Rights, Promotion and Integration Issues for Minority Languages in Europe

Many Europeans speak a first language that is not the standard language of the country they live in: languages with millions of speakers like Catalan and languages with few speakers like Gaelic; languages spoken across the border like German in Denmark and Italian in Slovenia; and immigrant languages like Turkish in Sweden. Many minority languages have experienced some revitalization, but now face new threats from an increasingly integrated Europe, from globalization and innovations in mass communication and from the challenges posed by spread of English. The chapters in this book, written by experts in several fields, discuss these issues both in general and in specialized chapters with vivid, up-to-date examples from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, from Ireland to Turkey.

Series Editor's Preface Notes on Contributors Introduction: European Union Enlargement and Citizen Empowerment; C.H.Williams PART I: MINORITY LANGUAGES IN THE LEGAL CONTEXT Language Rights Standards in Europe: The Impact of the Council of Europe's Human Rights and Treaty Obligations; F.De Varennes Unity in Diversity. The Role of the European Parliament in Promoting Minority Languages in Europe; M.Stolfo A New Multilingual United Kingdom? The Impact of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; W.McLeod Does Legislation Change Perception and Behaviour? Attitudes and Perceptions of the Welsh Language in Legal Proceedings; C.F.Huws Bilingual Websites in Jurisdictions Requiring Minority Language Use: Effective Implementation of Policies and Guidelines; A.Deere& D.Cunliffe PART II: LANGUAGE VITALITY AND PROMOTION: THEORETICAL ASPECTS Governance Without Conviction; C.H.Williams An Evaluation Matrix for Ethno-Linguistic Vitality; M.Ehala PART III: LANGUAGE VITALITY AND PROMOTION: CASE STUDIES The Promotion of Arts and Culture as a Tool of Economic Regeneration: An Opportunity or a Threat to Minority Language Development? – The Case of Gaelic in Scotland; D.Chalmers Cultural Development in Minority Regions: The Influence of Language Policies on Social Capital in Multilingual Regions; B.Winsa Welcome and Unwelcome Minority Languages; T.Wicherkiewicz Faroese: a National Language under Siege?; C.Benati Reconsidering The Role of Older Speakers in Language Planning; W.Bellin The Slovene Language in Italy: Paths to a Value-Added Position; S.Brezigar Internet and Minority Languages: a Study on Sardinian; G.Depau& A.Ghimenton CONCLUSION: Identity and Democracy in an Enlarged Europe; C.H.Williams Bibliography Index