Question

In language policy making, which of the following steps is/are necessary for an erstwhile minority language, spoken by a sizeable population, to be introduced as a medium of instruction in schools?

• A. Language revival
• B. Corpus planning
• C. Status planning
• D. Language preservation

Hint:

Corpus planning = developing the "body" of the language (grammar, texts). Status planning = giving it "power" in society (education, law, media).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B, C

Step 1: Define corpus planning
Corpus planning involves the development of linguistic resources: creating orthographies, dictionaries, grammars, standardizing spelling, coining new terms for technical subjects, and preparing teaching materials. This is essential when a minority language is introduced in schools.

Step 2: Define status planning
Status planning refers to decisions about the function and role of a language in society — for example, elevating a minority language to the status of a medium of instruction or official language. Without status planning, a language cannot gain institutional legitimacy in education or government.

Step 3: Eliminate distractors
(A) Language revival applies to dead or near-extinct languages (like Hebrew revival), not to a living minority language with sizeable speakers. ✘
(D) Language preservation aims to maintain a language at risk but does not by itself ensure its institutional role in schools. ✘
Thus, both corpus planning and status planning are necessary steps. \[ \boxed{\text{Correct Answer: (B) Corpus planning and (C) Status planning}} \]