Development Of Minority Languages Research Articles

Къэбэрдей-шэрджэсыбзэр ужьыхынымкIэ, кIуэдыжыпэнымкIэ шынагъуэ зыпылъ Iуэхугъуэ щхьэхуэхэр

This paper highlights the most important issues of the state and functioning of the modern Kabar-dino-Circassian language in impending globalization and the existing realities in the field of state language policy. The study examines the fundamental risk factors that, without appropriate drastic measures, will inevitably accelerate the process of extinction and subsequent disappearance of the Adyghe language. Material for the presented research was normative legal acts in the field of functioning, preservation and development of the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federa-tion, journalistic materials of the republican newspaper “Adyge Psal”, Kabardian broadcasts of radio and television of the Republic. The work uses descriptive, comparative research methods, synthesis, and analysis. Conducted research allows us to conclude that the most important condi-tion for the preservation and development of minority languages, which include Kabardino-Circassian, is the implementation of a unified “protective” state language policy in the country, which would not only declare the legal and social status of the language but also provide a real opportunity for its use in official spheres with a guarantee translation, since an indispensable con-dition for the functioning of any language is its relevance to society; the suppression of the cur-rently violent interference in the natural course of language development by introducing fictional terms into its vocabulary instead of established lexical units that native speakers actively use.

The importance of worldwide linguistic and cultural diversity for climate change resilience.

Local minority languages and dialects, through the local knowledge and expertise associated with them, can play major roles in analysing climate change and biodiversity loss, in facilitating community awareness of environmental crises and in setting up locally-adapted resilience and sustainability strategies. While the situation and contribution of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples are of emblematic importance, the issue of the relationships between cultural and linguistic diversity and environmental awareness and protection does not solely concern peripheral highly-specialized communities in specific ecosystems of the Global South, but constitutes a worldwide challenge, throughout all of the countries, whatever their geographical location, their economical development, or their political status. Environmental emergency and climate change resilience should therefore raise international awareness on the need to promote the survival and development of minority languages and dialects and to take into account their creativity and expertise in relation to the dynamics of their local environments.

A pragmatic turn in the philosophy of language in the context of problems of preservation and development of minority languages

By the beginning of the twenty-first century essentialism is giving way to the constructivist paradigm in the field of social sciences and humanities. However, linguistic essentialism survived all the shocks and received a classical form in the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis of linguistic relativism. The application of this hypothesis to the analysis of linguistic communities puts majority and minority languages in different positions: it makes strong languages even stronger, and simply kills small ones. The task of preserving minority languages in programs built using this methodology turns out to be impossible. In our humble opinion, two research paradigms are more adequate for the purpose. One of them is associated with the pragmatic turn in the analytical philosophy of language and represents a transition from the analysis of the structure of the language itself to the analysis of the conditions of communication, taking into account all the sociocultural components of this process. The second methodology is Erving Goff man’s concept of social face and performative behavior.

Current situation and path of foreign minority language protection based on Internet of Things from the perspective of ethnic identity

Ethnic identity is an important reason for national unity. The formation of ethnic groups is mostly due to external and internal reasons, with a complex mechanism structure. When people’s environment is destroyed, this value identity will be stronger, national cohesion and solidarity will grow sharply, an unprecedented high. Minority languages are characterized by a wide variety, cultural generation, and dynamic evolution. The languages are complex and diverse, and are deeply influenced by their cultural heritage. This has led to the fact that for a long time, minority languages have been learned almost exclusively by people of their own ethnic group. This has led to a steady decline in the number of minority language speakers. However, the birth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has created an opportunity for the development of minority languages. Foreign minority languages have the following status (1) rapid decline (2) many endangered languages (3) low willingness to learn. In order to further investigate the current situation of minority language protection, the team conducted a survey in the minority cluster A. The results of the survey are as follows: most of the villagers are in love with the ethnic language and must inherit and promote the ethnic language, which is the wealth of a nation, but there are also a few residents who think that Mandarin should be used to replace the ethnic language. This reflects that most of the residents love the national language, but their young people as the inherited generation lose their love for the national language and are not willing to inherit and promote it. To solve this problem, an Internet of Things (IoT)-based ethnic language data system has been constructed so that the data system for ethnic minority language protection built through IoT technology can become the last line of defense for protecting ethnic languages, while allowing ethnic languages to be known and understood by more people through IoT technology, fostering the love and reverence of ethnic minority people for ethnic languages, and enhancing other ethnic groups’ sense of identity and support for ethnic languages. We propose to protect minority languages. Ultimately, we propose recommendations for the preservation of minority languages. (1) Increase publicity for minority language preservation. (2) Construct laws and regulations related to minority language protection. (3) Conduct in-depth research on minority language work and build an information base. (4) Promote minority language education.

Translanguaging in Brazilian bilingual education: analyzing attitudes and perceptions of translanguaging practices in fifth-grade students and their teachers

Grounded in the translanguaging theory, which as a decolonial theory and pedagogy frames languages as a unified semiotic repertoire, this study explores participants’ attitudes and perceptions toward their translanguaging practices. The investigation examines the answers to Questionnaires for Linguistic Characterization and Use completed by fourteen students and three of their teachers at a bilingual school in Southern Brazil. The teachers also answered a written interview. Results showed a solid stance for language separation in formal contexts, contrasting with a positive attitude toward multilingual behavior. Despite students and teachers prioritize the use of the target language, translanguaging practices are clearly manifested in class. Considering these results, translanguaging pedagogy seems to be valid for minority language development contexts, in which educators are committed to promoting the translanguaging corriente to promote biliteracy by valuing bilinguals’ repertoire to create fluid and dynamic spaces allowing learners to critically convey their thinking.

A Comparative Analysis of the Socio-Cultural Context in Textbooks of Minority Languages for Non-native Speakers (Based on Electronic Textbooks of Udmurt and Swedish languages)

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the socio-cultural context of textbooks of the Udmurt and Swedish languages as minority and non-native languages. The preservation and development of minority languages is outlined and Russian and Finnish experience in the area is compared. The aim of the study was to identify the features of the socio-cultural models of these textbooks by applying the method of content analysis and to analyze them in terms of the interests and communicative needs of teenage students. The material for the analysis was electronic textbooks of the Udmurt language of the «Ӟеч-а, бур-а, удмурт кыл!» (“Hello, Udmurt language!”) series, as well as electronic textbooks of Swedish of the Megafon series, both for grades 7-9. Materials of the kind have not been previously considered in similar studies. The results of the comparative analysis show that textbooks meet the communicative needs of adolescent students in different ways. Conclusions are drawn about the difference in the groups of students to whom these textbooks are oriented. A proposal is formulated on the use of the socio-cultural context as a resource in the popularization of minority languages.

Who texts what to whom and when? Patterning of texting in four multilingual minoritized language communities and a preliminary proposal for the language repertoire matrix

Abstract Though computer mediated communication has been widely studied, private messaging in minoritized languages (many without standardized orthographies) is an area of minimal research. This article looks at texting in four multilingual language communities: Maguindanaon (Philippines), Sebuyau (Malaysia), Mamaindê (Brazil) and Marubo (Brazil). The majority of the data comes from the Maguindanao case study, an Austronesian language spoken by over one million speakers in the Maguindanao province of Mindanao Island. Based on this preliminary data, an initial framework with which to understand the language choices for digital messaging in such societies is proposed. The broader implications of this study are its insights into the variable patterning of texting in minority languages in general, providing a baseline for future work in this area. This preliminary study suggests that the texting repertoires of minority language communities are found to pattern after their parallel repertoires of either orality or literacy. These patterns are collectively referred to as the “Language Repertoire Matrix”. The variable that distinguishes one texting repertoire from another is the language(s) used for intra-group texting: minority (L1), majority (L2), or minority + majority (L1 + L2) languages. We propose that the choice of employing either the orality or literacy repertoires for intra-group texting demonstrates the underlying function of such texting within that society. The conclusion offers some suggestions on how these insights might apply to the field of minority language development.

ЯЗЫКИ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ И ЭТНИЧЕСКИХ МЕНЬШИНСТВ УКРАИНЫ: ПРОБЛЕМЫ И СФЕРЫ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ (ЧАСТЬ 2)

Statement of the problem. The timeliness and relevance of this article is dictated by the fact that since the independence of Ukraine, systematic and purposeful displacement of minority languages has been carried out. In recent years, laws have been adopted that seriously infringe on the linguistic rights of national minorities, which have caused protests and indignation among minorities. The timeliness and relevance of this article is dictated by the fact that in recent years the level of proficiency in the language of minorities by the native speakers has been declining. Questions arise: What is the reason? What measures are needed? Which body is responsible for the preservation and development of minority languages? This scientific article is devoted to the following languages of national and ethnic minorities of Ukraine: Gagauz language, Crimean Tatar language, and German language. The purpose of the article is to study the extent to which minority languages are used in various fields; identify problems that exist in the areas of use of the above languages, for example, in education and in mass media; study the measures taken by Ukraine to protect the Gagauz language, the Crimean Tatar language, and the German language. This article demonstrates the role of public organizations in the preservation and protection of the Gagauz, Crimean Tatar and German languages. The research methodology (materials and methods) is based on private (descriptive) and statistical methods of linguistics. The material for writing this article was the reports of Ukraine (third and fourth) on the fulfillment of obligations arising from the European Charter of Regional or Minority Languages of 1992, normative legal acts of Ukraine, special reports of the United Nations, scientific articles by domestic and foreign authors, and static data of public authorities. The results of the study. The analysis of the study of the state of the languages of national and ethnic minorities and their spheres of application showed that in the future, the process of preserving the languages of national minorities will depend on the importance that states, public organizations and native speakers themselves attach to their native language. It goes without saying, Ukraine, its state bodies, public organizations are taking measures to preserve and develop minority languages, however, today the main problem of minority languages in Ukraine, in addition to insufficient funding, is uneven use in education and the media. Conclusion. The minority language, being the most important tool for the preservation and development of identity in society, a factor of social cohesion and stability, occupies a central position in human activity in Ukraine. Issues related to the linguistic rights of national and ethnic minorities on the territory of states are of paramount importance. The state authorities of Ukraine fulfill their international obligations under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ​​of 1992, cooperate with other states on the preservation and development of minority languages.

Translanguaging space and translanguaging practices in multilingual Russian-speaking families

Translanguaging is seen both as a threat and as an opportunity for minority language development and transmission. While the theme of translanguaging has been explored especially in a context of migration, the novelty of this study lies in its investigation of the multiple contexts in which translanguaging is examined. In order to understand the nature of translanguaging, we adopt a novel interdisciplinary approach and view it in all its complexity, including liminal spaces of linguistic landscape. Family language policy affects the home linguistic environment. Our purpose is to investigate language choices by multilingual Russian-speakers in Cyprus, Sweden and Estonia, immigrant and minority settings, and try to understand how they are reflected in the multilingual interaction of the families. Using ethnographic participant observations and oral spontaneous multilingual production, our study attempts to describe how communication is managed through translanguaging practices among multilingual Russian-speaking families members in the cultural and linguistic environments of the three countries. By looking closely at the complexities of translanguaging space, it is our ambition to gain new insights about how it is organised and how translanguaging becomes a valuable linguistic resource in multilingual families. Our results indicate that translanguaging practices can be used in family conversational contexts and contribute to the creation of a rich and positive family repertoire. A new norm of Russian has been developed in all the three settings. A language shift can happen more quickly than expected, and, thus, it is important for parents to provide many opportunities for practising Russian as the L1.

LANGUAGE POLICY AND PROBLEMS OF PRESERVING THE KOMI-PERMYAK LANGUAGE

The problem of the preservation and development of minority languages is very relevant for all peoples of the world. The current language situation in the Komi-Permyak District is characterized by the increasing influence of the Russian language and the decline in the prestige of the Komi-Permyak language. The purpose of the article is to identify the main factors of the variability of language policy in the Komi-Permyak District. The study was conducted as part of the study of language policy in the municipalities of the Komi-Permyak District, the main empirical material was obtained during an in-depth interview. The interviewees were heads of municipal districts or their deputies, leaders and activists of local public organizations, heads of local newspapers. The study generally confirmed most of the hypotheses that explain the variability of language policy in the Komi-Permyak District. As expected, structural and agency factors have the greatest impact on the preservation and support of the Komi-Permyak language.

ВКЛАД К. К.САМРИНА В СТАНОВЛЕНИЕ ХАКАССКОЙ ПИСЬМЕННОСТИ (1920-1930 гг.)

Russia, that was formed as a multi-ethnic and multilingual state, faced urgent question of the spiritual revival of the peoples, who were involved in the process of rapid assimilation at the beginning of the XXI century. National minorities and indigenous peoples have lost their main features of their ethnicity. Among them is disappearance of the native language. The national revival of any nation is inconceivable without the functioning of its mother language. Writing is the main means of fixing, preserving, development of the language and the most significant form of its social functioning. In this regard, it becomes relevant to address the origins of the Soviet writing of the peoples of Siberia. The article deals with the complex process of formation of writing system in Republic of Khakassia. The novelty of the research can be seen in attempts to realize the results of alphabetization through the prism of the biography of one of the participants in the creation of the Khakass script in the 1920s and 1930s. In this regard, K. K. Samrin's contribution to the development of the Khakass language, creation of the alphabet and national literature is revealed. The results of the research can be used in planning and forecasting of language development of minority languages.

LANGUAGE IDEOLOGY OF SPANISH POLITICAL PARTY “VOX”

The article analyzes the language ideology of Spanish far-right political party “Vox”. The documents containing the party program have been studied, and interviews and newspaper articles issued by 52 representatives of “Vox” in the Congress of Deputies and 3 representatives in the European Parliament in the period from December 2018 to November 2019 have been analyzed. The article concludes that “Vox” bases its language ideology on the supposition that the Spanish language in multilingual autonomous communities is endangered by the development of minority languages. According to “Vox”, Spanish should be the first language in administration and education on the whole territory of the country. Minority languages may remain in the educational system of the respective regions as optional subjects. The members of “Vox” dedicate a special attention to the question of integrity of the Catalan language. The party considers Valencian and Balearic as independent languages and not as varieties of Catalan. The party supports movements aimed at the linguistic separatism of Valencia and the Balearic Islands from Catalonia.

ЯЗЫКОВАЯ ПОЛИТИКА В ОБРАЗОВАНИИ И ЕГО РОЛЬ В СОХРАНЕНИИ МИНОРИТАРНЫХ ЯЗЫКОВ В РОССИИ И ДРУГИХ СТРАНАХ

The language policy in education and the role of education in the preservation and development of minority languages were discussed. The main approaches and models used for teaching minority languages in Russian and Western European schools were compared. Two main approaches were singled out: “old”, when minority languages are poorly represented in education; “new”, which provides an opportunity to learn these languages in schools. The approaches were illustrated by the example of the Frisian and Basque languages, respectively. The problems of teaching minority languages in Russian schools within a broad political context were considered. It was concluded that the positions of minority languages in education are weak due to their little value for careers and social mobility in the current Russian conditions. The possibility and necessity of taking certain educational measures for preservation and development of minority languages in Russia was substantiated. Their complex nature, including both innovations in the education system and the need to overcome the “monolingual ideology”, was emphasized. The recommendations proposed include the use of international experience in organizing civic initiatives and the introduction of new methods and innovative curricula of bilingual education. The most important measures are related to changing the mass consciousness and language culture of society toward identification of Russia as a multinational and multilingual country.

TATAR LANGUAGE:

Conservation and development of minority languages in countries unique in the ethno-linguistic aspect, such as Russia and Kazakhstan, are highly relevant. Wide linguistic diversity, on the one hand, and dominance of the official Russian in Russia and the official Kazakh and Russian languages in the socio-communicative system of society in Kazakhstan, on the other hand, determine the linguistic landscape and peculiarities of multilingualism in these states. Research interest in linguistic contacts of a modern multiethnic society has determined the choice of the processes of linguistic and ethnic identification, related issues of conservation and using the native language and culture by representatives of various ethnic groups living in Russia and Kazakhstan, as well as the specifics of their interaction and mutual influence under new geopolitical conditions as the object of the study

Minority language development in early childhood: a study of siblings acquiring Bosnian and English in Ireland

This paper considers issues faced by multilingual families in supporting their children’s acquisition of minority home languages. These include the challenges posed by majority language dominance in society and education, limited opportunities for minority language input and interaction, and possible differences in the language acquisition experience of siblings (De Houwer, 2007; Barron-Hauwaert, 2011; Bridges and Hoff, 2014). The paper reports on a comparative case study which investigated the early childhood language development of two siblings acquiring Bosnian and English in Ireland. Based on audio and video recordings of the children in the home environment, it focuses on the acquisition of the minority language, Bosnian, by the eldest and youngest of three sisters. Following a previous study (Finnegan-Ćatibušić, 2006), it compares the children's linguistic development in the minority language and how this may be influenced by discourse patterns in family interaction (Döpke, 1992; Genessee, 2002; 2008). The children's development of biliteracy (Cummins, 2012) and community efforts to promote minority language maintenance are also discussed. Multilingualism is considered from an ecological perspective (Van Lier, 2004; Creese and Blackledge, 2010), exploring steps that families can take to create linguistic environments which support minority language development. This research is set in the context of an increasingly multilingual Ireland, in which migrant languages have been acknowledged as a ‘resource’ by the Department of Education and Skills (DES, 2017). The study shows that children’s multilingual development often occurs outside formal education, in family and community settings. Its findings indicate that, within the education system, there is a need for greater recognition of multilingualism from the early years and for the promotion of multilingual approaches to education (Kirwan, 2013; Ćatibušić and Little, 2014; Cummins, 2015).

The impact of socioeconomic status and population size on the use of the Tatar language at home

Based on econometric methods, we found that Tatar children from families with better material conditions and those who live in bigger cities are more likely to use the Russian language at home. Although Tatar seems to be well protected, thanks to local language policies after perestroika, we found some warning signs for the reformulation of public policies for the maintenance and development of minority languages in Russia.

Heritage language classes and bilingual competence: the case of Albanian immigrant children in Greece

ABSTRACT The present paper reports on a questionnaire survey conducted in the course of a broader research project on bilingualism (BALED). It compares two groups of Albanian immigrant parents in Greece with respect to their practices for supporting minority language development. The first group includes parents (N = 35) whose children receive systematic instruction in the heritage language; the other group (N = 167) comprises parents who do not send their children to heritage language classes but may support Albanian language maintenance in various ways. Αccording to their parents’ reports, all children were dominant in Greek. Our purpose was to compare the two groups with regard to (i) language use patterns among family members, (ii) parental practices in support of the minority and the majority language, and (iii) children’s language competence in the respective languages. Τhe ultimate aim is to explore the relations between parental practices and children’s competence in the minority language. Results indicated that parents who send their children to heritage language courses also engage more often in practices which promote literacy in the heritage language at home. These children were reported by their parents to possess literacy skills in Albanian to a higher degree than children who do not attend systematic instruction in this language. Our findings corroborate previous research (e.g. Bylund, E., and M. Díaz. 2012. “The Effects of Heritage Language Instruction on First Language Proficiency: A Psycholinguistic Perspective.” International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 15 (5): 593–609; Chumank-Horbatsch, R. 1999. “Language Change in the Ukranian Home: From Transmission to Maintenance to the Beginnings of Loss.” Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal 31 (2): 61–75; Schwartz, M. 2008. “Exploring the Relationship between family Language Policy and Heritage Language Knowledge among Second Generation Russian-Jewish Immigrants in Israel.” Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 29 (5): 400–418) suggesting that literacy development at home and especially attendance of heritage language instruction are extremely beneficial for its development without disrupting the development of the majority language.

One-parent-one-language (OPOL) families: is the majority language-speaking parent instrumental in the minority language development?

The aim of this study is to examine the strategies majority language-speaking parents use to support the development of the minority language in families who follow the pattern of exposure known as one-parent-one-language (OPOL). In this particular pattern of raising a child bilingually, each parent speaks only their own native language to their children. Previous studies concerned with language development in children raised under the OPOL pattern primarily focused on how input from the minority language-speaking parent affects minority language development, leaving the role of the majority language-speaking parent largely unexplored. To address this gap, a case study was carried out on three families in Brisbane, Australia, who reported following the OPOL pattern. Video and audio recordings were taken, along with interviews using an elicited recall task based on the recordings to gather data on the families' language practices and motivations. The results of the qualitative analysis suggest that, in these families, the majority language-speaking parent plays an important role that extends beyond the provision of input in the majority language and may contribute to fostering minority language development and maintenance.

Minority Language Development and Literacy among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Refugees, and Wartime Communities

Abstract: This article describes how minority language development and literacy activities were facilitated in a wartime context for Southern Sudanese language groups, particularly through the use of workshops. It also presents the voices of the language speakers themselves as they reflect on this process. A background discussion considers the importance of minority languages, education in times of war, and resources for minority language development and literacy. The activities of assessment, orthography formation, and writers’ training are then described as they were implemented in a workshop context. The concluding section of the article provides an update on multilingual education developments in Southern Sudan and notes some strengths and weaknesses of a workshop approach in stressed contexts.

J. Gibbons and E. Ramírez: Maintaining a Minority Language. A Case Study of Hispanic Teenagers. Multilingual Matters, 2004.

Maintaining a Minority Language by J. Gibbons and E. Ramírez explores Spanish language maintenance among second-generation Hispanic teenagers in Sydney, Australia. The book brings together five semi-independent studies that measure proficiency and examine societal, interpersonal, and attitudinal factors contributing to minority language development and maintenance. The status and outcome of a minority language are currently issues of major concern in developed societies that face new challenges posed by immigration. The present case study provides practical suggestions for minority language speakers, researchers, and public policy makers concerned with promoting a minority language in the midst of a dominant ideological milieu of a homogeneous monolingual society. The book contains eight chapters written in 240 pages. The first and the last chapters correspond to the introduction and conclusions. The remaining parts are dedicated to establishing the criteria for defining and measuring both oral and academic proficiency in the English and Spanish of Chilean second-generation teenagers. Each one of the chapters is dedicated to a different factor that is studied individually in order to determine its influence on the status and development of proficiency. These factors are grouped under the headings of (a) the societal, (b) interpersonal contact, (c) education, media use and literacy, and finally (d) attitudes and beliefs. The style of the book is easy to read and the structure of each chapter shows a clear instructive intention with an introduction that includes a short summary of the state of the field along with a definition of the main concepts. The chapters also include tables that show the statistic correlations of the factors in question with proficiency, and to end there is a set of conclusions highlighting the major findings of the chapter.