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dc.contributor.authorPerera, Niru
dc.contributor.authorKhodos, Iryna
dc.date.accessioned2024-09-30T00:40:10Z
dc.date.available2024-09-30T00:40:10Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.identifier.citationPerera, N. and Khodos, I. 2024. Linguistic reconciliation in contexts of conflict: Tamil language learning in Sri Lanka. Language Policy.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/95981
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s10993-024-09716-4
dc.description.abstract

This article explores how language learning is an integral component of progressing linguistic reconciliation in contexts of war and conflict. Sri Lanka is a case where ethnolinguistic division and the devaluation of Tamil as a co-official language has led to linguistic injustice for Tamil people and users of Tamil. In the post-war landscape, government commitment towards addressing this injustice, and reconciliation for that matter, has been weak. We interviewed 12 adult students and teachers in a small, non-profit, Tamil language course to understand what motivates people to learn Tamil in this context. The language course was a space where both second language and heritage language learners came together. Thematic analysis of the interview data showed that language learning motivations extended beyond the norm of the instrumental/integrative dichotomy and revealed the role of social, historical, and political factors, and a shared vision for societal multilingualism in shaping learners’ motivations. The results help to form a preliminary conceptualisation of linguistic reconciliation and to promote language learning “of the enemy” as an integral and impactful component.

dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.titleLinguistic reconciliation in contexts of conflict: Tamil language learning in Sri Lanka
dc.typeJournal Article
dcterms.source.issn1568-4555
dcterms.source.titleLanguage Policy
dc.date.updated2024-09-30T00:40:10Z
curtin.departmentCurtin School of Nursing
curtin.accessStatusOpen access
curtin.facultyFaculty of Health Sciences
curtin.contributor.orcidPerera, Niru [0000-0001-9933-7145]
curtin.contributor.scopusauthoridPerera, Niru [56215224100]
curtin.repositoryagreementV3


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