Galician and Irish in the European Context - Attitudes Towards Weak and Strong Minority Languages

What can language attitudes, ideologies and beliefs tell us about the survival of a minority language? The book examines this question in relation to Irish in the Republic of Ireland and Galician in north-western Spain and in bringing these two languages together, offers the first systematic study of this minority language pair. The book begins with a thorough review of relevant theoretical debates, followed by an analysis of the socio-historical factors which led to the stigmatisation and ‘minorization’ of these two languages. It looks comparatively at the role of language policy in attempting to reverse these processes, drawing on existing attitudinal research, as well the author’s own cross-national study of young people’s language attitudes. Through its comparative approach, the book provides a fresh perspective on the Irish and Galician contexts. It gives new insights into the factors affecting attitudes towards minority languages more generally and will be of interest to language planners, educators and policy makers.

List of Tables Introduction Language Attitudes Evolution of Attitudes towards Irish and Galician A New Policy for Ideological Change Effects of Language Policies on Attitudes A Cross National Study of Young People’s Attitudes Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index