Table Of ContentMinority Languages and Group Identity
IMPACT: Studies in Language and Society
IMPACT publishes monographs, collective volumes, and text books on topics
in sociolinguistics. The scope of the series is broad, with special emphasis
on areas such as language planning and language policies; language conflict
and language death; language standards and language change; dialectology;
diglossia; discourse studies; language and social identity (gender, ethnicity,
class, ideology); and history and methods of sociolinguistics.
General Editor
Ana Deumert
University of Cape Town
Advisory Board
Peter Auer Marlis Hellinger
University of Freiburg University of Frankfurt am Main
Jan Blommaert Elizabeth Lanza
Ghent University University of Oslo
Annick De Houwer William Labov
University of Erfurt University of Pennsylvania
J. Joseph Errington Peter L. Patrick
Yale University University of Essex
Anna Maria Escobar Jeanine Treffers-Daller
University of Illinois at Urbana University of the West of England
Guus Extra Victor Webb
Tilburg University University of Pretoria
Volume 27
Minority Languages and Group Identity. Cases and Categories
by John Edwards
Minority Languages
and Group Identity
Cases and Categories
John Edwards
St Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Amsterdam / Philadelphia
TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
8
American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Edwards, John, 1947 Dec. 3-
Minority languages and group identity : cases and categories / John Edwards.
p. cm. (IMPACT: Studies in Language and Society, issn 1385-7908 ; v. 27)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Linguistic minorities. 2. Language attrition. I. Title.
P40.5.L56E39 2010
306.44--dc22 2009040134
isbn 978 90 272 1866 7 (Hb ; alk. paper)
isbn 978 90 272 1869 8 (Pb ; alk. paper)
isbn 978 90 272 8868 4 (Eb)
© 2010 – John Benjamins B.V.
Paperback edition 2011.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any
other means, without written permission from the publisher.
John Benjamins Publishing Co. · P.O. Box 36224 · 1020 me Amsterdam · The Netherlands
John Benjamins North America · P.O. Box 27519 · Philadelphia pa 19118-0519 · usa
To Suzanne
Table of contents
chapter 1
An introductory overview 1
Themes 1
Languages in contact and conflict 3
Towards a framework of contact situations 7
Four case-studies 8
A closing note 1 3
chapter 2
Languages in contact and conflict I: Small languages and their maintenance 1 5
Introduction 1 5
Indigenous and immigrant languages 1 9
Bilingual solutions 2 4
Minority groups 2 8
Language maintenance 3 1
chapter 3
Languages in contact and conflict II: Language decline, revival and
the ‘new’ ecology 3 7
Language endangerment and decline 3 7
Language revival 4 4
The ‘new’ ecology of language 5 1
chapter 4
Parochialism and intercourse 5 7
Metaphors for mobility 5 7
Tensions 5 8
Dealing with linguistic tensions 6 2
Language futures 6 6
Small and stateless languages 6 9
Small state languages 6 9
Languages of wider communication 7 0
Constructed languages 7 0
Minority Languages and Group Identity
Some research and policy implications 7 0
A concluding thought 7 2
chapter 5
Towards a typology of minority-language settings 7 3
Introduction 7 3
The typological thrust 7 4
Geographical beginnings 7 6
Beyond geography 8 2
Charles Ferguson: Sociolinguistic profiles 8 3
William Stewart: Language types and functions 8 3
Heinz Kloss: Languages and communities 8 5
Einar Haugen: Language ecology 8 6
The Québec Symposium on language typology 8 9
Howard Giles: Ethnolinguistic vitality 8 9
Harald Haarmann: Ecology revisited 9 1
Paul Lewis and the UNESCO working party: Endangered languages 9 2
Some further insights 9 3
A new approach 9 5
Introductory remarks 9 5
The dimensions of a typological model 9 7
Concluding comments 101
chapter 6
Irish 105
Introductory note 105
A brief historical introduction 105
Irish revival efforts 108
The Gaeltacht 112
Irish and education 115
Official and unofficial support for Irish 120
Current trends and research findings 123
Conclusion 125
chapter 7
Gaelic in Scotland 129
Introductory note 129
A brief historical introduction 129
Gaelic in education 133
The Clearances 134
Table of contents
Modern times 137
Gaelic: Numbers and use 137
Media 139
Formal support 140
Attitudes to Gaelic 142
Gaelic in education today 146
chapter 8
Gaelic in Nova Scotia 149
Introductory note 149
A brief historical introduction 149
Modern census figures 154
Education 156
The Gaelic language – and Scottish culture – in Nova Scotia today 158
Gaelic revivalism 160
Research findings 163
chapter 9
Esperanto 173
Introductory note 173
A brief historical introduction 174
Before Esperanto 176
The birth of Esperanto 180
The scope of Esperanto 181
Popular perceptions of Esperanto 184
Scholarly objections and rebuttals 185
Research findings 189
A future prospect 194
Epilogue 195
References 207
Index 229
