| 1978 Doctral |
Humanistic Nationism, a Language- and ideology-based Model of National Development, with special reference to the Post-Colonial Nations |
Humanistic Nationism, a Language- and ideology-based Model of National Development, with special reference to the Post-Colonial Nations
- (a.) Overview in Language Planning Newsletter, 1978, East-West Centre, Hawai’i:
This dissertation attempts to develop a model of national development which has man as the focus.
Analyzing man from the Buddhist point of view, the study examines the role of language in the maximization of the humanness of the
individual as well as of the collectivity. Approaching the issue from the Language Planning perspective, three specific issues are addressed to:
the choice of a 'language of development' as between the exogenous language and the endogenous languages of a post-colonial nation, the choice of a
language of development from among the endogenous languages, and the choice of a variety of a language as between the basilect(s) and the
acrolect(s). Given the colonial past and the neocolonial present, the issues are examined in relation to social class, and an ideology
which recognizes these realities.
In order to transfer this theoretical framework into the praxic, or plan implementation domain, the thesis proposes criteria for language
determination and norm determination, and ways and means of language 'cultivation' in a manner that would likely minimize the linguistic and
ideological dissensions that characterize the countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and Oceania.
- (b.) Comments by Thesis Committee Members on the “Extraordinary” Doctoral Thesis”:
Prof. Joe Farrell (Chair):
Mr Sugunasiri has undertaken a truly massive job… He has summarized and organized in a lucid and novel fashion a vast array of
“development” literature from the West.. and which I find both fresh and intellectually challenging – has blended these with a Buddhist
world view… He then combines this mixture with a series of concepts from modern linguistics to produce a new theory and model of
development…. “The breadth of knowledge shown in this long work is quite extraordinary…. I wish I encountered more dissertations that
challenge me intellectually as much as this one has”.
Prof. Roby Kidd (Internal Examiner):
Judged by many different criteria, this is an extraordinary thesis… it reveals both wide reading and much reflection… It is infused with
humanism….…. [T]he main contribution of the thesis is its identification of many forms of endogenous culture, its discussion of humanistic
considerations in development and its careful examination of many of the factors of language that may lead to fuller social and political
participation..
Prof. Douglas Ray ( External Examiner, University of Western Ontario):
“.. one of the best [Thesis defences] in the memory of any of the Members of the Examining Committee”.
The energy, range of scholarship, depth of scholarship, organizational competence, facility of expression, and painstaking attention
to details of the author is amply demonstrated. The length of the thesis (477 pages plus Bibliography) makes the list of substantial
concerns surprisingly short.
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OISE, U of Toronto Canada |