Vera Schwach Norwegian, English and Bilingualism

1
Vera Schwach Norwegian, English and Bilingualism

• A casestudy of five subjects at four
  universities/university colleges in Norway

2
Introduction Loss of domain for Norwegian?

• The domain of education (at the University level)
  includes 210.000 students and a teaching staff of
  9600.
• When and to which extent is English used in
  Norwegian education?
• Undergraduates Bachelor, graduates Master
• Five subjects history, nursing, physics,
  informatics, economy and administration
• Four institutions two universities and two
  universities colleges.
• The backgrounds and rationale for choosing
  Norwegian and/or English.
• Awareness of language i.e.
• the importance of language for learning and for
  communication
• The significance of the domain of eduaction for
  Norwegian as a national language.

3
Introduction

• Highlights from a report published last week in
  Norwegian Norwegian, English and
  Bilingualism, surf to www.nifustep.no.
• The project aimed to
• gain an overview of the current situation in the
  sector
• provide a base for the development of a policy
  for education and science in a national context.
• The project was enabled by financial support from
• Norsk språkråd (The Norwegian Language Council)
• Norsk faglitterær forfatterforening (Norwegian
  Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association).

4
Norwegian or English? Background

• Norway is a small country with an open economy
• with a elaborated national language
• and long tradition of foreign languages to enable
  communication including exchange of knowledge.
• An intensified process of internationalisation in
  Norwegian research and higher education in the
  1990s.
• a mean to improve the quality on a national
  level.
• The Bologna Declaration.
• Purpose increased student mobility.

5
When and where is English used?

• English is used in all subjects, at all
  institutions and on all levels
• Less use of English at the undergraduate level,
  more frequent use at a graduate level
• No significant difference between traditional
  Universities and University Colleges
• History uses English less frequent in the
  teaching, than the fields of Economy, Nursing and
  Informatics.

6
Bilingual Education

• Bilingualism in two senses
• receptive bilingualism read and listen to
  English
• Reading of literature, listen to lectures in
  English
• Monolingual standard, i.e. to master English as a
  native speaker as an aim
• Courses given in English, substitute courses
  previous given in Norwegian
• No alternatives to English in the
  study/programms/courses.
• Conclusion bilingualism at an interaction level
• English supplies and sometimes substitutes
  Norwegian.

7
Teaching and the significance of the community of
science

• The extent of use of English is connected to the
  use of English in scientific communication in the
  field of science close to the subject of
  teaching.
• But close affilation to a international community
  does not automatically means a reject of the
  national language i.e. Norwegian as a language of
  teaching
• Physics
• High level of international scientific community
• Mediate/high awareness of Norwegian as a language
  for learning
• Informatics
• High level of international scientific community,
  scientific center partly in the USA
• Mediate consciousness of Norwegian as a language
  for learning
• Economy (and administration)
• High level of international scientific community,
  scientific center partly in the USA
• Mediate consciousness of Norwegian as a language
  for learning
• Nursing
• High level of international scientific community,
  (scientific center partly in the USA)
• Mediate consciousness of Norwegian as a language
  for learning

8
Learning, knowledge and communication pro
English

• Students learn the technical terminology in their
  field of competence
• a lingua franca (lingua academia) for
  international professional communication.
• Students will likely be studying and working
  abroad.
• Foreign students and skilled working force search
  work in Norway.
• The language of science is English
• Lack of relevant and/or valuable teaching
  literature in Norwegian, especially on the
  graduate level.

9
Learning, knowledge and communication pro
Norwegian

• Norwegian students do not master English at the
  required standard (mothertonge)
• Students learn less when they have to struggle
  with a terminology in English without having the
  proficiency in the same lexical domain in
  Norwegian
• Communication with non-experts Customers,
  patients and their families, pupils, colleagues
  and the public in general.

10
Conclusion Loss of domain for Norwegian?

• The value of using Norwegian in the domain of
  Higher Education in a national context
• Loss of lexical domains in the national language?
  
• Internationalism or a turn to the Anglo-saxon
  sphere of knowledge and culture?
• Languages and a policy for education at the
  Universities/University colleges?
• National level
• Institutional level
• Individual base.

11
Sources for documentation and information,
methods and descriptive categories used

• Public and easy available information and
  interviews
• The categories use in the project
• Oral
• Written
• Training
• Evaluation
• Receptive bilingualism
• English at the standard of mothertongue