Some Characteristics of Ethnic Minority Language Use in the Central Highlands of Vietnam

Authors: Hien Pham, Nguyen Van Khang (Phenikaa University, Vietnam)
Speakers: Hien Pham
Strand: Language, Community, Ethnicity
Session Type: General Session

Abstract

In this article, we examine minority language situation and practice in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and discuss the language use of ethnic minority groups in the region. Regarded as a miniature of ethnic minority community of Vietnam, Central Highland of Vietnam has an indispensable role in terms of language planning and language policy nationally and internationally. The data used in this study were collected by researchers in the state-scale project which are implemented by the authors of this article. Thus, these data are update and seminal to the academic community, especially to the ones who are based outside of Vietnam. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis on the miniature of Vietnam ecolinguistics, we contend that the use of language in this multicultural and multilingual region would capture the current state of the minority languages and culture in the region. The results reflect how the law makers and local officials’ value and respect the diversity of their languages and culture as well as how the teachers design culturally relevant curricula. The overall purpose of the current paper would be to document the diversity of language situation and language use made by the ethnic minorities in different communication settings in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Each community promotes their own communication functions specific to different communicative situations.

Keywords: Multicultural, Multilingual, Education, Ethnic minority, Preservation