Fact-finding

Fact-finding is the first stage in the language planning process where the need of the target groups, sociolinguistic settings, socioeconomic and political contexts are studied and established to carry out successful language planning. This means that the fact-finding includes the study of relevant sociolinguistic surveys and profiles, demographic, cultural and political considerations, as input to policy decisions (according to Chumbow, 1987:16-17 in Magwa, 2008:33-34). Thus, it is essential to begin the establishment of facts–both sociolinguistic situations and larger social contexts to map the characteristics of a particular language and the language behaviour of its users (according to Reagan and Osborn, 2002:113 in Tonkin, 2005:130). It is the first step to carry out an extensive research in order to find out the language problems, predisposition and constraints depending on the existing social contexts in the development and implementation of a language planning (Mutasa, 2003:32). Thus, in the survey study, sufficient information on attitudes, demography and the situation must be collected to determine the success of effective language planning. In this connection, Bamgbose (2004: 75-76) stated that the procedure of process model begins with fact-finding which includes “survey of language situations, dialect research, evaluation of competing media of instruction and language needs.” The sufficient and complete collection of data is essential to formulate a feasible, objective and fair language plan.

75

As explicated by Magwa (2008:37), in the views of the canonical model of language planning, fact-finding is a pre-planned activity that helps to formulate policy in a country and thus, it precedes the pre-policy fact finding process. The author (Ibid) also pointed that if fact-finding is placed before the formulation of policy, the scope of fact-finding should be expanded in the language planning processes. In other words, pre-policy, pre-implementation and intra- implementation are the three categories of fact finding in which planners should take into consideration in the language planning processes ( Magwa, 2008:37 and Bamgbose, 1989:28). The first category of language planning processes is a pre-policy stage. It refers to the stage where planners survey the linguistics situations, the number of the language speakers as a first language and /or second language, the description of various dialects from which standard can be selected and standardised, the domain of a language use, the socioeconomic situation and cultural diversity of a country. This preliminary survey entails the planners to arrive at decision- making processes that enable the planners to formulate the policy. It is a good input to language planning activities before implementation was carried out as it could inform the existing situations beforehand.

The second stage can be pre-implementation fact-finding and it is the stage where the declared policy is carried out in order to make the implementation more successful. At this stage of fact- finding, the resources used for implementation (i.e., human and material resources involved) can be suggested and the number of institutions involved is made available before the implementation can be carried out.

The third one is intra-implementation fact-finding stage where a resistance to particular changes can be taken place and where this resistance needs to carry out a new fact-finding about the attitudes of people towards the proposed actions. Thus, intra-implementation is carried out in order to tackle the constraints taken place during the implementation of policy decisions. In general, Fact- finding is the first stages used by language planners to gather information on the existing situations that enable them to carry out an extensive survey research in order to establish the language challenges, the demographics of linguistic groups, people’s language use and their

76

perceptions. These factors enable the planners to conduct effective language planning which focuses on feasible, objective oriented and fair language plan (Mutasa, 2003:32).

3.4.2 Planning

Planning is a process for accomplishing a desired goal on some scales to solve certain problems. In language planning processes, planning is the second phase that may include goals, strategies and outcomes. Thus, the language planners can design the planning based on the constraints and social related factors that the planners intend to solve a particular problem (according to Rubin, 1971:219 in Mutasa, 2003:33). It enables the planner to determine goals, strategies and predict outcomes. One of the planning processes is to carry out a cost benefit analysis of all languages and non-linguistic goal after determining the goals which lead to the establishment of strategies and then, predicting the outcomes (Mutasa, 2003:33). In planning, cost benefit analysis goals refer to a technique designed to determine the feasibility of the language-planning project quantifying its costs and benefits, whereas the non-linguistic one focuses on activities employed in storing information using mental pictures, images and physical sensations.

The planner can plan the activities and strategies used in the implementation of language –in – education planning. In pre-planning activities, the planners can include the linguistic situations of a community or learn and understand the previous historical researches done on socio-cultural and historical background of the speech community and the estimation of costs needed for the implementation of a language- in- education (Kaplan and Baldauf, 1997: 123-124).

In general, in language planning processes, planning should be designed to enhance successful implementation of language use in education in aspects of costs, efficiency, effectiveness and people’s interest and needs.

3.4.3 Implementation

After the planners have investigated the fact-finding of the sociolinguistic situations and formulated the planning, they can implement their plans depending on concrete situations they have found during the fact-finding and planning processes. During the implementation stage, the

77

appropriate resources, the activities, procedures and strategies designed may be put into practice. At this stage, stakeholders, for example, teachers, parents, school managers, local communities, governmental bodies and non-governmental organizations can participate and work together for the success of effective implementation.

However, the processes of implementation stage can be challenging and difficult activities as it involves populations with varying attitudes towards the designed plans. To carry out successful implementation, the local government, language planners and concerned bodies should engage in persuading and motivating the communities. Awareness creation should be given to the communities, students and other stakeholders until they fully realised the purpose of implementation of a particular language use in the main domains. This means that debates on the intended language policy are secured at this stage and stakeholders’ awareness creation and their motivation should be carried out. In other words, Mutasa (2003: 33) pointed out that those language planners who set the goals of language planning make certain effective and efficient implementation of the plan. In this sense, the majority of the population can arrive at agreed and common consensus. Thus, implementation includes all policy- formulation activities that are undertaken to give effect to policy decisions, including determining characteristics of the norm, diffusion or dissemination of the policy decisions and the evaluation of these activities (Chumbow, 1987:18). Thus, the purpose of language planning, implementation and activities are required to be carried out before and during its implementation to ensure and create stakeholders’ language-use awareness.

3.4.4 Evaluation

In the processes of language planning, evaluation is the last phase where the planner identifies the strength and weakness of the plan or whether the designed plan has worked. At this stage, the planner determines whether the outcomes matched with the already predicted ones during the plans. Thus, evaluation is vital to determine successes and limitations of the language planning (Mutasa, 2003:33). An intervening evaluation helps planners to monitor and revise their plans, to gain experiences and to identify the amount of time needed to accomplish the given ends (Cooper, 1989:67). Cooper went on saying that information is useful not only to the planners but

78

also to all students who are the “diffusion of the innovation.” The innovation refers to the socially defined location of the interaction through which the innovation spreads whereas diffusion implicates with the processes in which information can be disseminated. This means diffusion refers to communicative channels by which one individual communicates a new idea to one or any others (Cooper, 1997:69-70).

In the processes of language planning for some reasons, in addition to the implementation of strategies, it is also vital to monitor and evaluate the success of strategies and progress noticed in implementation. The evaluation constitutes an ongoing process at every stage of the language planning processes to provide constant feedback for the implementation. In this connection, Bamgbose (2004:75) pointed out that during implementation, “there is evaluation at every stage and according to procedure model of language planning is future-oriented, i.e. the expected outcomes must be specified in advance of the actions taken.” Thus, the strategies of implementation can be corrected in the light of information flowing the evaluation phase (Kaplan and Baldauf, 1997:37). As language plans involve social changes, it is imperative to monitor that change both at the level of the plan and its societal outcomes so that modifications can be made, where necessary, to plan itself and/ or to the dissemination mechanisms so that implementation leads to the necessary social goals (Kaplan and Baldauf, Ibid).

In conclusion, the four models and/or processes mentioned above are crucial models in language planning as they are used from the preliminary survey of language situations through scrutinizing and evaluation of language implementation processes. By attending to these models and adjusting them to societal situations, effective outcomes can be gained.