Introduction

As has been recognised, language policy is not an ideologically neutral endeavour; it 'is one mechanism for locating language within social structure so that language determines who has access to political power and economic resources' (Tollefson, 1991: 16).

The ideological nature of language policy decisions is particularly evident in multilingual contexts, where the choice of language(s) of instruction is often implicated in the struggle over political and socio-economic power. For example, the choice of inherited colonial languages as the media of instruction in postcolonial countries has been interpreted as a strategy adopted by political elites to perpetuate their dominance by ensuring that large numbers of people are unable to acquire the language(s) or the linguistic competence that they would need to succeed in school and efficiently participate in social and political life (Fasold, 1997; Tollefson, 1991). As will be illustrated from the African experience, in addition to internal factors, there may also be external forces conditioning the language policies adopted in postcolonial countries. It is within this framework that Phillipson (1992) argues that the promotion of languages of former empires in former colonies involves a process of economic, political, social, cultural and educational domination and exploitation.

This chapter is set to discuss aspects of the relationship between language and education, including the implication of language-in-education policies and practices in manifest and/or hidden socio-political agendas. Special attention is devoted to the sub-Saharan context, where Mozambique is located. The first part of the chapter discusses the concept and politics of bilingual education, with focus on the discussion of the relationship between bilingual education and national unity and social mobility. The second part discusses the so-called canonical patterns of classroom discourse and considers some contextually motivated departures from such patterns. This is followed by a consideration of two pervasive discursive strategies commonly deployed in bi-/multilingual classrooms: safetalk and codeswitching.

Bilingual Education

Concept and politics

Bilingual education has been used as a cover term for a variety of education provisions, including those using a single language.