Linguistic territoriality under stress

Till Burckhardt,John Coakley,László Marácz

doi:10.1075/lplp.00074.bur

Abstract

AbstractThis article revisits a well-known dichotomy (the ‘territorial’ and ‘personal’ principles) and develops a four-element classification of state approaches (from the most generous to the most menacing, from the perspective of speakers of minority languages). The article examines the implications for language policy of geographically dispersed or spatially concentrated patterns of distribution of speakers of particular languages. We begin by exploring the general literature on language policy, focusing in particular on the territorial and personal principles, the use of ‘threshold rules’ at municipal and other subnational levels, and the hybrid language regimes that are often a consequence of sociolinguistic complexity. We consider the extent to which responses to linguistic diversity across Europe may be understood by reference to these principles and categories. We explain why we have selected particular case studies (the Baltic republics, Transylvania, Switzerland, Belgium and Ireland) for further exploration. We conclude that, notwithstanding the value of the typologies we consider, real-life cases are almost invariably more complex, with states implementing policies that defy categorisation, that may change over time, and that may treat different language minorities by reference to different principles.

Highlights

The relationship between language and territory, and, more the implications for public policy of geographically dispersed or spatially concentrated patterns of distribution of speakers of particular languages, is our starting point in this special issue
The section describes the variety of responses to linguistic diversity across Europe, relying in particular on the well-known territoriality-personality dichotomy – the notion that state responses to problems of societal bi- or multilingualism may build on provisions for the specific territory or region concerned, or be constructed around ‘the language chosen by or attributed to the individuals being served’
State policy in Ireland has had a dual focus: on preserving the spoken language in the Irish-speaking districts, and on disseminating knowledge of the language, as the ‘national’ one, over the rest of the country and in state structures. The tension between these two approaches to language policy is discussed by John Coakley, who examines the apparent failure of language policy either to halt the decline of Irish as an everyday language or to bring the language into more widespread use outside the Irish-speaking districts. This article and those which follow are intended to explore a central issue in language policy: the manner in which states respond to the demography and geography of linguistic diversity

Summary

Introduction

The relationship between language and territory, and, more the implications for public policy of geographically dispersed or spatially concentrated patterns of distribution of speakers of particular languages, is our starting point in this special issue. 122 Till Burckhardt, John Coakley, and László Marácz ing the focus to a small number of case studies and seeking to draw out from these the major lessons that have emerged across a range of disciplines. In this introductory contribution we examine the context of the articles that follow in this issue. In the last main section, we indicate our reasons for selecting particular cases for further analysis, and we outline the tentative conclusions to which these articles point

The debate

The options

The case studies

Findings

Conclusion