The Evaluation of Language Regimes

Theory and application to multilingual patent organisations

Michele Gazzola | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Hardbound – Available

ISBN 9789027200570 | EUR 99.00 | USD 149.00

e-Book –

ISBN 9789027270450 | EUR 99.00 | USD 149.00

Building on existing analytical frameworks, this book provides a new methodology allowing different language policies in international multilingual organisations (or “language regimes”) to be compared and evaluated on the basis of criteria such as efficiency and fairness. It explains step-by-step how to organise the evaluation of language regimes and how to design and interpret indicators for such evaluation. The second part of this book applies the theoretical framework to the evaluation of the language policy of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) division of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the European Patent Office (EPO). Results show that an increase in linguistic diversity of the language regimes of patent organisations can both improve the efficiency of the patent system and lead to a more balanced distribution of costs among countries. This book is a resource for scholars in language policy and planning and for policy-makers in the international and European patent system.

[Multilingualism and Diversity Management, 3] 2014. xxi, 380 pp.

Publishing status: Available
Published online on 11 August 2014

https://doi.org/10.1075/mdm.3

Table of Contents

List of figures | pp. ix–xii

List of tables | pp. xiii–xvi

List of abbreviations | pp. xvii–xx

Acknowledgements | pp. xxi–xxii

Introduction | pp. 1–6

Setting the scene: Language policy and evaluation

Chapter 1. The need for evaluation in language policy | pp. 9–34

Part I. Theory: From economic analysis to multilingual communication

Chapter 2. The criteria of efficiency and fairness | pp. 37–62

Chapter 3. Multilingual communication as an object  of evaluation | pp. 63–84

Chapter 4. The evaluation process | pp. 85–112

Chapter 5. Indicators | pp. 113–144

Part II. Application to multilingual patent organisations

Chapter 6. Multilingualism and patents | pp. 147–194

Chapter 7. The language regime of the PCT system | pp. 195–274

Chapter 8. The language regime of the EPO | pp. 275–320

Conclusions

Chapter 9. Summary and perspectives | pp. 323–342

References

Appendices | pp. 345–354

References

Index | pp. 373–380

“Despite the inherent difficulty of tackling topics pertaining to multiple disciplines, Michele Gazzola manages to bring together the theory, methodology and application of language regime evaluation, and he does so with remarkable consistency using the tools of economic analysis. The result is an easy-to-follow, yet analytically rigorous, interdisciplinary text: a must-have for scholars in language policy and planning, as well as researchers in intellectual property.”

Claudio Sfreddo, Université de Lausanne

“This study is an important contribution to the intricacies of multilingualism. An onset is given to the theory of language policy evaluation and this is badly needed in Europe and elsewhere. It makes this book a must for every scholar who takes multilingualism seriously.”

Piet Van de Craen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

“The economics of language and language usage is a relatively new but fast expanding field of research. In this book Michele Gazzola sets a new standard for the analysis of language policies in international organizations. It combines a clear and concise discussion of the welfare economics basis for the evaluation of the efficiency and fairness of such policies with a detailed application to the praxis in international patent organizations. The evaluation of language policy and language planning is a discipline where traditionally ad hoc evaluation criteria tend to dominate. The combination of a stringent theoretical basis with down-to-earth applications makes Michele Gazzola’s book new and unique in the area of language policy.”

Bengt-Arne Wickström, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

“This study, is not the final word in language policy evaluation, but it is very well done, and moves the LPP field forward by more closely integrating to it the growing sub-field of language economics, and a more disciplined approach to public policy analysis and evaluations. Gazzola is clear about what he leaves out of this study, and he is explicitly clear about where his operational definitions/conceptualizations are placed within contested areas of LPP research and evaluation. These aspects of this work strengthen the value of the study rather than constrain its utility to the field, and makes the book deserving of a close read by those involved in language policy making, language strategists, scholars, and those aspiring to be such.”

Reynaldo F. Macías, University of California, Los Angeles, in Language Problems and Language Planning Vol. 40:1 (2016)

“This volume is extremely well organized; its meticulous use of headings, tables, and figures will likely aid readers’ comprehension of the rich details and complex ideas it conveys. [...] Given its interdisciplinary nature, the text will be of interest for LPP scholars exploring new approaches to LPP research and theory, as well as evaluation experts and economists interested in the complex role language plays in various settings. Additionally, those whose work involves intellectual property rights may better recognize the impact of specific (language related) organizational decisions within the industry.”

Kathryn D. Stemper, University of Minnesota, in Language Policy, Vol. 16, pp. 485-487

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