Políticas lingüísticas de séculos passados nos dias de hoje: O dilema sobre a educaçäo bilíngüe no norte do uruguai

Language planning from past centuries today: The dilemma of bilingual education in northern Uruguay This paper discusses language policies promoted by the Uruguayan educational system aimed at eliminating the presence of the Portuguese language in northern bilingual communities during the past two centuries. It shows how these policies, which were common during the nineteenth century when they responded to the one nation/one language ideal, persisted during the twentieth century and endure today. It claims that these ideals are based on three erroneous principles, namely that the mother language of the entire country is Spanish, that the presence of Portuguese in Uruguay is due to the influence of Brazil, and that all Uruguayans must speak Spanish, or will not be real Uruguayans. Finally, the directions in language planning proposed in Ruiz (1984) are examined and it is claimed that Uruguayan Portuguese should not be seen as a problem or a right, but as a national resource from which the entire nation can benefit. This objective requires, however, that the status of Uruguayan Portuguese as a dialect of Portuguese that is as valid as any other variety be made manifest. Likewise, it is claimed that strategies of language planning that are based on outdated and discriminatory ideals should be updated, enabling them to respond to current needs for regional integration and for multiculturalism.