Minority languages and group identity : cases and categories / John Edwards.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Edwards, John, 1947 December 3-

Series:

Impact, studies in language and society ; v. 27.

Impact: studies in language and society, 1385-7908 ; v. 27

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Linguistic minorities.

Language attrition.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (241 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Philadelphia : John Benjamins Pub. Co., c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The central concern in this book is the relationship between language and group identity, a relationship that is thrown into greatest relief in 'minority' settings. Since much of the current interest in minority languages revolves around issues of identity politics, language rights and the plight of 'endangered' languages, one aim of the book is to summarise and analyse these and other pivotal themes. Furthermore, since the uniqueness of every language-contact situation does not rest upon unique elements or features - but, rather, upon the particular weightings and combinations of features that recur across settings - the second aim here is to provide a general descriptive framework within which a wide range of contact settings may be more easily understood. The book thus begins with a discussion of such matters as language decline, maintenance and revival, the dynamics of minority languages, and the ecology of language. It then offers a typological framework that draws and expands upon previous categorising efforts. Finally, the book presents four case studies that are both intrinsically interesting and - more importantly - provide specific illustrations of the generalities discussed earlier.

Contents:

Minority Languages and Group Identity

Editorial page

Title page

LCC data

Dedication page

Table of contents

An introductory overview

Themes

Languages in contact and conflict

Towards a framework of contact situations

Four case-studies

A closing note

Languages in contact and conflict I

Introduction

Indigenous and immigrant languages

Bilingual solutions

Minority groups

Language maintenance

Languages in contact and conflict II

Language endangerment and decline

Language revival

The 'new' ecology of language

Parochialism and intercourse

Metaphors for mobility

Tensions

Dealing with linguistic tensions

Language futures

Small and stateless languages

Small state languages

Languages of wider communication

Constructed languages

Some research and policy implications

A concluding thought

Towards a typology of minority-language settings

The typological thrust

Geographical beginnings

Beyond geography

Charles Ferguson: Sociolinguistic profiles

William Stewart: Language types and functions

Heinz Kloss: Languages and communities

Einar Haugen: Language ecology

The Québec Symposium on language typology

Howard Giles: Ethnolinguistic vitality

Harald Haarmann: Ecology revisited

Paul Lewis and the UNESCO working party: Endangered languages

Some further insights

A new approach

Introductory remarks

The dimensions of a typological model

Concluding comments

Irish

Introductory note

A brief historical introduction

Irish revival efforts

The Gaeltacht

Irish and education

Official and unofficial support for Irish

Current trends and research findings

Conclusion

Gaelic in Scotland

Gaelic in education

The clearances

Modern times.

Gaelic: Numbers and use

Media

Formal support

Attitudes to Gaelic

Gaelic in education today

Gaelic in Nova Scotia

Modern census figures

Education

The Gaelic language - and Scottish culture - in Nova Scotia today

Gaelic revivalism

Research findings

Esperanto

Before Esperanto

The birth of Esperanto

The scope of Esperanto

Popular perceptions of Esperanto

Scholarly objections and rebuttals

A future prospect

Epilogue

References

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612484971

9781282484979

1282484974

9789027288684

9027288682

OCLC:

593240235