Contested languages and the denial of linguistic rights in the 21st century
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
In this chapter I argue that over-reliance on socio-political criteria (i.e. Ausbau-centrism) in the linguistic literature is partly responsible for the discrimination to which speakers of contested languages are subjected at both the social and the institutional level. Further, I argue that an Ausbau-centred approach also leads to undersplitting of languages (i.e. recognising as few languages as possible), which is ultimately detrimental to the maintenance of linguistic diversity. I conclude by suggesting that the introduction of an Abstand-based perspective is necessary if we are to achieve a taxonomy of “languages” that cuts through socio-cultural biases and that works in favour of language rights and linguistic diversity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Contested Languages |
| Subtitle of host publication | The hidden multilingualism of Europe |
| Editors | Marco Tamburelli, Mauro Tosco |
| Place of Publication | Amsterdam |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company |
| Chapter | 2 |
| Pages | 21-39 |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Jan 2021 |
Publication series
| Name | Studies in World Language Problems |
|---|