Languages, Society & Policy
Languages, Society & Policy (LSP) is an open access online journal publishing high-quality peer-reviewed language research that addresses issues concerning languages, cultures, and societies in accessible and non-technical language. LSP promotes engagement with policy makers, journalists and stakeholders in education, health, business and elsewhere, through its collection of Policy Papers, Opinion Articles and Dialogues.
Contributions are welcome from diverse disciplines and subdisciplines that relate to language, including—but not limited to—linguistics, modern languages, and all relevant subfields of cognitive science, cultural studies, education, health sciences, neuroscience, and psychology. For information on how to submit a paper to LSP, please see the Editorial Guidelines.
Update (November 2024)
As of November 2024, Languages, Society & Policy (LSP) has continued to bridge the gap between linguistic research and policy-making through the publication of insightful policy papers, dialogues, and opinion articles.
Policy Papers
In November 2024, Languages, Society & Policy (LSP) released a significant special issue titled Languages in UK Education, guest-edited by Wendy Ayres-Bennett and Charles Forsdick. This collection examines the critical role of languages within the UK’s educational framework, emphasizing the importance of multilingualism in promoting cultural understanding, social equity, and academic success. The papers address themes such as inclusive education policies, strategies for fostering linguistic diversity, and the societal benefits of multilingualism. These are some of the highlights from the special issue:
Wendy Ayres-Bennett & Charles Forsdick from the University of Cambridge set the stage in their introductory paper, 'Languages in UK Education', by examining language education policies across the four UK nations. The paper highlights key disparities, challenges, and opportunities, emphasizing the urgent need for coordinated policies to support linguistic diversity and expand access to language learning across all educational levels.
Emma Humphries, Janice Carruthers and Leanne Henderson from Queen’s University Belfast examine the barriers to accessing qualifications in home, heritage, and community languages (HHCLs) in their paper, 'Strengthening Provision for Home, Heritage, and Community Language Qualifications'. They identify challenges such as high costs and inconsistent support and propose practical recommendations to build a fairer, more inclusive system that reflects the UK’s linguistic diversity.
Kate Lightfoot (Born in Bradford), Maksi Kozińska (Anglia Ruskin University) and Michelle Sheehan (Newcastle University) explore the opportunities and challenges of teaching and learning home, heritage, and community languages (HHCLs) in their paper, 'Community Languages in the United Kingdom: The Great Potential of Multilingualism'. Focusing on languages like Polish and French, the paper highlights the importance of integrating HHCLs into mainstream education and emphasizes the societal and student benefits of nurturing multilingualism.
Eva Eppler (University of Roehampton), Zara Fahim (University of Nottingham) and Yuni Kim (University of Surrey) critique inconsistent university admissions policies for A-Level language qualifications in their paper, 'Rethinking Language Qualifications in the UK University Admission Process: The Case of Native vs Non-Native Speakers'. The authors advocate for equitable treatment of all language qualifications to encourage uptake and better recognize the UK’s rich multilingual resources.
In October 2023, Languages, Society & Policy (LSP) published Jennifer Bruen’s policy paper, 'Foreign Language Learning in the Republic of Ireland: Developments, Challenges, Policy Implications'. The paper examines Ireland’s growing linguistic diversity, highlighting the introduction of foreign languages into primary education from 2025, the sharp decline in language study at Higher Education (HE), and the need for Industry and SMEs to adopt strategic Language Management Strategies (LMSs). It calls for expanded Institution Wide Language Programmes (IWLPs) in HE, enhanced support for language learning in schools, and stronger industry-university collaboration to capitalize on Ireland’s multilingual potential and boost global competitiveness.
Looking Ahead
Languages, Society & Policy (LSP) remains dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and shaping policy through rigorous research. As we look to the future, our publications will continue to explore the intersections of language, society, and policy, promoting linguistic diversity and addressing pressing challenges in education and beyond.
Building on our success in examining language education policy, LSP is expanding its focus to include the broader implications of language in areas such as media, politics, and public discourse. We welcome contributions that address:
• The role of language in shaping public opinion and political narratives in the media.
• Strategies for addressing hate speech and misinformation through critical discourse analysis and AI-driven technologies.
• The implications of multilingualism for civic participation and social cohesion.
Through these new directions, LSP is committed to driving impactful dialogue and research, offering evidence-based recommendations that influence not just education but also the wider cultural and political landscape.
Update (September 2023)
Policy Papers
In June, Emma Humphries of Queen’s University Belfast and Wendy Ayres-Bennett of the University of Cambridge challenged several policy misconceptions by revealing the surprisingly remarkable reach of the UK’s public language policy, which goes well beyond modern languages and education. ‘The hidden face of the UK’s public language policy’ is the latest of four policy papers published in LSP in the last twelve months alone.
In February, Piotr Blumczynski and Steven Wilson of Queen’s University Belfast called for much-improved multilingual provision in health communication, drawing on the vital lessons that must be learned from the pandemic: ‘COVID-19 and the importance of languages in public health’.
A reminder too that the LSP relaunch was accompanied by policy papers from Karen Forbes (‘We are multilingual: Identity education to promote engagement and achievement in schools’) and Wendy Ayres-Bennett and Marco Hafner (‘The economic value to the UK of speaking other languages’).
Dialogues
Last month LSP launched the latest Dialogues collection centred on the work of AHRC Future of Language Research Fellows on the topic of Research in Languages, Societies and Cultures.
Nicola McLelland of the University of Nottingham outlined key findings from a survey of UK-based languages researchers and argued for actions to secure the languages research pipeline and to promote diversity within the discipline. Emmanuelle Labeau of Aston University presented the findings from her BRUM (Birmingham Research for Upholding Multilingualism) project, outlining the presence of and need for languages in education, business, public services and the community. The University of Aberdeen’s Michelle MacLeod and Dawn Leslie identified current research practices and focus of government agencies and stakeholder organisations in promoting UK’s indigenous languages, suggesting future research to support policy ambitions and interventions. Liz Wren-Owens of Cardiff University responded to the Fellows’ reports, asking how we can address inequalities in modern languages provision and the needs of stakeholders within and beyond the languages community.
Past, Present and Future
LSP is very excited to be building bridges between research and policy and this continues will be further policy papers and dialogues, whilst working with contributors on forthcoming opinion articles in the vein of Joseph Ford and Emanuelle Santos’s work on decolonising languages in higher education, which also coincided with last year’s relaunch.
LSP has undoubtedly been reinvigorated by the relaunch and the support of our new consortium members. However, we are now in our seventh year and all the content from the previous site has joined us on the new one. This includes a number of policy paper ‘collections’, such as ‘Language inequality in education, law and citizenship’, addressing language inequalities in areas as diverse as language classrooms, legal settings, public service interpreting and translation, higher education and census design.
Below you’ll find a selection of policy papers and opinion articles in the LSP archive:
• ‘Recognising and protecting the communication rights of autistic children’ by Melanie Greaux, Napoleon Katsos and Jenny Gibson
• ‘Grammatical errors: what can we do about them?’ by Dora Alexopoulou
• ‘The DfE/Ofqual consultation on revised GCSE qualifications in Modern Foreign Languages’ by Michelle Sheehan, Alice Corr, Anna Havinga, Jonathan Kasstan, Norma Schifano and Sascha Stollhans.