Prospects for linguistic diversity in Europe and beyond: views from a small island
Dublin Core | PKP Metadata Items | Metadata for this Document | |
1. | Title | Title of document | Prospects for linguistic diversity in Europe and beyond: views from a small island - Reconfiguring Europe |
2. | Creator | Author's name, affiliation, country | Julia Sallabank; University of London; |
3. | Subject | Discipline(s) | Linguistics |
4. | Subject | Keyword(s) | linguistics; applied linguistics; Europe; multilingualism; multiculturalism; Pluralism; European Union; bilingualism: Minority languages |
5. | Subject | Subject classification | Applied linguistics |
6. | Description | Abstract | It is now generally accepted among linguists that there are benefits to bilingualism, both social and cognitive. Recent research indicates that it correlates with higher general educational achievement, but only if both languages are afforded equal (or at least respected) status. In addition, the ability to acknowledge and understand other ways of viewing the world is increasingly important in the current political climate. This paper maintains that strengthening minority linguistic rights will not only maintain linguistic diversity, but also promote bi- and multilingualism more effectively than traditional foreign language teaching. Minority languages cannot be safeguarded using functional/instrumental arguments alone. The benefits of bilingualism can also be conferred using ‘more economically useful’ languages, although tuition may not be effective without taking into account affective factors. Maintaining regional identity is often seen as increasingly important in the era of globalisation, with local languages a key element. The consequences of loss of societal bilingualism in a small speech community in Guernsey, Channel Islands, can be seen as a microcosm of diminishing linguistic diversity in larger communities. It may be no coincidence that anglicisation is further advanced in Guernsey than in most other European countries, given its neglect of its linguistic heritage. |
7. | Publisher | Organizing agency, location | Equinox Publishing Ltd |
8. | Contributor | Sponsor(s) | |
9. | Date | (YYYY-MM-DD) | 01-Sep-2006 |
10. | Type | Status & genre | Peer-reviewed Article |
11. | Type | Type | |
12. | Format | File format | |
13. | Identifier | Uniform Resource Identifier | https://journals.equinoxpub.com/index.php/books/article/view/29259 |
14. | Identifier | Digital Object Identifier | 10.1558/equinox.29259 |
15. | Source | Journal/conference title; vol., no. (year) | Equinox eBooks Publishing; Reconfiguring Europe |
16. | Language | English=en | en |
18. | Coverage | Geo-spatial location, chronological period, research sample (gender, age, etc.) |
Europe, Twentieth Century; twenty first century |
19. | Rights | Copyright and permissions | Copyright 2014 Equinox Publishing Ltd |