Comparative Perspectives on Immigrant Minority Languages in Multicultural Europe

Abstract

In this chapter we focus on the status of immigrant minority (IM) languages at home and at school from four different European perspectives. In the first section we offer phenomenological perspectives on the semantics of our field of study and some central notions in this field. In the second part we discuss the utilization and effects of different demographic criteria for the definition and identification of (school) population groups in a multicultural society. Next we offer sociolinguistic perspectives on the distribution and vitality of IM languages across Europe. In this context the rationale and major outcomes of the Multilingual Cities Project, realized in six major multicultural cities in different European Union (EU) nation states, are presented. Finally we offer comparative perspectives on educational policies and practices in the domain of IM languages in the six EU countries under discussion. We conclude with an outlook on how multilingualism can be promoted for all children in an increasingly multicultural Europe.