NATIONALISM, NATIVE LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE AND THE SPREAD
OF ENGLISH: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE CASES OF GUAM, THE PHILIPPINES AND
PUERTO RICO
A Dissertation Submitted to theDepartment of Graduate Studies, Faculty
of Education University of Puerto Rico In
Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Education
UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO RIO PIEDRAS CAMPUS FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
OF
GRADUATE STUDIES
by
Sharon Clampitt-Dunlap
1995
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ABSTRACT
In 1898, the United States received Guam, the
Philippines and Puerto Rico from Spain as part of the Paris Treaty. The
implementation of school systems imported from the United States began
almost immediately, marked by the mandate that all instruction be given
in English. The results of this and subsequent language policies
formulated for the nation and school in terms of native language maintenance
and the spread of the English language are the principal subject of research
in this study. An attempt was made to answer the question "What has been
the role of nationalist movements in native language maintenance in Guam,
the Philippines and Puerto Rico when faced with the possible spread of
the English language to the public school system and other societal institutions?"
A historical comparative design was used to
examine similar variables in Guam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico. Language
shift and language maintenance factors including societal bilingualism,
migration, industrialization, the school and other governmental use of
the language, urbanization and the prestige level of the languages in contact
were studied through document
research, field observation and informal interviews. Documents were
used from the years 1898 to 1993. The existence of nationalist movements
that may have played a part in native language maintenance and language
planning efforts were also looked for in these sources. The three countries
were then compared to expose similarities and differences.
The major findings of the study included the
apparent relationship between the existence of an educated elite and native
language maintenance. Language planning efforts aimed at preservation
of the native or national language were found to be present only if or
after the presence of an educated was on the scene. Whether English was
seen as a threat to the native
language or culture was also found to have some relation to the activities
carried out by the intelligentsia.
The results of this study led to the recognition
of the importance of adequate language planning in order to assure maintenance
of the native language while attempting to incorporate an additional language
into a society.
Recommendations for language planning efforts included
planning for maintenance as well as spread, providing for adequate institutional
support and dissemination of information related to policy formation and
implementation.
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