Evaluation of language policy in Lithuania

Abstract

In order to assess whether the language policy implemented in Lithuania corresponds to the expectations of the language users, they were asked to provide their opinion as part of the sociolinguistic survey Cities and Languages. The total reluctance to learn languages was rather surprising: only one in five residents of cities expressed a desire to learn various languages. The fact that 14% of very young people consider themselves first and foremost citizens of the world and Europeans can only be seen as a manifestation of globalisation. The most surprising result of this survey is that half of all respondents would like their children to attend bilingual i.e. Lithuanian/English schools. Separate language policies are developed for the languages used in Lithuania. A common integrated programme which contains a forecast of the prospects of all languages more actively used in Lithuania and a vision on an integral language policy is required.