State and university tensions in Baltic higher education language policy

Abstract This article explores state and university language policy (LP) agents in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania to illuminate their relationship standpoints higher education management. Being interested who stands for what whose positions are legitimised, we study the LPs of each state, principles universities, public debates. We conceptualise active LP as people with power, expertise, influence, interest, consider them exercise agency five stages: initiation, involvement, intervention, implementation. By means argumentation analysis examine nature together they express. The findings reveal central role most nationally oriented policymakers management all three settings. Other policymakers, administrators, staff, students become when disagree policies. Agents setting share overarching goal, but main difference opinion that arises among is about agency: Should or universities implement LPs? And capable achieving common goal it takes task upon itself?