Dominant and recessive variants of language in the light of the European charter for regional or minority languages

Abstract

Considering the sociolinguistic conception of large and small languages, which belongs to Academician Predrag Piper, the paper postulates the original author?s hypothesis about dominant and recessive language variants. This typology is being tested on the example of the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. From this point of view, there is a problem that arises due to the obligation of a certain state to apply protective measures against a recessive variant of a language under a special glottonym that differs from the name of the dominant variant of the same language. The fact that the Charter is primarily intended for the protection of minority languages as common cultural heritage of the minority and the majority is interpreted as protection of the linguistic rights of all speakers of a state, which are seen as negative, when they are aimed at preventing intolerance and discrimination, and positive ? in line with the society?s efforts to support and promote its linguistic heritage. The right of languages to speakers is seen as the basic sociolinguistic framework upon which the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is based. The paper also discusses the good practice of adopting local charters as a reliable way of protecting recessive variants with fewer speakers, as well as one of the ways to overcome certain contradictions that may arise in the practical application of the Charter.