Scientific research and languages in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions
Susana Pinto | University of Aveiro
Maria Helena Araújo e Sá | University of Aveiro
This paper reports on a study that looked at Portuguese public universities setting out to identify and discuss
institutional stakeholders’ social representations concerning the use of languages in scientific research and the development of
institutional language policies within this area of higher education activity. In order to do so, institutional stakeholders
responsible for research activities at six Portuguese public universities completed a questionnaire and participated in in-depth
interviews. The findings indicate there are common tendencies regarding the identified social representations that point, mainly,
to a tension between, on one hand, the existence of reported practices that centre on “English-mainly” research language policies,
reflecting the current monolingual scenario of global science and, on the other hand, the need for a more plurilingual science and
the privileging of Portuguese as a science language.
Keywords: scientific research, research language policies, higher education institutions, Portuguese universities
Article outline
- The “hard” question of languages in scientific research
- Scientific research in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions: Language tension
- The study: Portuguese universities and language policies in scientific research
- Research objectives
- Participants, data collection and analysis
- Main findings
- Languages in scientific research
- Development of institutional language policies in scientific research
- Discussion and research implications
- Disclosure statement
- Notes
-
References
Published online: 01 July 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.00054.pin
https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.00054.pin
References
Ammon, U.
Araújo e Sá, M. H., Costa, N., Guerra, C., Lopes, B., Lourenço, M., & Pinto, S.
2020). Case study – University of Aveiro, Portugal. In M. Byram & M. Stoicheva Eds. The Doctorate experience in Europe and beyond: A comparative study of supervision, languages and identities in higher education systems pp. 15 51 Abingdon Routledge
Baldauf, R.
Bennet, K.
Berthoud, A.-C.
(2015) The issues of multilingualism for the quality of higher education and research in the context of internationalisation. 2015 CEL/ELC Conference. Freie Universität Berlin. Retrieved from http://www.celelc.org/activities/Conferences/Ressources/Ressources_Conference2015/Les-enjeux-du-multilinguisme_Berthoud.pdf
Berthoud, A.-C., Papaux, A., Benaroyo, L., Diezi, J., Merminod, G., Dubochet, J., Schenk, F., Volken, H. & Usunier, J.-C.
Chardenet, P.
(2016) Internationalisation de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche. Pourquoi une politique linguistique stratégique en contexte latino-américain [Internationalisation of higher education and research. Why a strategic language policy in a Latin American context]? Revue de la SAPFESU, 391, 14–45.
Chua, C., & Baldauf, R.
Coste, D.
Flowerdew, J., & Li, Y.
Hamel, R.
Hamel, R., López, E., & Carvalhal, T.
Hultgren, A. K., Gregersen, F., & Thøgersern, J.
Jodelet, D.
Krippendorf, K.
Kuteeva, M., & Airey, J.
Liddicoat, A. J., & Baldauf, R. B.
Lüdi, G.
(2010) La plus-value de la diversité linguistique pour la créativité d’équipes mixtes dans des contextes de recherche [The added value of linguistic diversity for the creativity of mixed teams in research contexts]. In Les enjeux du plurilinguisme pour la construction et la circulation des savoirs savoirs [Issues of plurilingualism for the construction and circulation of knowledge] (pp. 21–36). Bern: Académie Suisse des Sciences Humaines et Sociales.
Ministry of Education and Science
(2014) Strategy for the internationalisation of Portuguese higher education. Retrieved from http://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/os-ministerios/ministerio-da-educacao-e-ciencia/documentos-oficiais/20140926-mec-internacionalizacao-ensino-superior.aspx
Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education
(2016) Sobre a evolução da organização do sistema de C&T e de ensino superior: construir o futuro, acreditar no conhecimento [On the evolution of the organization of the S& T system and higher education: building the future, believing in knowledge]. Retrieved from http://www.portugal.gov.pt/media/22048147/20161017-mctes-cet-es.pdf
Mondada, L.
(2003) La science polyglotte: conditions et possibilités des interactions scientifiques plurilingues [Multilingual science: conditions and possibilities of multilingual scientific interactions [Proceedings of the Colloquium of the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences – Languages and Knowledge Production]. In Actes du Colloque de l’Académie Suisse des Sciences Humaines et Sociales – Langues et production du savoir (pp. 33–42). Bern: SAGW.
(2000) La construction du savoir dans les discussions scientifiques. Apports de la linguistique interactionnelle et de l’analyse conversationnelle à la sociologie des sciences [The construction of knowledge in scientific discussions. Contributions of interactional linguistics and conversational analysis to the sociology of science]. Revue Suisse de Sociologie, 26(3), 615–636.
Pinto, S.
(2012) As línguas na Universidade de Aveiro: discursos e práticas [Languages at the University of Aveiro: discourses and practices] (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from https://ria.ua.pt/bitstream/10773/8112/1/247487.pdf
(2016) Políticas linguísticas nas universidades públicas portuguesas: discursos e práticas institucionais de formação e de investigação [Language policies at Portuguese public universities: institutional training and research discourses and practices]. Cadernos do LALE, Série Reflexões 71. Retrieved from https://www.ua.pt/cidtff/lale/page/21645
Pinto, S., & Araújo e Sá, M. H.
Ricento, T.
Robinson-Pant, A.
Sárdi, C.
(2005) Workshop 3: Policy (strategy and quality). ENLU closing conference. Retrieved from http://www.celelc.org/projects/Past_Projects/ENLU/Nancy_Papers/Nancy_Workshop_31.pdf
Sousa Santos, B.
Spolsky, B.
Tardy, C.
Tudor, I.
(2004) Benchmarks for a higher education language policy. Report prepared on the basis of the activities of ENLU Task Force 1–2004. Retrieved from http://www.celelc.org/archive/Projects-and-Reports/999ENLU/Resources_ENLU/TF1_report_final.pdf
Usunier, J.-C.
(2010) Un plurilinguisme pragmatique face au mythe de l’anglais lingua franca de l’enseignement supérieur [Pragmatic plurilingualism in the face of the myth of English lingua franca of higher education]. In Les enjeux du plurilinguisme pour la construction et la circulation des savoirs [Issues of plurilingualism for the construction and circulation of knowledge]. Bern: Académie Suisse des Sciences Humaines et Sociales, (pp. 37–48).
van der Walt, C.
Veronesi, D., & Nickenig, C.
Weijen, D.
(2012) The language of (future) scientific communication. Retrieved from https://www.researchtrends.com/issue-31-november-2012/the-language-of-future-scientific-communication/
Welch, D., & Welch, L.
Wood, A.
Zhao, S.
Cited by
Cited by 2 other publications
Araújo e Sá, Maria Helena & Susana Pinto
Hunter, N.B., M.A. North & R. Slotow
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 10 april 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.