Conceptualising children’s linguistic rights in formal education in Greece

Sofia Tsioli; George Androulakis

doi:10.1515/applirev-2024-0214

Article

Conceptualising children’s linguistic rights in formal education in Greece

Sofia Tsioli
Sofia Tsioli holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics and Research Methodology (NK University of Athens). She has participated in research programs on educational integration of refugees and migrants (GLML: Greek Language and Multilingualism Laboratory, University of Thessaly). She is currently a French teacher in primary education and a postdoctoral researcher in Sociolinguistics (University of Thessaly). Her research interests include Linguistic Rights, Language Education Policy, Education Linguistics, and Research Methodology in multilingual contexts. She believes that utopias could come true.
and George Androulakis
George Androulakis studied Linguistics and Sociolinguistics at the Universities of Athens and Paris 7. He has taught as adjunct or visiting professor at several Universities in Greece, France, Switzerland, Canada, and the UK. From 2016 to 2018 he served as Vice-President for Academic and International Affairs of the Hellenic Open University. He is now Professor of Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching, and Head of the GLML. His research focuses on migrant and refugee communities, language policy, and language teaching. He has been the academic coordinator of many European and national projects, and he is regularly invited as expert for the European Commission and the Council of Europe.

Published/Copyright: October 11, 2024

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From the journal Applied Linguistics Review Volume 16 Issue 3

Abstract

Linguistic rights as a cornerstone for inclusive education, have often been linked to language education. However, in the context of an applied approach in education, there is a lack of clarity concerning the conceptualisation gf linguistic rights as well as their visibility in official policy texts and discourse among policymakers internationally. A body of scientists have taken a critical approach to (linguistic) human rights to question the need for a reconceptualization of linguistic (human) rights. In this context, our paper attempts to capture and discuss the different conceptualizations of linguistic rights focusing on children’s (language) education in the Greek context. Drawing from transdisciplinary ethnography based mainly on sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, law studies, and political science, combined with principles of decolonizing human rights we carried out a (critical) discourse analysis of interviews with policymakers from different institutions as well as of educational policy texts. The findings demonstrate different ¨paradoxes¨ of conceptualizing linguistic rights, resulting in the need to encourage a situated, non-Western, ¨non-childish¨ and distributed with legal guarantees approach to linguistic rights in education as a basis for establishing multilingual decolonized language policies for more just education.

Keywords: linguistic rights; multilingual education policies; ethnography; decolonising lens

Corresponding author: Sofia Tsioli, Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece, E-mail: sofia.tsioli@gmail.com

About the authors

Sofia Tsioli

Sofia Tsioli holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics and Research Methodology (NK University of Athens). She has participated in research programs on educational integration of refugees and migrants (GLML: Greek Language and Multilingualism Laboratory, University of Thessaly). She is currently a French teacher in primary education and a postdoctoral researcher in Sociolinguistics (University of Thessaly). Her research interests include Linguistic Rights, Language Education Policy, Education Linguistics, and Research Methodology in multilingual contexts. She believes that utopias could come true.

George Androulakis

George Androulakis studied Linguistics and Sociolinguistics at the Universities of Athens and Paris 7. He has taught as adjunct or visiting professor at several Universities in Greece, France, Switzerland, Canada, and the UK. From 2016 to 2018 he served as Vice-President for Academic and International Affairs of the Hellenic Open University. He is now Professor of Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching, and Head of the GLML. His research focuses on migrant and refugee communities, language policy, and language teaching. He has been the academic coordinator of many European and national projects, and he is regularly invited as expert for the European Commission and the Council of Europe.

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Received: 2024-06-24

Accepted: 2024-09-13

Published Online: 2024-10-11

Published in Print: 2025-05-26

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https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2024-0214

Keywords for this article

linguistic rights; multilingual education policies; ethnography; decolonising lens