| Abstract: | Reviews the book, Conflict and language planning in Quebec by Richard Y. Bourhis. This monograph, edited by Bourhis, makes a distinct contribution to scholarship in the area of Language Policy/Language Planning (LP) in general, and more specifically, to research in that area within Canada. Work in this area is almost always collaboratively undertaken and involves individuals from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. These trends are evident in the present monograph. The major contributions of this monograph are threefold: first, it leads to a better understanding of the language situation in Quebec; secondly, it describes clearly three of the four major components of LP activities--planning, policy formulation and implementation; and thirdly, authors present an interesting array of methodological techniques not typically used by many LP researchers, by which one can further investigate empirically reactions or responses to language policy change in various settings. The attractiveness of the monograph derives from the interesting and clear account of a major planned social change within the province of Quebec which has had provincial and national implications for concerned Canadian residents, but which more importantly has had immediate implications--at both theoretical and applied levels--for language policy scholars throughout the world. This monograph comprises a welcome addition to the rapidly growing literature which examines the role of language in national development. It provides careful documentation of a fascinating case study of one set of events that have been carefully chronicled by well-trained scholars from diverse disciplinary perspectives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
