Postcolonial English Language Politics Today: Reading Ramanathan's The English-Vernacular Divide

In this essay, I will discuss the ideological structure of current postcolonial English language politics in the world, arguing that despite the “advances” in post-Independence nationalist rhetoric in most “postcolonial” countries, the debates on language continue to rehash tired voices of pragmatis...

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Main Author: Tupas, T. Ruanni F.
Format: text
Published: Archīum Ateneo 2024
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Online Access:https://archium.ateneo.edu/kk/vol1/iss11/11
https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/kk/article/1148/viewcontent/_5BKKv00n11_2008_5D_202.1_Article_Tupas.pdf
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spelling ph-ateneo-arc.kk-11482024-12-15T15:24:02Z Postcolonial English Language Politics Today: Reading Ramanathan's The English-Vernacular Divide Tupas, T. Ruanni F. In this essay, I will discuss the ideological structure of current postcolonial English language politics in the world, arguing that despite the “advances” in post-Independence nationalist rhetoric in most “postcolonial” countries, the debates on language continue to rehash tired voices of pragmatism and linguistic nationalism. I further argue that what is usually “notable” in current postcolonial English language politics is the disappearance or devaluing of class as a central concept in the understanding of postcolonial language and society. I will discuss these arguments through my review of Ramanathan’s The English-Vernacular Divide: Postcolonial Language Politics and Practice. I claim that the book’s powerful arguments run against dominant perspectives on the role of English and local languages in many societies today. The book’s main argument that English still divides could be a stirring response to those who maintain that English, through its hybrid, localized and “fighting back” forms, is now stripped of its colonial trappings and baggage. 2024-12-16T08:20:10Z text application/pdf https://archium.ateneo.edu/kk/vol1/iss11/11 info:doi/10.13185/1656-152x.1148 https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/kk/article/1148/viewcontent/_5BKKv00n11_2008_5D_202.1_Article_Tupas.pdf Kritika Kultura Archīum Ateneo language politics postcolonialism postmodernism
institution Ateneo De Manila University
building Ateneo De Manila University Library
continent Asia
country Philippines
Philippines
content_provider Ateneo De Manila University Library
collection archium.Ateneo Institutional Repository
topic language politics
postcolonialism
postmodernism
spellingShingle language politics
postcolonialism
postmodernism
Tupas, T. Ruanni F.
Postcolonial English Language Politics Today: Reading Ramanathan's The English-Vernacular Divide
description In this essay, I will discuss the ideological structure of current postcolonial English language politics in the world, arguing that despite the “advances” in post-Independence nationalist rhetoric in most “postcolonial” countries, the debates on language continue to rehash tired voices of pragmatism and linguistic nationalism. I further argue that what is usually “notable” in current postcolonial English language politics is the disappearance or devaluing of class as a central concept in the understanding of postcolonial language and society. I will discuss these arguments through my review of Ramanathan’s The English-Vernacular Divide: Postcolonial Language Politics and Practice. I claim that the book’s powerful arguments run against dominant perspectives on the role of English and local languages in many societies today. The book’s main argument that English still divides could be a stirring response to those who maintain that English, through its hybrid, localized and “fighting back” forms, is now stripped of its colonial trappings and baggage.
format text
author Tupas, T. Ruanni F.
author_facet Tupas, T. Ruanni F.
author_sort Tupas, T. Ruanni F.
title Postcolonial English Language Politics Today: Reading Ramanathan's The English-Vernacular Divide
title_short Postcolonial English Language Politics Today: Reading Ramanathan's The English-Vernacular Divide
title_full Postcolonial English Language Politics Today: Reading Ramanathan's The English-Vernacular Divide
title_fullStr Postcolonial English Language Politics Today: Reading Ramanathan's The English-Vernacular Divide
title_full_unstemmed Postcolonial English Language Politics Today: Reading Ramanathan's The English-Vernacular Divide
title_sort postcolonial english language politics today: reading ramanathan's the english-vernacular divide
publisher Archīum Ateneo
publishDate 2024
url https://archium.ateneo.edu/kk/vol1/iss11/11
https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/kk/article/1148/viewcontent/_5BKKv00n11_2008_5D_202.1_Article_Tupas.pdf
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