[ALBSA-Info] Minority languages in Europe

[Agron Alibali]

Fwd: Conference Report: Minority Languages in Europe: Frameworks - Status - Prospects


 Conference report An international conference on Minority Languages in Europe:Frameworks Status  Prospects. A Pan-European comparative,multi-disciplinary approach, sponsored by the European ScienceFoundation, was held at the University of Bath on 8-10 June 2001. Theaim of this event, which was organised by Gabrielle Hogan-Brun(University of Bristol) and Stefan Wolff (University of Bath), was toextend our existing knowledge and understanding of the importance ofminority languages within a democratic Europe and the need for theiradequate protection as part of our cultural heritage.The keynote speakers were John Packer, (Director, Office of the HighCommissioner on National Minorities, Organisation for Security andCooperation in Europe, The Hague, The Netherlands), Franois Grin(Deputy Director, European Centre for Minority Issues, Flensburg,Germany) and Bencie Woll, (Chair in Sign Language & Deaf Studies,Department of Language & Communication Science, City UniversityLondon).24 short papers were presented, under the following seven topics:1. Pan-European perspectives on language and ethnicityMinority language communities in the age of globalization: Rethinkingthe organization of human language diversity was the focus of thecontribution by Albert Bastardas-Boada (University of Barcelona,Spain). Considering the impact of worldwide globalization processesand of European unification on minority language communities hestressed the importance of continued cultural diversity and the needto organize peaceful co-existence. He suggested an 'ecological'principle as a way forward, according to which stable habitats wouldbe provided for sustainable language communities, whilst at the sametime assuring intercommunication in Europe through an interlingua. Itwas his view that a global language, though important forinternational communication, should have limited functions, because ofthe application of the subsidiarity principle in language use. Thusall communication functions that could be accomplished by the locallanguages should not be allocated to the major or big language orlanguages to preserve their functionality in all domains.Camille OReilly, Richmond (The American University, London) spoke onMinority languages, ethnicity and the state in the European union andeastern Europe post 1989. Her paper entailed a comparativeperspective, comprising an overview of trends in both parts of Europeregarding the politics of ethnicity and the position of minoritylanguage groups. She explored the impact of EU policy and discourse onindividual movements within states, as well as on the overallorientation towards linguistic heterogeneity and cultural diversity inboth the East and West. She argued that while the EU is moving awayfrom an ideal of ethnic homogeneity within states and towards a modelof cultural and linguistic diversity based on multiple and hybrididentities, most states in Eastern Europe still take a largelymodernist and homogenising approach, relying on the ethnic nationalistideal of the state.2. Legal dimensions in the protection of minority languages andlinguistic minoritiesIn his keynote speech John Packer clarified the role of the OSCE HighCommissioner on National Minorities in the protection of linguisticminorities, whose mandate is to de-escalate at the earliest stageconflicting tensions involving national minority issues. Human rightsstandards serve as an analytical framework in their work to maximisefreedom through non-discrimination, and to provide opportunitiesthrough democratic, inclusive means in areas where disintegration andconflicts arise.The focus of the keynote by Franois Grin was The effectiveness ofvarious measures for the protection of minority languages.Distinguishing between the two poles of politics of language, wherelaw is seen as normative, and language policy, with itsproblem-oriented stance, he called for the need to put appropriatestrategies in place that give substance to the linguistic rights ofminorities. Such steps ought to involve appropriate policy measures toensure positive outcomes. He argued that evaluation of language policyprocesses should involve the following three pillars: capacity (creation of) opportunities  desire (attitudes to improvement) inorder to guarantee effectiveness.Kristin Henrard's (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)contribution was on Devising an adequate system of minorityprotection: individual human rights, minority  rights and the right toself-determination. Her paper contained a critical assessment of theacquisition of current minority right standards, whilst acknowledgingtheir additional protection as compared to individual human rights andthus their potential to contribute to minority protection. She arguedthat qualified recognition of internal self-determination forminorities could be an option to further their integration withoutassimilation.In his paper Linguistic diversity pearl or stumbling bloc of EU-law?Gabriel von Togggenburg (The European Academy, Bozen/Bolzano, SouthTyrol, Italy) discussed the legal attitude of the EU towards (its)minorities and their languages. With reference to the Treaty ofAmsterdam he showed that minorities were not an issue in the economicand legal process of the European integration, and that a lack oflegal competencies in Primary law at the European level was evident.He called for a new political consciousness that should promote therecognition of minority and language protection not only as apolitical export product but also as an internal legal principlewithin the framework of the (enlarged) EU in order to prevent minoritylanguages from being macdonaldised through the (market force driven)destruction of Europes linguistic variety.3. Language status and ethnic linguistic identityFacilitating or generating linguistic diversity? was the title byMirad Nic Craith (University of Liverpool, UK), who discussed the roleof the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages (as acatalyst or merely the facilitator of linguistic pluralism) in thecontext of a multilingual Europe. Using a case study of Ulster-Scotsin Northern Ireland, she queried the emergence of new and disputedlanguages, whose speakers then seek legitimacy under the terms of thisCharter, and explored their significance for the construction ofregional identities. With reference to the promotion of a Europe ofthe Regions, her paper examined the reactions of speakers of moreestablished minority languages such as Irish to the emergence of suchnew and disputed tongues and asked whether the promotion of a Europeof the Languages has served to maintain, protect or to enhance thecultural diversity of its regions.James OConnells (University of Bradford, UK) contribution dealt withThe failure of the Irish language revival: a problem for nationalidentity. Based on a historical analysis of linguistic development inIreland, he examined the intimate relationship of nationalism andlanguage, paying particular attention to the role of the Anglo-Irish,the nexus of language and identity, and the search for otheringredients  the distinctive use of English in Ireland and theliterary revival, from Yeats to Heaney, from O'Casey to Friei, fromJoyce to Toibin  for the construction of a national identity.National minority-models for linguistic diversity was the focus of thetalk by Karen Margrethe Pedersen (Danish Institute for Border RegionStudies, Aabenraa, Denmark). She introduced the language situation ofthe Danish-German border region Schleswig as a model that cancontribute to a development from confrontation to peacefulco-existence between majorities and national minorities in amultilingual Europe. This national minority-model relates to afunctional regional bilingualism consisting of the state language andtwo varieties of the minority language (the standard language of thekin-state and a regional language containing transfer phenomena), andto each language or variety having its own fields of function with ahigh status. The system of variation of the regional language, whichis acquired as a minority second language, is like that of ethnicminorities second language in the kin-state, the difference beingstatus. Linking linguistic diversity to transethnic identity, shefinally discussed whether status planning with the nationalminority-model is possible in the kin-state and in a multiculturalEurope.Judith Broadbridge (University of Staffordshire, UK) was concernedwith the possibility of a reversal of language shift in her paper onAlsatian in Alsace: linguistic ability, language use, languageattitudes. Against the background of French linguistic policy sincethe French Revolution and its devastating effect on regional varietiesshe examined internal language legislation as well as reaction toEuropean-led initiatives. Finally she considered the desirability forand effectiveness of attempts to reverse language shift in acentralist state such as France where a chronic lack of support hasresulted in a drastic reduction of inter-generational transmission ofAlsatian.4. The non-hearing community as a cultural and linguistic minority Inher keynote speech Bencie Woll (City University London) gave anoverview of the sign languages of Europe, introducing them aslong-established natural human languages that have their own lexiconsand grammars differing from those of the surrounding hearingcommunities. Identifying similarities and differences with thesituation of spoken minority languages in Europe, she reviewed thestatus of sign languages and commented on efforts which are being madefor one of these tongues, the British Sign Language (BSL), to achieveofficial legislative recognition in the European Charter of MinorityLanguages.With the title British sign language and the push-me-pull-you effectGraham Turner (University of Central Lancashire, UK) referred to a setof incentives and disincentives alike that are being offered by policymakers to linguistic campaigners within the Deaf community. He arguedthat whilst on the one hand, social policy developments - led by theintroduction of the Disability Discrimination Act - have revitalisedthe national debate about ensuring access to public life for disabledpeople, on the other hand, many years of campaigning have been devotedto raising public awareness of the Deaf community as a linguisticminority group who - whilst they may as individuals have a physical'impairment' - do not otherwise identify with the generalintegrationist thrust of disability politics. In view of the fact thatthe devolution debate, with its associated linguistic highlighting ofthe 'other' languages of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, maypresent a parallel and template for Deaf people he offered anassessment of the prospects for a linguistic maintenance projectfocusing on BSL within the current national social, educational andcultural policy climate.Pauline Darlings (University of Bath, UK) talk on Russian SignLanguage provided an overview of the history of RSL as an unrecognisedminority language, and sketched its current situation as an'auxiliary' means of teaching the deaf. Taking into accountperceptions of the deaf community and deaf identity, it seeked toestablish attitudes towards RSL in Russia. In view of the fact that,in the wake of glasnost and perestroika, there is felt to be a movetowards recognising sign as a minority language, she attempted toassess how close the deaf community is to achieving officialrecognition, and to raise questions about the future of RSL.5. Minority languages and the mediaThe contribution by Lucia Grimaldi (Free University of Berlin,Germany) and Eva-Maria Remberger (University of Cologne, Germany) wason The promotion of the Sardinian language and culture via theinternet: fields of activity and perspectives. They introduced theirproject Limba e curtura de sa Sardigna ("Sardinian language andculture" http://www.spinfo.uni-koeln.de/mensch/sardengl.htmln) whichwas aimed initially at the collection of information on the Sardinianlanguage for native speakers. This was soon to develop into one of themost extensive sites on the subject, the principal objectives beingthe promotion, preservation, linguistic analysis and the developmentof different kinds of language (processing) tools for sociolinguisticdata collection, as well as the networking of information on theSardinian language and culture. They presented evidence on therelevance of the above tasks for the protection of endangeredlanguages, such as Sardinian.Carmen Milln-Varela (University of Birmingham, UK) spoke on Minorneeds or the ambiguous power of translation. She argued that, whilsttranslation is widely acknowledged as a crucial instrument for thecreation and development of national languages and literatures, in thecase of minor(itised) languages however, translation becomes a complexand ambiguous activity: on the one hand, it contributes to processesof linguistic and cultural normalisation and, on the other hand, it isa painful reminder of the existence of asymmetrical relations ofpower. The study of translation is thus revealed as a powerfulresearch tool to investigate issues related to language, power, andidentity.'Minority languages and local media: lessons from the Basque magazinemovement was the focus of the talk by Jacqueline Urla (University ofMassachusetts, Amerherst, USA). She claimed that whilst languageplanning policies have often placed emphasis on securing high prestigefunctions as a key to minority language maintenance, policies need topay more attention to the promotion of more "low brow" languagefunctions if they are to attract young speakers. Drawing onethnographic research on community magazines in the Basque country,her findings indicated that local media and other forms of popularculture help to encourage literacy, localize standard varieties, andpromote community building that is essential for minority languagesurvival, as well as affording opportunities for creativeexperimentation with language, including language mixing, that may notbe seen as appropriate for other registers. Her paper concluded with acall for more descriptive research on the products and processes oflocal media-making and their functions as tools for languagedevelopment and intergenerational communication.6. Politics of language and identity in multicultural societies  In his talk on 'Balkan dialects, migrations, and ethnic violence: thecase of the Bosnian Serbs, Robert Greenberg (University of NorthCarolina, Chapel Hill, USA) traced the population movements inBosnia-Herzegovina before hostilities broke out in 1992. He showedthat whilst the ethnic Slavic groups (the Muslim Slavs, the CatholicCroats and the Orthodox Serbs) differed primarily in religion andcultural heritage, the ethnic differences of the population who hadshifted from rural communities to urban centres had often becameneutralized, resulting in culturally diverse cities, such as Tuzla orSarajevo. In Bosnia's rural communities however, where Serbs hadsettled for military and economic reasons, many of the cultural andlinguistic differences had remained strong. Due to these polarizationsit was not surprising that some of the fiercest fighting of the waroccurred it these rural areas, where some of the war's worst massacresoccurred. His research suggests that the preservation of distinctivelinguistic identity in the rural areas could well be a reflection ofeach group's need to cling to their respective cultural heritages andthe their historical resistance to the pressures of assimilativetendencies.The focus of the contribution by Vanessa Pupavac (University ofNottingham, UK) was on Education Reform and the Politicisation ofLanguage in the Post-Yugoslav States. Her paper was an analysis of theSerbo-Croat language in the Post-Yugoslav states. It considered thepoliticisation of the language through an examination of works bylocal linguists and school grammars, and the response of internationalofficials to the language quest ion. She argued that internationalresponses over the last decade have helped legitimate the claim ofnationalists to separate languages as part of the nationalist projectsand that the divisive consequences of this approach can be seen in thecurrent problems being experienced by international administrators inBosnia-Herzegovina, attempting to reintegrate education in therepublic.Tomasz Kamusella (University of Opole, Poland) spoke on Nationalism,ethnicity and language: a case study of the Polish region of UpperSilesia. In his paper he claimed that the development of standardlanguages in Central Europe is closely connected to the parallelunfolding of national movements that are in part made through theselanguages and, in turn, make these languages their own as national. Heshowed that whilst this standard coupling of language and nationfailed to take root in Upper Silesia it served the Kashubs aroundGdansk (Danzig) to refashion themselves as an ethnic group who is onthe road to become a new nation with their distinctive language. Usingthese examples he presented and analysed different uses made ofminority languages in similar ecological contexts to draw attention tochoices made by group leaders and to their approach to language as aninstrument of doing identificational politics or not.In his paper on Minority languages in Italy Paolo Coluzzi (Universityof Exeter, UK) gave a brief introduction on the languages spoken inItaly, both those that are protected and recognized as minoritylanguages by the Italian law, and those that are still termed dialectsin spite of being Romance languages, as different from each other asItalian is from Spanish, and quite unintelligible to those who do notspeak them. Depicting the sociolinguistic situation of one of theseprotected languages Friulian, (formerly called a dialect), spoken innortheast Italy, he outlined what needed to be done in terms oflanguage planning and promotion..7. Language policy for/against indigenous and immigrant minoritiesCidgem Balims (University of Manchester, UK) talk on Language as atool of group survival focused on language policy for/againstindigenous & immigrant minorities. Presenting cases from Turkiclanguages (Meskhetians, Crimean Tatars and Bulgarian Muslims/Turks)she illustrated how languages and/or dialects can act as a bindingforce between ethnically different peoples in their determination toform a (national) identity. She stressed the importance of keepingfacilities (such as schools etc.) for minorities to prevent resentmentin the face of resulting assimilation due to a lack of theirprovision.Marietta Caldern (University of Jerusalem, Israel) gave a paper onFrancophobic Francophones? Perspectives on the Isareli French-speakingcommunity. Findings from her work on discursive identity constructionsamong immigrated Israelis who remain French citizens revealed theemphasis being laid on the importance they attribute to French, one ofthe most important minority languages in Israel, as a constitutiveelement of their (new) identity/identities. She also presented ananalysis of the current situation of French in Israel from asociological point of view and the political attitudes toward theIsraeli French speaking community.The talk by Gabrielle Hogan-Brun (University of Bristol, UK) andMeilute Ramoniene (University of Vilnius, Lithuania) was entitledLithuanian, Russian and Polish languages in Lituania: traditions andchanges. They presented a sociolinguistic analysis of the changeswhich had affected Lithuanians since the collapse of communist rule in1990. Their findings highlighted the language-related challenges thathave arisen since independence and the diverging attitudes of the -now legally protected - national minorities whose behavioural andattitudinal patterns can be observed to range from segregation toactive integration.Julia Sallabank (Reading University, UK) spoke on Guernsey French andstandard French: a symbiotic relationship. Her research showed howGuernesiais, the indigenous language of Guernsey in the ChannelIslands, and once the language of government and of the ilite afterthe Norman invasion of England in 1066, has declined over the years.According to her findings most native speakers are past child-bearingage and now constitute less than one in ten of the population. Sheheld the view that this language, which is now seen as a tongue of theuneducated and being displaced by a former lower-status language,English, would benefit from a revival programme at school through acombination of the medium of French and Guernesiais.The organisers are planning to publish a selection of papers in anedited volume and to encourage future collaboration through thecreation of an ESF-Network.For more information contact one of the organisers or consult:http://www.bath.ac.uk/~mlssaw/min_lang_workshopBristol and Bath                Gabrielle Hogan-Brun, g.hogan-brun at b...June 2001               Stefan Wolff, s.wolff at b... 



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