"Language policy became a field for research when sociolinguists tackled the language problems of nations becoming independent in the 1960s. Classical language policy focused on the nation-state. State policy is often blocked by variations in language policy at other levels, as well as by factors such as wars, disease, poverty and corruption. Increasing attention has been paid to the home . Starting with the individual one should consider policy in the home, school, work, and other levels, and only then consider national policies. The home is central, but other levels play a significant part in a complex phenomenon.
"Language policy became a field for research and study when some sociolinguists began to tackle what they called the language problems of nations becoming independent in the 1960s. More recently, in efforts to account for the many failures of the plans proposed, which were assumed to be the result of inadequate implementation, it was recognized that state policy is often blocked by variations in language practices and ideology and by the existence of language management at other levels, such as the region, the city, religion, business, health and police services, schools and the home, as well as by non-linguistic factors such as wars, disease, climate change, poverty and corruption. As it is now agreed that language maintenance and shift depends ultimately on natural intergenerational language transmission, which takes place in the home as parents influence the language of their children, more attention has been paid to home and family language policy, as witness the increasing number of meetings and publications devoted to the topic. However, I believe we need to go further: in rethinking language policy, one should start with the individual who develops a personal language ideology, choosing between the economic value of the dominant variety and the identity value of the heritage variety. At the next level, one should consider policy in the home, the school, work, business, and other institutional levels, taking into account the supranational pressures of globalization and treaty-supported rights, and only then consider the difficulties faced by a national government in developing an appropriate and workable approach to language management. The home is central and its policy critical, but other levels play a significant part in a complex phenomenon.
