Formulating effective policy: Some functions of language in achieving or hindering democratic change

Abstract

Using examples from education and language policy, this paper explores the implications of certain ways of using language for realising policy goals. Of course, no policy is inherently good, and the best-formulated policy can be turned to bad account. The paper demonstrates, first, that what seems like reactionwy policy can be animated by progressive ideals, and supposedly progressive policy can be used to liberate or oppress depending on the larger social situation. The key issues for this paper is more practical. Well-formulated policy is conductive to success, and bad formulation of policy can impede the achievement of goals and open the way for unintended consequences. Two problems of formulation are dealt with. First, shoddy expression and conceptualisation is shown to create difficulties in some Outcomes Based Education policy documents. The second problem is binary discourse. It is far more insidious and pervasive. The paper demonstrates how binary discourse creates major impediments to implementation in key policy documents relating to education and to language. The difficulties are analysed in some detail.Voorbeelde van die onderwys- en taalbeleid word in hierdie artikel gebruik om die rol van taal in die realisering van die gestelde ideale te verken. Dit blyk dat beleid nie inherent goed is nie. Bleeid wat reaksioner Iyk. kan verlewendig word deur progressiewe ideale, en veronderstelde progressiewe beleid kan, afhangend van die breër sosiale situasie, gehruik word om te bevry of te onderdruk. Beleid wat swak geformuleer is, kan weer die hereiking van beleidsdoelstellings belemme. Oor die algemeen veroorsaak slordige uitdrukking en konseptualisering probleme in sommige beleidsdokumente oor Uitkomsbaseerde Onderwys. Binêre diskoers in die besonder veroorsaak wesenlike belemmeringe ten opsigte van die implementering van kernbeliedsdokumente oor onderwys en taal. Hierdie prohleme word gedeeltelik geanliseer.