Language Conflict Research Articles

Réévaluer le conflit diglossique en Corse: apports et dépassements de la sociolinguistique du conflit

Abstract This article attempts to establish the important links between Corsican sociolinguistics and Catalan sociolinguistics. To this end, it returns to the main characteristics of Catalan sociolinguistics through the notion of “diglossia” and “language conflict” it generates, notions that have largely fed minority studies. Moreover, the terms of the famous Catalan dilemma are clearly stated by the substitution of the dominated language or its normalization as inevitable outcomes of linguistic conflict. The reflection tries to establish the parallels between the various situations and the passage from the Catalan elaboration of a conceptual tooling in a situation of domination to the Corsican sociolinguistic and political fields. Finally, we propose to re-evaluate the initial Catalan conceptual framework in order to better adapt it to the Corsican situation, notably by showing some limits of this framework in terms of diglossic polarities and representations.

ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ЯЗЫК

The Sociolinguistic Glossary aims to provide a systematized corpus of basic terms and concepts of modern sociolinguistics, which since the second half of the XXth century has been rapidly developing at the junction of various humanities and social sciences and is being replenished with new concepts of an interdisciplinary nature, acquiring and developing its own conceptual and terminological apparatus. The articles of the Sociolinguistic Glossary will be devoted to the most important topical issues of sociolinguistics-language and society, language and nation, interaction of language and culture, bilingualism and multilingualism, language policy and language legislation, language planning, as well as concepts used in sociolinguistics as fundamental: language situation, language policy, language conflict, language contact, methods of sociolinguistic research, etc. Special attention in the glossary entries will be given to the languages of Russia.

Language conflict and language rights: Ethnolinguistic perspectives on human conflict by William D. Davies and Stanley Dubinsky

Language conflict and language rights: Ethnolinguistic perspectives on human conflict by William D. Davies and Stanley Dubinsky

Theorising Machine Learning as an Alternative Pathway for Higher Education in Africa

Machine learning technology is currently a new frontier for higher education globally, and the African higher education system needs to change in tandem with this technological trend in order to combat challenges faced by the system. These challenges include lack of institutional research to discover new knowledge, unfavorable methods of instruction, especially the language conflict, access to education for marginalized and isolated communities, high dropout rates, depleted infrastructure and unavailability of resources, overpopulated classrooms, and a biased grading system. This paper discusses alternative machine learning solutions to these challenges faced by the African higher education system, in order to ensure that students develop the skills needed to thrive in this digital era. Findings reveal three key technological solutions that can provide alternative solutions to these challenges, and they include customized/personalized learning, predictive analytics and digital administrative management, and virtual assistance. This paper concludes that for Africa, Catching up with the world goes beyond adopting these new innovations to facilitate learning. Recommendations include rethinking the content of the African curriculum, developing an unbiased education system, and adopting a suitable medium of instruction.

The gender component in communication education in Ukraine: conflict communication problems

Communication is a universal phenomenon that is explored by many social sciences and humanities. In the structure of communication science has long been distinguished conflict communication. However, the gender aspect of the language conflict in Ukrainian studies is not solved, but highly relevant and in-demand today by scholars. In our work, we emphasize the need for a detailed study of the linguistic gender conflict within the framework of forming a communicative culture in Ukraine. The article analyzes the state standards of higher education in speciality 035 “Philology” for the first and second levels of higher education, where we pay attention to the formation of communicative competence. We argue that the gender identity of the speaker is not taken into account in the structure of communicative competence. This can be the result of conflicts between a man and a woman. Therefore, the author talks about the importance of gender competence within the communicative. The article also analyzes the program in the course of teaching conflict communication for postgraduate students, which allows characterizing gender conflict from different positions (national linguistic representation, spacetime parameters, social characteristics, age, etc.).

Nyelvpolitika: harc a hatalomért (az ukrán államnyelvi törvény apropóján)

One of the main goals of language policy is considered to be the avoidance or management of language conflicts. In reality, however, language policy is an effective tool for achieving the unequal distribution of social goods and political capital. The Law of Ukraine “On Supporting the Function-ing of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” was adopted on April 25, 2019. In this article we show how language policy can serve as a tool in the struggle for power and in the formation and reproduction of social inequalities through the law seemingly born to protect the Ukrainian lan-guage. In the article, we also show that in power struggles, language policy often does not serve to avoid conflicts over language, but on the contrary: it causes internal and external conflicts.

СЦЕНАРИИ В ЯЗЫКОВОЙ ПОЛИТИКЕ РОССИИ: ВОПРОСЫ КОНЦЕПЦИИ И МЕТОДОЛОГИИ

The research question of the article addresses the future of multilingualism in the polyethnic Russian Federation. The objective of the article is to systematically explore the foundations for prognostic models and methods in selected fields of language policy. We aim to develop an interdisciplinary approach to sociolinguistic prognosis on the basis of the future scenario method and, thus, to work out prognostic models and methods in language policy considering their effectiveness in regard to the language policy and planning. Sociolinguistic prognostic methods and models have been research desiderata since the development of language policy and planning. The article fills the following gaps: the lack of awareness of theoretical and practical signifi cance of language prognosis as an instrument of language policy and planning, the lack of fundamental research works on the prognostic problem due to its interdisciplinary nature, and the underdevelopment of concepts in the language scenario field. The lack of appropriate methods and models is refl ected in the hot societal debates about the language policy management. The use of prognostic models in language policy helps to develop strategies, increases the productivity of the language policy measures and supports language conflict prevention.

ВОПРОС О ЯЗЫКЕ В ПОЛИЭТНИЧЕСКИХ РЕГИОНАХ РОССИИ: КОНФЛИКТОГЕННЫЙ ПОТЕНЦИАЛ И ВАРИАТИВНОСТЬ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ЯЗЫКОВОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ

Ethnolinguistic complexity may manifest itself in the presence of groups of significantly different sizes or in the presence of two or more roughly similar groups in terms of size. Coupled with their uneven spatial distribution within the boundaries of the region, it is a potential factor influencing not only the practices and structure of inter-elite relations but also the politicization of ethnicity. The presented research is based on R. Brubaker's approach to understanding ethnicity as a discursive result of situational actions, design and implementation of various political projects, not necessarily related to the sphere of ethnolinguistic regulation, and even random events. The author, also, uses N. Mukharyamov's idea of the interconnectedness of "language politics" and "language policy". The article presents you with an explanation of the connection between the structural factors of the scale of recognition of the minority language and the subject composition of the language policy, as well as the strategies of language conflicts at the regional level in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Udmurtia and the Perm region.

ЯЗЫКОВАЯ СИТУАЦИЯ И ЯЗЫКОВОЙ КОНФЛИКТ В УСЛОВИЯХ СОВРЕМЕННОГО ЯЗЫКОВОГО МНОГООБРАЗИЯ

The article examines the problems of a linguistic situation from the viewpoint of correlation of actual and legal status of a language. The factors promoting language conflicts are analysed. Complexities of linguistic life leading to language conflicts are considered. Scientific originality of the study involves a comparative analysis of the world experience of preventing and mitigating language conflicts: finding political compromises, demarcation of language areas and diversification of a standard language.

English linguistic neo-imperialism – a case of Hong Kong

ABSTRACT Phillipson, R. (2012, “Linguistic Imperialism Alive and Kicking.” The Guardian, March 13. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/mar/13/linguistic-imperialism-english-language-teaching) warned that ‘linguistic imperialism is alive and kicking’. Although the validity of the linguistic imperialism construct may be questioned in the twenty-first Century as the Anglo-American colonial powers further retreat from the Asian region, linguistic neo-imperialism prevails and the hegemonic power of English continues through its transformation from a colonial language into the lingua franca of the world. This paper tells about a language conflict that happened in a university in Hong Kong, where a local faculty member, when insisting on adopting the local language as the main medium for an in-house meeting, was regarded as advocating linguistic exclusion by a group of native speakers of English. This should not be seen as an isolated case but rather one that illustrates the hegemonic power of English in the era of globalisation. Through a critical analysis of related emails, the major viewpoints of different parties are highlighted to unveil the prevailing forces of linguistic neo-imperialism, and the associated ideologies of the Centre and the Periphery.

Language Situation and Language Legislation of Ukraine in the Context of Experience of the Countries with Similar Historical Background

The paper highlights the peculiarities of language legislation in Ukraine as compared to the corresponding laws of some other countries that have experienced similar language problems concerning the abuse of the national language and forcing the language of the invader. Special attention has been paid to the description of the language laws of Latvia, Lithuania and Republic of Korea as compared to the newly adopted language law of Ukraine. The text of the laws on the languages of Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Korea and Ukraine were the material of the study. As a supporting material, the texts of the constitutions of Latvia, Ukraine, Moldova, as well as Basic Law: Israel – The Nation-State of the Jewish People, the language law of France, the European Charter for Regional Languages, were used. Many common features have been observed in language legislation of the above-mentioned countries. However, Ukraine seems to have a number of problems concerning implementation of the legislative decisions related to financial issues as well as sporadic character of legal procedures which leads to lack of real legislative mechanisms of language conflict regulation and state control of language legislation implementation.

Language and religion in Central Ukraine

AbstractThis article investigates the relationship between linguistic preferences, religiousness and religious denomination in Central Ukraine. On the one hand, the Ukrainian linguistic situation is characterized by the co-existence of Ukrainian, Russian and substandard forms of Ukrainian Russian mixed speech, on the other hand, the Orthodoxy in Ukraine is split into different denominations. In Central Ukraine, most notably the conflict between the Kyїv and the Moscow Patriarchate is relevant. For both linguistic and religious affiliation, a correlation with political preferences has been postulated, and, in a similar vein, a connection between religious denomination and the degree of religiousness on the one hand, and different aspects of linguistic affiliation, i. e. language usage and native language, as well as attitudes toward substandard speech on the other hand. Based on field work from 2014, we show that there is no preference for the Russian language among members of the Moscow Patriarchate in comparison to those of the Kyїv Patriarchate, and only a slightly more pronounced preference towards substandard forms of mixed speech among respondents with lower degrees of religiousness. Overall, the results argue against the existence of a “language conflict” in the Ukrainian population, outside the elites.

Iryna Ulasiuk, Laurenţiu Hadîrcă, and William Romans (eds): Language Policy and Conflict Prevention

Iryna Ulasiuk, Laurenţiu Hadîrcă, and William Romans (eds): Language Policy and Conflict Prevention

Ford and Irwin Toy 30 Years Later: A Conversation with Justice Montigny

Thirty years ago, in a tense national political context, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered judgment in three cases that have had a profound impact on Canadian society and constitutional law: Ford v. Québec (A.G.) and its related appeal, Devine v. Québec (A.G.), and Irwin Toy Ltd. v. Québec (A.G.) decided a few months apart1. Against the backdrop of language conflicts in Québec and constitutional reform at the national level, this Supreme Court trilogy established the foundations of freedom of expression and the application of the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as the quasi-constitutional nature of Québec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Government of Québec was represented by Yves de Montigny — now a Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal — as lead counsel. On the occasion of the trilogy’s 30th anniversary, Justice de Montigny was invited to the Université de Montréal, Faculty of Law, to share with first-year students his reflections on the three Supreme Court decisions as well as his experience as a young lawyer at the forefront of the major constitutional debates of the time.

Autoria, identidade e alteridade: Entrevista com Bernardo Carvalho

Nesta entrevista com Bernardo Carvalho, discutimos algumas questões recorrentes na sua literatura, quais sejam a relação com o outro e a sua representação, as possibilidades da linguagem literária e os conflitos culturais.

Contribution of Javanese Assimilation to Lembar Community, West Lombok

This research investigated the contribution of javanese assimilation to Lembar community. This article aims at finding out Javanese contribution with respect to positive and negative to surrounding people around Lembar harbor.In collecting data, this mini research employs descriptive qualitative with stratified sampling methods. During data collection, this research employed a series of scientific techniques to gather data such as depth interview, observation and focused group discussion. The result showed that Javanese people pay important contribution in the field of education, Job and trade opportunity, bilingualism on the other hand, Javanese also contribute some negative effects such as, Conflict of ideology, Language, Social behavior and Drugs circularity

Morality, moral order, and language conflict and aggression

AbstractIn this position paper, we provide an overview of what we regard as the most important features of the relationship between the moral order and morality in the context of language conflict and aggression. While in previous pragmatic research the concepts of morality and moral order have been rarely brought together, we illustrate that they are inseparable, in particular in the context of conflict and aggression. We propose an analytic model – with replicability in mind – which captures the dynamic relationship between these phenomena: the model is centred on the idea that perceived (a) violations of the moral order, (b) breaches of moral norms, principles and ideologies, (c) conflict and (d) aggression constitute a cluster. The explanatory power of this dynamics resides in the fact that it can account for a variety of seemingly unrelated scenarios, such as conflicts triggered by the violation of interactional norms vs. rites of moral aggression. Along with detailing the model, we explore the relationship between various methodologies through which one can examine morality and the moral order in the context of language conflict and aggression.

Conflits linguistiques invisibles : une communauté romande au bord de la mer Noire

Cette contribution porte sur la concurrence entre deux langues romanes, le francoprovencal et le francais, dans une communaute viticole sur le littoral nord de la mer Noire. Il s’agit des viticulteurs originaires du canton de Vaud, qui ont fonde la commune de Chabag en Bessarabie en 1822. Detachee du canton de Vaud, la communaute qui parlait francoprovencal et francais s’est retrouvee dans un Etat, voire des Etats, pour lesquels les deux langues etaient marginales. Aussi le rapport de forces entre ces langues se negociait-il presque exclusivement a l’echelle communale. En effet, la commune de Chabag faisait d’abord partie de l’Empire russe, ensuite du Royaume de Roumanie (entre 1917 et 1940-1944), puis de l’Union Sovietique ; aujourd’hui elle se trouve sur le territoire de l’Ukraine. Nous analysons le discours metalinguistique produit par les acteurs sociaux de differents types (un pasteur et un instituteur locaux, les chercheurs issus des cultures dominantes) et dans des cadres sociopolitiques et epistemologiques divers. Des publications rares sont comparees a des materiaux des archives de Saint-Petersbourg, d’Odessa et de Berne.

The Neural Correlates of Conflict Detection and Resolution During Multiword Lexical Selection: Evidence from Bilinguals and Monolinguals.

Previous studies have identified the Event Related Potential (ERP) components of conflict detection and resolution mechanisms in tasks requiring lexical selection at the individual word level. We investigated the brain potentials associated with these mechanisms in a lexical selection task based on multiword units made up of verb–noun combinations (e.g., eat breakfast, skip school). Native and non-native English speakers were asked to select a familiarized target verb–noun sequence (eat breakfast) between two choices. Trials were low-conflict, with only one plausible candidate (e.g., eat – shoot – breakfast) or high-conflict, with two plausible verbs (e.g., eat – skip – breakfast). Following the presentation of the noun, native English speakers showed a biphasic process of selection, with a conflict-detection centro-parietal negativity between 500 and 600 ms (Ninc), followed by a right frontal effect (RFE) between 600 and 800 ms preceding responses. Late Spanish–English bilinguals showed a similar but more sustained and more widespread effect. Additionally, brain activity was only significantly correlated with performance in native speakers. Results suggest largely similar basic mechanisms, but also that different resources and strategies are engaged by non-native speakers when resolving conflict in the weaker language, with a greater focus on individual words than on multiword units.

Language Conflicts in Russia’s Education System

This article analyses changes to the language policy in Russia in 2017, and their effects on the state (national) languages of Russia’s republics within the education system. In July 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech at the Council on Interethnic Relations, addressing the language rights of the Russian-speaking population and stressing the existing limit of the power of Russia’s 22 ethnic republics to introduce compulsory study of their official languages. The President’s statements provoked widespread prosecutorial inspections in the republics’ schools and a new round of public discussion about language policy. Public discontent in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and Komi led to protests against both ethnic Russians and the native speakers of languages recognised as co-official with Russian (‘state languages of the republics’). The authorities of some republics publicly disagreed with the position taken by the federal government. In other republics, however, the President’s speech did not trigger any public discussion. In many republics, it looks like the regional authorities will ultimately accept the decision of the federal government and speakers of republican languages will not actively defend their languages. Effectively, the balance of rights of the federation and the republics for the establishment of state languages, achieved in the 1990s, was violated.