Current Issues In Language Planning
Polity Editors: Robert B. Kaplan (University of Southern California), Richard B. Baldauf Jr. (University of Queensland) and Nkonko Kamwangamalu (Howard University)Bob and Dick are also editors of the book series Language Policy and Planning
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Volume: 8 Number: 3 Page: 365–382
doi:10.2167/cilp128.0
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The Politics of Naming Race and Ethnicity: Language Planning and Policies Regulating the Selection of Racial Ethnonyms Used by the US Census 1990–2010
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I.M. Laversuch
Department of English, University of Cologne, Germany
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Since 1790, the US government has conducted a decennial census of the nation's population and its various ethno-racial subgroups. The official names for these subgroups have direct and significant consequences for the implementation and regulation of public policy at the national, state and local levels of governance. This paper first provides a general overview of the development of the language policies governing the selection, definition and standardisation of the US Census's modern system of racial and ethnic nomenclature. This is followed by an in-depth look at the recent review and revision of these language policies regarding specific terminology.
Keywords: race, ethnicity, ethnonymy, United States, US Census, Office of Management and Budget
I.M. Laversuch
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