LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE & SHIFT

LANGUAGE & SOCIETY

WHEN ONE LANGUAGE MEETS THE OTHER

LANGUAGE SHIFT

Migrant minorities

Migrant minorities

The language shift of 2nd-generation immigrants

If you don’t want to be part of us…

Debate Rages On Over 'English Only' Policies

Migrant majority

Migrant majority

Colonization The colonial powers impose their languages

on the colonies.

Colonization

More Population

Colonization

The Dominant Culture

Case: The Isle of Man

The official language of the Isle of Man is English, while Manx Gaelic has also had official status since 1985. Manx has traditionally been spoken but is now considered "critically endangered".

Manx has been officially recognised as a legitimate regional language.  

Manx is closely related to the Irish language and Scottish Gaelic.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man#Language)

Case: The Isle of Man

Why is there a language shift on the island?

Factors contributing to language shift

Economic, social, and political factors Job opportunities See no reason to maintain L1

Migrant majority

Non-migrant communities

Language shift due to political, economical and social changes

LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE

Demographic factors

Where people live Rural areas vs. urban areas.

The size of the group Spanish in the US. Chinatowns.

Attitudes and values

Positive attitude slows down the language shift. A symbol of ethnic identity

The father in ‘My Fat Greek Wedding’ explaining the root of any word is Greek. http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=2ALrm3nDGXI

An internationally recognized language slows down the speed of shift French-Quebec

LANGUAGE DEATH & LOSS

Language death and loss

When all people of a language die, the language dies too. Endangered languages

Why is it an issue? A language carries the cultural heritage of its

speakers.

Examples

'Language Death: A Problem for All' By David Crystal http://vimeo.com/6677955/

How a minority language can be maintained

It is a symbol of group identity.The degree and frequency of contact with

the the home group.Social factor may help.

Extended family vs. nuclear familyInstitutional support

Domains: education, law, religion, government, media

Ethnolinguistic vitality

We can predict the likelihood that a language will be maintained by measuring its ethnolinguistic vitality.

Components The status of the language The size of the group The extent of institutional support

Language revival

Attitude How strongly the speakers want to revive the

language Their reasons for doing so

Six factors which may help a language to progress (Crystal, 2000)

An endangered language will progress if its speakers: increase their prestige within the dominant community increase their wealth increase their legitimate power in the eyes of the

dominant community have a strong presence in the education system can write down the language can make use of electronic technology

Examples of language revival

Puyuma Language Revival http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHh_P72_fxA

Bunun Language Revival http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZklCYG2LNwA

Hebrew http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCzEVczcZbQ

Ocitan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5IxLW39D7s

Maori http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG2Abfglzq4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbE53FKUV5g