Language as a Problem,a Right or a Resource?

Abstract

• Summary: Although many `Anglophone' countries now host significant linguistic diversity, minimal attention has been paid to language policy in social work. This paper examines how language policy in both its overt and covert forms infiltrates social work via three `orientations' to linguistic diversity: language as a problem; language as a right; and language as a resource. The utility of this framework for viewing linguistic diversity in social work is explored with reference to an exploratory study that canvassed the views of overseas-born bilingual social workers practising in Australia.

• Findings: The participants strongly identified with a problem orientation to language, where a lack of English constitutes a significant barrier to participating in the social, economic and political domains. While a rights orientation to language was endorsed, it was seen to have limitations in terms of the inadequacies of legislation for challenging `monolingual' language attitudes. All informants supported a resource orientation to language, but claimed that linguistic diversity is often devalued in English-dominant locations.

• Applications : Rather than privileging one particular lens on language, the study concludes that a flexible framework that allows for movement between different language orientations is necessary given the context-dependent nature of language use.