«I’m a language teacher with language difficulties»: A focus group study of the Language Awareness of teachers in liminal zone areas

Abstract

In this article, the Language Awareness and language ideologies of secondary school teachers in a liminal zone area of Nynorsk outside Bergen are examined through the following research question: “How are teachers’ language awareness and language ideologies in liminal zone areas of Nynorsk expressed through their reported need for language skills?”. To answer this question, focus group interviews with a total of twelve teachers at four secondary schools were conducted. Through a reflexive thematic analysis, the following themes were developed: the teacher as a language user, the teacher as a language educator, and the marginal zone affecting TLA (Teacher Language Awareness). One key finding is that the teachers report needing formal knowledge of Nynorsk and Bokmål for their own writing. They describe themselves more as language users than language analysts, language teachers, and cultural educators. Their language awareness is influenced by language ideologies, which also largely guide the focus areas of the interviews. The research indicates that attention must be directed towards language in all subjects, and thus TLA in all subjects in teacher education, especially considering the Norwegian language context with two written languages.