Awkward questions : language issues in the 2011 census in England

Sebba, Mark (2018) Awkward questions : language issues in the 2011 census in England. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 39 (2). pp. 181-193. ISSN 0143-4632

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Abstract

The 2011 Census in England broke new ground, as a question about language had never previously been asked. After stakeholder consultations and a series of trials, the census authority decided on two questions based on earlier censuses in the USA: one about the respondent’s ‘main language’ and another about proficiency in English. This paper provides a critique of the census questions, showing how the pressure to produce questions which were straightforward to answer and consistent with the predominant monolingual ideology led to the choice of two questions which were problematic in different ways. This raises doubts about the validity of the questions themselves and the usefulness of the data collected.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development
Additional Information:
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development on 30/06/2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01434632.2017.1342651
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3304
Subjects:
?? censusmultilingualismlanguage policyself-assessment of language proficiencyeducationlinguistics and languagecultural studies ??
ID Code:
86672
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
12 Jun 2017 15:46
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
31 Dec 2023 00:49