Against the mainstream: universities with an alternative language policy

Abstract

Scandinavian and Dutch institutions top the list of European universities outside Britain that increasingly promote English as an academic language. Inevitably, this linguistic change has taken place at the expense of the national languages. The present article deals with two exceptions to this otherwise overwhelming trend, Sami allaskuvla, the Sami University College in Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino, Norway, and Froðskaparsetur Foroya, the University of the Faroe Islands. The official languages of these institutions are Sami (primarily North Sami) and Faroese respectively. My main objective is to try to explain these two exceptions to the academic mainstream. Why do these two higher education institutions have a different language policy and different linguistic practices than the majority of Nordic institutions? The article argues that explanations may be found in the self-conception and identity of the institutions in question, basically in their rationale for legitimizing their existence as a university or university-like institution.