LINGUISTIC DIAGNOSIS OF INTERETHNIC TENSION IN A POLYETHNIC SOCIETY: BILINGUALISM, MULTILINGUALISM, AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

This article studies how language policy, interethnic relations, and educational management interact in polyethnic societies. The multidisciplinary framework combining sociolinguistic, conflict resolution, and educational leadership is used to examine language practices in higher education institutions that reflect and shape interethnic conflicts. This research identifies linguistic signs of potential strife such as changes in language preferences, shifts in the semantics of interethnic communication, and trends toward linguistic adaptation or linguistic resistance. The investigation reveals that bilingual and multilingual academic contexts can become either generators of conflict or mediators of reconciliation, depending on the strategies employed in putting them into practice. The researchers advance a framework of linguistic diagnosis that allows educational leaders to note incipient interethnic tensions through the observation of language behaviors. They also propose evidence-based leadership strategies that blend multilingual approaches with the creation of inclusive campus environments that address the fundamental sociolinguistic dynamics that shape interethnic relations. The research builds both theoretical and practical perspectives on the studies of interethnic tensions as informed by linguists to ensure social cohesion within increasingly diverse educational environments.