “the gateway to following up interesting issues” (ibid.). Using individual follow-up questions during the interviews was consequently essential in order to achieve a satisfactory result. Due to time constraints, it was not possible to conduct interviews with all fifty informants. I randomly selected a number of pupils to whom I sent out a request via e-mail. In the end three pupils were able to participate in the interviews of which all were females and thus limiting any potential gender perspective of the results.

All three interviews were conducted at the school, lasting twenty minutes each; the first two in the school library and the third in the hall-way of the school. Obviously, these circumstances led to external disturbance (people walking by, loud voices, cellular phones ringing etc.) which may or may not have affected the interviewees’ answers. It is important to draw attention to the problematic which may arise when conducting interviews in the

presence of other people; it may in fact render the results less reliable. Thus, in order to circumvent this potential problem the interviews were complemented with additional reflective journals.

2.4.3 Reflective journals

As mentioned earlier, open questions give ample material when investigating issues such as attitudes. The answers are reflected by the interviewees’ own experiences and thoughts which give rise to more in-depth answers and thus more interesting and accurate results. In the PDP class twenty-one pupils participated in the survey. I wrote two open-ended questions on the board and asked the pupils to reflect on the questions and write down as much as possible on a piece of paper. The whole survey occupied approximately fifty minutes of an English lesson.

In order to avoid being bias I asked the informants not to write their names, age or gender on their paper; in fact, I asked them only to write down the number of the question and their thoughts on it. Furthermore, to ascertain that my research would not be influenced by myself or anything else I made a random selection when choosing which informants to be included in the research.

(14)

2.5 The concept of attitude

Eagly and Chaiken (2005) define the concept of attitude as a “psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favour or disfavor”

(Albarracín et al., pp.4). Attitude refers to all evaluative predispositions and influence on belief, affect and overt behaviour. Affect, behaviour and belief refer to “the feelings that people experience” (Albarracín, et al., 2005, pp. 3), “the cognitions about the probability that an object or event is associated with a given attribute” (ibid.) and “the overt actions of an individual” (ibid.) and are linked to the concept of attitude. In other words, attitude is shaped by a person’s actions, how he or she feels, and the ambience that surrounds him or her. In fact, it can be said that affect, behaviour and belief interact with attitude (Albarracín et al., 2005).

Thus, when investigating pupils’ attitudes it is necessary to consider that their attitudes, to a certain extent, are intrinsic with the setting they are situated in, their peers and their choices (e.g. studying in a programme with English as the medium of instruction). The pupils’

attitudes towards the prospect of diglossia are thus probably influenced by external factors, i.e. if they attend a program with English-medium education or Swedish-medium education.

(15)

3 Background

3.1 A theory of language shift

Diglossia develops when there is contact between languages or language varieties. Diglossia is also a paramount stage in the process of language shift. There are four main stages that a speech community goes through before language shift may transpire.

Fig 1. Stages in the process of language shift

Language contact

Pre-diglossia (invasion

of formal domains)

Language shift (invasion

of informal domains)

Diglossia

(16)

In the initial phase of the process of language shift, language contact9 occurs. Invasion, immigration of workers or trade as well as industrialisation, urbanisation, modernisation and globalisation render language spread10 which bring about new linguistic contact situations, essential to bilingual societies.From language contact, bilingualism11 then transpires which plays a vital role in the shift.

In the succeeding phase of the process, the languages have different functions in society, allotted to different domains, with various language use patterns. These domains, usually the formal and elite domains, are conquered by the dominating language while the dominated language is allocated the more informal and domestic domains. In fact, in the Netherlands as well as in Sweden, the more colloquial and informal domains are still permeated by Dutch respectively Swedish (Mesthrie et al, 2000).

Diglossia then transpires when the two languages or language varieties co-exist, each assigned different functional roles in the society. This arrangement, more cultural rather than natural, assists an asymmetric allocation of the varieties in which one is given formal

functions (such as writing) and the other the informal functions (such as speaking). The allocation of the two co-existing varieties in diglossic societies are defined by Charles Ferguson (in Coulmas, 2005) as High (H) and Low (L) where H represents the language allocated the formal and high prestige domains and L represents the language allocated the informal and colloquial domains. The two languages are distinguished by function and

context rather than by linguistic features. Even though some oral functions may be given to H at the same time as some written function may be given to L, diglossia by definition links H with the written medium. Thus, given the close relation to education and its role as the writing medium, H is provided with higher prestige than L, which may deprive certain individuals in

9 Coulmas (2005) highlights language contact and defines it as the interaction of speakers when their languages

come in contact with each other. Moreover, Coulmas (2005) points out that in cases of multilingual situations various speech communities coexist, incessantly influencing each other and the relationship between the speech communities is often characterised by differences in terms of size, power, wealth, prestige and vitality which give rise to change in the speech community. Migration, Coulmas (2005) continues, is one of the causes of changes in the speech community. For instance, the Indo-European expansion, initiated some 6, 000 years ago, has brought on the birth of new languages and language varieties but has also led to the extinction of several languages. In today’s society this process is still present, giving rise to new language-contact situations.

10 Language spread occurs when the population that speaks a given language expands beyond the original

speech community. The complex process of the phenomenon takes place with expansion of groups of people, migration, trade, slavery and conquest. It also benefits from the establishment of institutions that promote and protect certain languages i.e. churches, schools and armed forces. Mass migration has always been one of the factors influencing language spread, e.g. the Indo-European expansion that has brought on new languages, pidginization, creolization and the extinction of a number of languages (Coulmas, 2000).

11 Bilingualism arises in bilingual societies in which one or more languages are used on a daily basis. In bilingual

societies certain languages have a tendency to be more or less associated with certain contexts, or domains. Fishman claims that one of the languages in a bilingual society will be chosen by a particular class in society to be used for particular kinds of occasion discussing particular kinds of topics (Mesthrie et al., 2000).

(17)

society of H and subsequently helps to maintain high illiteracy and reinforces social

inequality. There are, however, also diglossic societies where such social development has not evolved. For instance, the Swiss German diglossia in which Standard High German is taught to everybody, Swiss German is preserved by speech communities that deliberately distinguish the two varieties as standard vis-à-vis dialect. This has maintained Standard High German as H and Swiss German as L.

In the last stage of language shift, informal domains such as between friends and family, at the local pub etc., are conquered. In fact, the informal and colloquial domains are the last defender of the endangered language. Thus, in order for language shift to completely

transpire, reduction of one language’s functional range is required; this would eventually lead to an erosion of the register inherent to that specific domain. In the Netherlands, where English has taken on a more dominant role in the academic domains, it is possible to observe a process of partial language shift, which eventually may make English expand to other domains in society. Domain invasion and diglossia are thus indications that language shift may be underway (Coulmas, 2005).

Diglossia is not “necessarily stable, but rather can serve as a vehicle for language shift as power asymmetries between two languages grow” (as quoted in Berg et al., 2001, pp. 314). Moreover, diglossia does not exist within the whole of a society but infects rather a segment where it is exhibited. Consequently, the intrusion of English in Swedish elite domains may be considered as a first stage towards the prospect of diglossia (Berg et al, 2001).

3.2 Swedish language policy

12

Mål i mun: Förslag till handlingsprogram för svenska språket, a recently proposed

governmental Swedish language policy outlines recommendations for the roles of English and Swedish. Mål i mun states that “[1] Swedish shall be a complete language, serving and uniting our society, [2] Swedish in official and public use shall be correct and shall function well, and [3] everyone shall have the right to a language: Swedish, their mother tongue, and foreign languages” (Hult, 2005, p.75). In Mål i mun it is also stated that “English has won an increasingly strong position internationally, thereby also becoming a more and more important language in our country” (Hult, 2005, p.75). In 1997, the Swedish government

12 Language policy, sometimes used as a synonym of language planning, involves the linguistic, political and

social goal of the efforts made in order to change the linguistic behaviour in a given speech community. Status planning, a type a language planning, denotes the efforts made to change the use and the function of a language. Corpus planning deals, contrarily, with the internal structure of a language such as spelling reforms, a new

(18)

commissioned Svenska Språknämnden (the Swedish Language Council) to “construct a draft programme action for the promotion and protection of Swedish” (Hult, 2005, p.74). The primary recommendation was to legally codify the position of the Swedish language in Swedish society (Hult, 2005). As indicated in the Swedish Language Council report, the danger of English domain expansion is accordingly within the level of language function. The impact of the English language on domains such as research and education renders a serious threat to the Swedish language since it could suggest that the perception of Swedish as a language for academic/research purposes will grow weaker. In fact, as Haarmann (1984) points out, prestige planning has a paramount role in language planning. Prestige and status are two concepts quite closely connected; in fact, “prestige reflects status, and effective status planning often reflects elements of prestige planning” (Hult, pp.75). The status of a language involves its position with regard to other languages. Prestige, on the contrary, denotes how this relationship is perceived by the people living in the speech community.

As recommended in Mål i mun, the status of Swedish needs subsequently to be

strengthened and maintained. To do this, Swedish has to become perceived as a language for national and supranational government, commerce, consumerism and media. As a

consequence, equally important to consider is how the relationship between function and language is perceived (Hult, 2005).

Since the present study investigates pupils’ attitudes towards the expansion of the English language into Swedish elite domains, Mål i mun becomes essential. And even more

importantly, the pupils’ language use is examined revealing to what extent the domains are invaded by English which, in relation to Mål i mun, also indicates the pupils’ attitudes

towards the English language and consequently its status. So, the correspondence between the objective of Mål i mun and the IB pupils’ attitudes towards the expansion of the English language and how it is perceived is interesting to this study. It is also important to consider that IB pupils do, in fact, experience diglossia and therefore of particular interest in relation to

Mål i mun.

3.3 English as an intruder language: previous research

The power and prestige of modern English and Anglo-American technology have rendered English a globally recognised language and a lingua franca. Everything involving long-distance travel, domestic appliances, computer, television and other forms of communication are all domains where the English language has established itself (Mesthrie et al, 2000).

(19)

In the Netherlands, extensive research has been carried out on the issue of English in Dutch society and has shown that in many of Dutch academic domains English has been given the role as lingua franca. Interestingly, Dutch academics do not see the expansion of the English language as an invasion where the Dutch language is being replaced; instead, English is perceived of as an addition. Academia is, however, only one domain out of many, and in other domains Dutch is still unchallenged by English (Coulmas, 2005).

Similarly to the Netherlands, research is conducted in Sweden, and has revealed an increasing dominance of English in Swedish society. It is believed that English is gradually taking over domains where Swedish once had a unique place, and thus resulting in Swedish losing ground. Domains that are specifically under threat are education, research and industry. According to Hult (2005) other domains that need to be examined are politics and

government, commerce, healthcare, the media, and information technology.

Berg et al. (2001) examined language use patterns in a Swedish ivory university (The Stockholm School of Economics), in language choice in doctoral dissertations at Stockholm University, in elite job announcements and in five different companies (accounting,

information technology, pharmaceuticals, communication and packing industry).

In the final two years of the four-year-program at the Stockholm School of Economics, 43% of the 122 elective courses were offered in English whereas 57% were in Swedish. Furthermore, 50% of the courses in economics were offered in English while only 36% of courses in marketing were taught in English. Interestingly, courses in finance, the area which offers the most lucrative opportunities after graduation, were all taught in English.

With regard to language use in doctoral dissertations, not much has happened in the last two decades; in natural sciences all dissertations have been in English, and in psychology roughly half of the dissertations have been in English. However, in philosophy and linguistics, there has been a gradual increase in dissertations in the English language. Teleman (In Berg et al, 2001) observes that in 1991 100% of the doctoral dissertations in dentistry, medicine, maths and natural sciences at the University of Lund were in English. By contrast, fewer than 50% of the dissertations in the humanities and the social sciences were in English.

In the work places (companies of accounting, information technology, pharmaceuticals, communications, and the packaging industry) investigated in the study, English is used widely every day; 67% said that English was used on a daily basis. Written communication in

English was also common, depending on the recipient (speaker or non-speaker of Swedish). One respondent explained that the increased use of English in written communication owed to

(20)

et al, 2001, pp. 312). There was, however, a tendency to use Swedish instead of English, depending on whether or not a non-Swedish interlocutor was present (Berg et al, 2001). In an article in Dagens Nyheter (2005) the writers warn that the English influence in, particularly, the domain of natural sciences may harm democracy in that Swedish is no longer used as the language of science and thus diminishes its position.

(http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=572&a=429121&previousRenderType=2). Hyltenstam (1999) points out a potential minority/majority language situation where English will assume the position as the superlanguage opposed to the position of Swedish as the supralanguage. He warns that Swedish might occupy the more informal, intimate-sphere language position whereas English would take over the position as the leading language of Sweden, which would cause a situation of inequality where proficiency in a foreign language is a prerequisite to success (Berg et al., 2001).

In Berg et al. (2001) the expansion of the English language in Swedish elite domains is examined and it is argued by some that the power asymmetry between Swedish and English resembles a case of diglossia. Despite admitting to the fact that Sweden is encountering a problematic situation, Berg et al. (2001) question the theory of diglossia in Sweden and suggest that since English is exhibiting increased prominence in elite domains, Sweden might instead be in a state of “pre-diglossia”. Conversely, Hult (2005) reinforces the notion of diglossia and claims that the utility value intrinsic to the English language today might be seen as an engine to language shift. Similarly to Hult, Eckert and Schiffman (in Berg et al., 2001) consider diglossia, in fact, as a vehicle in the process of language shift. Thus, according to the authors some domains, in this case the elite domains, are to be viewed as potential areas of diglossia and language shift (Berg et al., 2001).

As seen above, pre-diglossia transpires when the formal domains are conquered by the dominating language. In previous research, evidence shows that Sweden in fact is at a stage of pre-diglossia. In the Netherlands formal domains have been conquered by the English

language to a larger extent which indicates that diglossia is underway. Also, the intrinsic value of the English language, mentioned above, that is to be considered and engine to language shift is of great interest when measuring attitudes of the IB pupils, who in fact experience diglossia. Finally, the Netherlands is truly interesting to consider since English has been prominent there for a long time and the expansion has, to a much greater extent, grown larger. In the discussion I will thus draw attention to the Dutch academics’ positive attitudes towards the expansion of the English language and see if they correspond with how the IB pupils consider it in Sweden.

(21)

4 Results

4.1 The questionnaire

The results from the surveys are presented for each research questions. For detailed description of the questionnaire, see appendix I, page 49:

4. For what purposes do the pupils use a) Swedish and b) English in their daily lives? 5. In what domains do the pupils use English?

6. Do the pupils who attend English-medium education and the pupils who attend

Swedish-medium education have different attitudes regarding a) the increased use of English in Swedish elite domains and b) the prospect of diglossia in Sweden?

4.1.1 Pupils’ purposes of using English and Swedish

I was interested in finding out when the pupils thought that English and Swedish would be useful to them in the future (Fig. 2) 13. The answers were divided into three categories:

studies, work and other (when travelling, with friends and family and communication in

general). The diagram below depicts the pupils’ answers regarding their purposes of using English and Swedish in the future. A total of 31 IB pupils (10 pupils from the IB class and 21 pupils from the PDP class) and 19 SP pupils participated in the survey. The results are

provided in percentage in the diagram. In the text, the results are supplied in percentage with the absolute numbers in parentheses.

The use of English and Swedish in the future

68 7 0 11 10 16 47 11 22 77 53 78 0 20 40 60 80 100

English use Swedish use English use Swedish use IB pupils SP pupils

Studies Work Other

Fig. 2 How pupils perceive English and

(22)

Swedish in terms of usability in the future

In contrast to the SP pupils, of whom none regarded English as a means of communication for future studies, 68% (21) of the IB pupils thought they would use English for studies.

Conversely, only 10% (3) of the IB pupils considered English useful for work-related

contexts, followed by 47% (9) in the SP class. As many as 53% (10) of the SP pupils said that they would speak English for other purposes as compared to 22% (7) in the IB class. In the same category, 78% (15) of the SP pupils and a surprisingly adjacent 77% (24) of the IB pupils claimed that Swedish would be used. Only 16% (5) of the pupils in the two IB classes and 11% (2) of the SP pupils considered Swedish as a means of communication in work-related situations. A majority of the pupils in all three classes did not regard Swedish as useful for future studies; only 7% (2) of the IB pupils and 11% (2) of the SP pupils said they would use Swedish in academia.

4.1.2 Pupils’ use of English in different domains

The informants were also asked to describe the use of English in school, with friends and family, and on the internet (Fig. 3) 14. The diagram below reveals the amount of use of English in these four different domains. A total of 31 IB pupils (10 pupils from the IB class and 21 pupils from the PDP class) and 19 SP pupils participated in the survey. The results are provided in percentage in the diagram. In the text, the results are depicted in percentage with the absolute numbers in parentheses.

The use of English in different domains

100 81 22 93 68 21 5 73 0 20 40 60 80 100 120

School Friends Family Internet

IB pupils SP pupils

Fig. 3 The pupils’ use of English today

(23)

The use of English among the IB pupils proved to be more frequent than in the SP class. In fact, 81% (25) of the IB pupils used English with their friends on a daily basis. In contrast to the IB pupils, the SP pupils used considerably less English with friends. Indeed, 21% (4) said that they spoke English with friends; however, this was mostly used in terms of different expressions rather than a 100 per cent usage. In other words, many said that the use of English was only to a limited extent with a few expressions in spoken sentences. As many as 68% (13) claimed that they used English at school mostly during English class. Not surprisingly, all of the pupils in the IB and PDP classes spoke English in school. The Internet was another arena where English was frequently used by the IB pupils; as many as 93% (29) claimed that English was their primary language of communication on the internet. Contrarily to the two IB classes, only 73 % (14) in the SP class used English on the internet. With regard to the use of English with the family, there was a consistently small number of pupils in all three

classes: 5% (1) of the SP pupils and another 22% (7) among the IB pupils.

4.1.3 Pupils’ attitudes towards the increased use of English in Swedish elite

domains

In the questionnaire, the informants were also asked about their attitudes towards the

increased use of English (Fig.4) 15 and a hypothetical future with English taking over the role of Swedish (Fig. 5) 16. They were asked to indicate on a scale ranging from 1-6 where 1 represents “strongly agree” and 6 represents “do not agree”. The diagrams below show the pupils’ answers with regard to the expansion of the English language in Sweden. A total of 31 IB pupils (10 pupils from the IB class and 21 pupils from the PDP class) and 19 SP pupils participated in the survey. The results are depicted in percentage in the diagram. In the text, the results are depicted in percentage with the absolute numbers in parentheses.

(24)

The expansion of the English language within the research domain will affect the Swedish language

0 10 20 30 40 50 1 St rongly agree Agree Agree t o some ext ent 4 Do not know Slight ly disagree Disagree IB pupils SP pupils Fig. 4 Pupils’ attitudes regarding question no. 3

With regard to the expansion of the English language in Swedish elite domains, a common feature was that there were fewer pupils, in all three classes, agreeing than disagreeing with the statement that the expansion of the English language in the research domain will

negatively affect the Swedish language. Also, there was a clear difference between the pupils regarding their attitudes. In fact, among the SP pupils only 26% (5) agreed, whilst as many as 38% (12) of the IB pupils agreed. Also, the answers with regard to those who did not agree were quite similar in all three classes; indeed, the diagram revealed that 48% (15) of the IB pupils and that 47% (9) of the SP pupils disagreed with the statement. Moreover, the diagram showed that 13% (4) of the IB pupils and 26% (5) of the SP pupils did not know.

In the near future English will take over the role of Swedish

0 10 20 30 40 1 St rongly agree Agree Agree t o some ext ent 4 Do not know Slight ly disagree Disagree IB pupils SP pupils

(25)

The IB pupils believed, to a larger extent than the SP pupils, that the expansion of the English language will harm the status of the Swedish language. In fact, 32% (10) of the IB pupils feared that the English language would eventually assume the role of Swedish. Compared with the pupils from the IB classes, only 21% (4) in the SP class agreed with the same statement. Furthermore, the diagram reveals that approximately 62% (12) of the SP pupils disagreed with the statement, compared to 51% (16) of the IB pupils. Regarding pupils who did not know, the diagram shows a clear similarity between the IB and SP students with 16% (5) in the IB classes and another 16% (3) in the SP class.

4.1.4 Pupils’ attitudes towards diglossia in Sweden

The pupils were asked to express their attitudes towards potential diglossia in Sweden where English would occupy the position as the superlanguage as opposed to the position of the supralanguage, given to Swedish 17. Thus, the diagram (Fig. 6) graphically depicts the pupils’ attitudes towards the prospect of a diglossia. A total of 31 IB pupils (10 pupils from the IB class and 21 pupils from the PDP class) and 19 SP pupils participated in the survey. The diagram gives the results in terms of percent. In the text, the results are provided in percentage followed by the absolute numbers in parentheses.

A bilingual society where English has become the language of power and Swedish has become an informal colloquial language is a threat to

the Swedish language

0 10 20 30 40 1 St rongly agree Agree Agree t o some ext ent 4 Do not know Slight ly disagree Disagree IB pupils SP pupils

Fig. 6 Pupils’ attitudes regarding question no. 5.

Regarding the question of the prospect of diglossia in Sweden, the IB pupils were slightly more concerned about the status of the Swedish language. As many as 45% (14) of the IB pupils agreed with the statement that diglossia would affect the status of the Swedish

(26)

language compared with 36% (7) of the SP pupils. Similarly to the previous question, there was a higher percentage of SP pupils who disagreed with the statement; in fact, as many as 42% disagreed as opposed to 32% (10) of the IB pupils. With regard to pupils who did not know, the diagram shows that among the IB pupils 23% (7) did not know. In contrast, only 21% (4) of the SP pupils did not know.

4.1.5 Future goals

In addition, my research required background information about the pupils’ academic or non-academic intentions. Therefore, the pupils were asked to write down their future goals18. After the completion of the surveys, I divided the answers into three categories: career requiring a

university degree, other (jobs with no university degree required) and do not know. A total of

31 IB pupils (10 pupils from the IB class and 21 pupils from the PDP class) and 19 SP pupils participated in the survey. The results will be presented both in relative and absolute numbers. The survey revealed that 87% (27) of the IB pupils intended to pursue an academic career in the future and considered English as an investment for further studies. A majority of the participants wrote that they were going to study abroad in the future, and the use of English would consequently serve as an essential tool. In addition, many of the participants considered English as an international language that they would use when working in the international arena. Some of the informants asserted that English is an internationally important language, essential in today’s society. Many of the SP pupils were uncertain of what they would do after graduating from upper-secondary school. Roughly 31% (6) answered that they did not know what to do, in comparison to a mere 13% (4) of the IB. In addition, 26 % (5) of the SP pupils intended to work where no university degree was required, as opposed to none of the IB pupils. The number of pupils in the SP class who wanted to enrol at universities after graduating from upper-secondary school was considerably smaller than in the IB; only 42% (8) answered that they would continue to study at universities.

4.1.6 Reasons for choosing English as the medium of instruction

When conducting the surveys in the IB classes, I was also interested in the reason behind the pupils’ choice to attend a program where English is the medium of instruction 19. Not

surprisingly, a majority of the IB pupils emphasised that they considered English a vital tool for the future. Often, they answered that they wanted to be well equipped for studies abroad.

18 See question no. 7 in questionnaire (Appendix I) 19 See question no. 11 in questionnaire (Appendix I)

(27)

Also, many of the pupils argued that English would be useful when studying at Swedish universities as much of the literature is in English. The most common reason behind their choice was that English would open more doors for them in the future and provide more opportunities.

4.1.7 Summary of the results from the questionnaire

Based on the data gained from the questionnaires, it is possible to establish evident

differences with regard to the pupils’ purposes of using English and Swedish in the future. The results reveal that 68% of the IB pupils are more positively inclined towards use of English for studies than the SP pupils (0%). In contrast, there is a higher percentage in the SP (47%) class than in the two IB classes (10%) who consider English essential in work-related situation. Also, a majority of the SP pupils (53%) regard English only as a means of

communication contrary to a considerably lower number of the IB pupils (22%) who value its utility in academia. Furthermore, a consistently high number of pupils in all three classes consider Swedish a useful communicative tool, but less valuable in both work-related situations and in academia. Thus, the IB pupils claim that English will be used primarily for studies whilst the SP pupils consider English, firstly, as essential in communication and, secondly, valuable for work.

There is also a clear difference between the IB pupils and the SP pupils with regard to their use of English in different domains. The most evident and perhaps least surprising result discloses that 100% of the IB pupils, in contrast to only 68% of the SP pupils, use English in school. The more informal and colloquial domains of family and friends are permeated by a considerably lower amount of English use in the SP class: 5% use English in the family domain and 21% English use with friends. The results furthermore show that these domains have been invaded by English in the IB classes with 81% of the pupils using it with friends and another 22% with the family. Despite the role of English as the lingua franca on the internet, only 73% of the SP pupils have English as their main means of communication. In contrast to the SP class, the answers in the two IB classes indicate that almost all IB pupils (93%) use English on the internet. Thus, the IB pupils use English in the formal domains to a slightly larger extent than the SP pupils. Also, the invasion of the informal domains is

underway in the IB classes but still quite rare among the SP pupils.

It is possible to decipher a clear distinction between the two IB classes and the SP class regarding the potential threat that the increased English influence might pose to the Swedish

(28)

language. The diagram reveals that IB pupils are more concerned than the SP pupils, about the future of the Swedish language with 38% of the IB pupils and 26% of the SP pupils agreeing that the expansion of the English language may have negative consequences for the Swedish language. Also, the diagram shows that almost half of both the IB pupils and the SP pupils disagree with the statement with 48% in the IB classes and 47% in the SP class.

Consequently, the questionnaire shows that the IB pupils are somewhat more concerned about the future of the Swedish language than the SP pupils.

Concerning the hypothesis that English will assume the position of Swedish, the attitudes are slightly more homogenous. However, IB pupils still show more concern regarding the statement than the SP pupils. Contrasted with the 21% of the SP pupils, 32% of the IB pupils agree that English may take over the role of Swedish. Instead, 51% of the IB pupils and 62% of the SP pupils disagree with the same statement. It shows that IB pupils are more concerned about the English expansion than the SP pupils, but there is still a high rate (51% in the IB class and 62% in the SP class) of all pupils who disagree with the statement.

The questionnaire also unveils evident differences between the IB pupils and the SP pupils with regard to the threat that potential diglossia in Sweden might pose to the Swedish

language. Even though their answers do not extensively diverge it is, nonetheless, possible to make out a slightly larger number of IB pupils who consider diglossia as a threat to the Swedish language. 45% of the IB pupils agree with the statement, compared to the slightly smaller number of 36% in the SP class. A small difference between the SP pupils and the IB pupils is also revealed concerning the proportion of pupils disagreeing with the statement; more SP pupils (42%) than IB pupils (32%) disagree. The results thus indicate that the IB pupils have a tendency to consider diglossia more of a threat to the Swedish language than the SP pupils.

Another difference between the IB pupils and the SP pupils is their ambitions for the future. A considerably higher number of IB pupils (87%) than SP pupils (48%) intend to study at university. Also, it is possible to see that there are more SP pupils (26%) than IB pupils (0%) who plan to work where no university degree is required. Moreover, there is a tendency in the SP class (31%) to be more indecisive about the future than in the two IB classes (13%). As a result, the IB pupils are more positively inclined towards an academic career than the SP pupils. In addition, the IB pupils are more certain of what to do after graduating from upper-secondary school.

(29)

4.2 The results from the interviews

Pupils who were interested in taking part in an interview were asked to provide their email address on the questionnaire. In the IB class, 8 pupils did this. Since it was not possible to interview all these students, due to time constraints, three were randomly selected, and the result from the interviews will be reported below. To protect the informants’ anonymity I have chosen to name them Malin, Anna and Sara.

The results from the interviews will be presented below grouped in two different categories, based on research question number 3 (see page 2):20

The pupils’ attitudes towards the expansion of the English language of Swedish elite domains

The pupils’ attitudes towards diglossia

4.2.1 Description of informants

Malin

The informant chose to apply to the IB programme because she has an interest in the English language. With regard to benefits of having an International Baccalaureate Diploma, Malin mentions the possibilities to study and work abroad in the future. With an IB diploma, Malin argues, the chances to enter an ivory university abroad increase. She is not, however, certain of what to study after graduation, but says that it will probably involve something within economics.

The time at the IB program has, according to the informant, improved her proficiency in the English language in terms of speaking ability. Malin claims to be more confident in speaking English than pupils who attend other programmes. She also maintains that there is no doubt that speaking English on a daily basis has helped her to gain this confidence. Her proficiency in Swedish has not, however, deteriorated much, she claims. Although sometimes when she speaks Swedish, English words appear instead of Swedish words. The increased proficiency in English will most definitely help her in the future since globalisation has brought on an increasingly greater demand for English in society.

20 All quotations in this text are my own translations. (See appendix II, page 48 for detailed description of the interview questions.)

(30)

Anna

Anna decided to apply to the IB program in order to facilitate academic studies abroad. Also, her interest in languages greatly influenced her decision to study at the IB programme. Anna believes that the IB Diploma will be beneficial when studying abroad in the future. She is convinced that her proficiency in the English language has improved considerably since entering the program, particularly when it comes to oral proficiency. Also, Anna believes that she has gained confidence with regards to speaking in English. Moreover, Anna is convinced that she is more confident than many of her peers attending other programmes but claims not to actually be better at English. As a result of speaking English on a daily basis she says that, sometimes, when speaking in Swedish she tends to forget words and

pronounces instead the equivalent English word.

Sara

Sara has lived most of her life in Sweden with the exception of 6 months when she and her family lived in an English-speaking country. Her mother speaks English with her but the informant responds almost exclusively in Swedish. Sara applied to the IB program so that she could carry on speaking English. Also, she wanted to improve other skills, such as writing. Despite the fact that she is fluent in English, and sees it as her second L1, the time at the IB programme has helped her to improve her proficiency in the English language, especially writing. Furthermore, Sara is convinced that English will help her in the future as she intends to study in England after graduation. The IB program, she believes, will make it easier for her in the future, but she does not see any major advantages of the diploma. In fact, she asserts that anyone can achieve the same as her; it all depends on the person’s ambition.

4.2.2 The pupils’ attitudes towards the use of English in Swedish elite

domains

Malin

3. a Some fear the increasing influence of English in Sweden today and believe that it will

affect the Swedish language negatively. One evident case of English influence is within the research domain, in particular the natural sciences, where almost everything is in English.

Malin does not consider the situation as a serious threat; on the contrary, she argues that the expansion of the English language is beneficial to Swedish society. She maintains furthermore

(31)

that additional opportunities follow from a growing influence of English in Sweden. Swedish society will instead profit from this and join the global community to a greater extent.

3. b Some argue that the influence of English on certain domains may lead to the

impoverishment of the Swedish language in that words and terminology will be lost in that specific domain.

Malin is not particularly negatively disposed to a possible reduction of terminology in domains in which English has gained ground. In fact, she asserts that “A growing influence of English in some domains, e.g. the domain of medicine, does not imply that the Swedish language per se will suffer”. Even though Malin agrees with the fact that an increased influence of English may, to a certain extent, have negative consequences for the Swedish language, she asserts that it does not have to entail impoverishment of the Swedish language.

Anna

3. a Some fear the increasing influence of English in Sweden today and believe that it will

affect the Swedish language negatively. One evident case of English influence is within the research domain, in particular the natural sciences, where almost everything is in English.

Similar to the preceding informant, Anna does not regard the English invasion of Swedish elite domains as a threat. Even though the status of the Swedish language will be reduced, it does not pose a threat to the survival of the language. In fact, she says: “I think that even though English is becoming increasingly important, Swedish can be maintained in society. The Swedish language is solidly connected to the Swedish people and society”.

3. b Some argue that the influence of English on certain domains may lead to the

impoverishment of the Swedish language in that words and terminology will be lost in that specific domain.

To this, Anna is convinced that it is a natural process. She argues that all languages change and the fact that new words entering a domain do not inflict on the status of a language. Rather, it enriches the Swedish language with new terminology and will be beneficial to the development of the Swedish language.

(32)

Sara

3. a Some fear the increasing influence of English in Sweden today and believe that it will

affect the Swedish language negatively. One evident case of English influence is within the research domain, in particular the natural sciences, where almost everything is in English.

Sara says it does not have to be a negative sign that the English language increases its influence on Swedish society; on the contrary, she believes that Sweden needs it in order to keep up with the global development. Sara states that “it is probably a necessary development since English plays such an important role in international contexts”. She argues furthermore that the English language unifies countries and people, and a development as such would only be beneficial to Swedish society. Instead of eradicating Swedish, she believes that the

expansion of the English language may contribute to Swedish and English co-existing in Sweden where people speak both languages equally well.

3. b. Some argue that the influence of English on certain domains may lead to

impoverishment of the Swedish language in that words and terminology will be lost in that specific domain.

Sara does agree with the fact that an increasingly growing prominence of English in Sweden today will affect the lexical structure of the Swedish language. She believes that the Swedish language will probably be simplified and its vocabulary will most definitely be affected. However, she also says that it does not necessarily have to be negative in that it is part of a natural process that all languages go through.

4.2.3 The interviewees’ attitudes towards diglossia in Sweden

Malin

4. a Some researchers prophesy a future where English and Swedish coexist in so called

diglossia where the Swedish language is subordinated to the English language.

With regard to the prospect of diglossia in Sweden Malin does not see it negatively; rather,

she imagines a future with Swedish as a “fun language” and English as a powerful and more useful means of communication. The utility value of English in the international arena is more important than preserving the Swedish language as a supralanguage. In fact, Malin says that “it is good to make oneself understood in all situations with people from all around the world”.

(33)

4. b Some assert that such a situation will lead to inequality in society where those who speak

English will be more successful than those who do not speak it.

Malin maintains that inequality and language proficiency are not related. Moreover, she maintains that even if a language gains higher status it does not mean that it will eradicate another language. In fact, she claims that “in history, we have seen the same thing happening e.g. when Latin was influential in Sweden the Swedish language did not die; instead, it survived and is still present today”.

Anna

4. a. Some researchers prophesy a future where English and Swedish coexist in so called

diglossia where the Swedish language is subordinated to the English language.

In contrast to Malin, Anna considers diglossia negatively. If it were to emerge, Swedish should be the language of higher status otherwise the risk of its elimination would increase, she says. In other words, the status of a language is crucial to its survival.

4. b Some assert that such a situation will lead to inequality in society where those who speak

English will be more successful than those who do not speak it.

Anna is of the same opinion as Malin and asserts that the status of a person is not determined by his or her proficiency in a given language. She believes that there are other factors that contribute to a division in the population. Moreover, a majority of the population are learning English which would thus impede inequality in society.

Sara

4. a Some researchers prophesy a future where English and Swedish coexist in so called

diglossia where the Swedish language is subordinated to the English language.

Sara agrees and mentions that in international companies proficiency in English is required in order to succeed. “So in a way”, she says, “it does already exist”. Sara maintains

furthermore that it does not have to be considered a negative step in the development; rather, she sees it as a necessity towards a more globalised world. In fact, she says that it is “essential for Sweden in order not to fall behind in the globalisation process”. At the same time she admits to the fact that it may be detrimental to the Swedish language since it will be impoverished. She says that it is negative because “Swedish will be underused and consequently simplified since it will only be used as a colloquial language”.

(34)

4. b Some assert that such a situation will lead to inequality in society where those who speak

English will be more successful than those who do not speak it.

Sara continues and asserts that diglossia may in fact render society unequal. People who do not speak English well will fall behind and will not have the same privileges as the others. However, she adds that it is up to each and everyone in society to take the responsibility and learn English.

As a final point, she says that in order to uphold the status of Swedish and at the same time have English as a coexisting language, both languages need to be used in, for example,

universities. She mentions that Swedish universities should offer all courses in both English and Swedish to boost the status of the languages. Also, she believes that through the media Swedish may regain its previous status. “If we broadcast more Swedish television programs and less in English, it is possible to reach young people and have them appreciate the Swedish language a lot more”.

4.2.4 Summary of the interviews

All three informants agree that the expansion of the English language in Sweden is not a threat to the Swedish language but rather an addition to our society and will help Sweden to gain access to the global community. Also, Malin and Anna argue that increased influence of the English language does not imply that the Swedish language will suffer. They maintain instead that the Swedish language will be enriched with new words. Sara, however, agrees with the statement that the Swedish language will probably suffer and be simplified. At the same time, she argues that it is a natural process of the development of language.

Thus, a 2 of the 3 informants are positively predisposed to the expansion of the English language and consider it as an addition to our society and necessary in order for Sweden to develop.

Anna and Sara argue that diglossia may be detrimental to the Swedish language and impoverish the language. In fact, Anna asserts that it may contribute to the death of the Swedish language. In addition, Sara argues and says that it is already present in Swedish society. Malin does not see diglossia as something negative but asserts that English is needed in today’s society. Both Malin and Anna claim that social class and language proficiency are unrelated. However, Sara agrees and says that diglossia could affect the social structure of society.

(35)

Thus, the interviews have shown that diglossia may be harmful to the status of the Swedish language. Also, they argue that it is not likely that diglossia will affect the social structure of society since social class and proficiency in language are two unrelated concepts.

4.3 Reflective journals

Due to the small number of informants in the interviews, I decided to include additional material, relevant to the present research. After conducting the questionnaire in the PDP class I posted two of the open questions, used during my interviews, and asked the pupils to reflect upon them and write down their thoughts.

In order to circumvent any risks of being biased, I randomly selected four journals, due to the time constraints, to be included in the research following (Bordens et al., 2005).

The questions posed to the pupils were based on my two research questions:

Do Swedish pupils see the intrusion of English in certain domains as a threat to the Swedish language?

Do they see the prospect of a diglossic situation as something positive, negative or are they neutral?

4.3.1 The informants’ attitudes towards the use of English in Swedish elite

domains

Informant I

1. English is almost exclusively used in certain areas, e.g. the research domain. How do you

see this development? Is it good or bad? Please motivate your answer.

The informant partially considered it as something positive to Swedish society in that information can be retrieved in a simple and fast way. Also, informant I wrote that it was beneficial to research because development will progress. At the same time, the informant writes that it will inevitably lead to the impoverishment of the Swedish language. Aspects such as loss of terminology may deprive the Swedish language of continued development. Also, parts of the population will not be able to gain information due to lack of knowledge of English.

Figure

Table III. Description of the social science class.   PROGRAM  AGE  GENDER  MEDIUM OF
Fig. 2 How pupils perceive English and
Fig. 3 The pupils’ use of English today
Fig. 6 Pupils’ attitudes regarding question no. 5.

References

Related documents

46 Konkreta exempel skulle kunna vara främjandeinsatser för affärsänglar/affärsängelnätverk, skapa arenor där aktörer från utbuds- och efterfrågesidan kan mötas eller

Key questions such a review might ask include: is the objective to promote a number of growth com- panies or the long-term development of regional risk capital markets?; Is the

The increasing availability of data and attention to services has increased the understanding of the contribution of services to innovation and productivity in

This is the concluding international report of IPREG (The Innovative Policy Research for Economic Growth) The IPREG, project deals with two main issues: first the estimation of

Syftet eller förväntan med denna rapport är inte heller att kunna ”mäta” effekter kvantita- tivt, utan att med huvudsakligt fokus på output och resultat i eller från

Generella styrmedel kan ha varit mindre verksamma än man har trott De generella styrmedlen, till skillnad från de specifika styrmedlen, har kommit att användas i större

Utvärderingen omfattar fyra huvudsakliga områden som bedöms vara viktiga för att upp- dragen – och strategin – ska ha avsedd effekt: potentialen att bidra till måluppfyllelse,

No knowledge requirements by year 3 in the English syllabus. The principle of equal schooling for all can be questioned in Sweden since Swedish pupils are taught English at