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<p class=MsoNormal>From time to time I and others have run into the situation
where an acceptable general term for languages other than global languages of
wider communication (LWCs) was hard to find. There are a range of terms used
for specific situations or conditions, such as:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* minority language (which some consider offensive, even if
its use Is intended to describe a demographic relationship), <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* indigenous languages (in the broader sense, every tongue
is indigenous to some place, but the general use is to describe languages of
indigenous peoples - itself a category the boundaries of which are sometimes
contested)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* national languages (in the sense of the language of a
"nation" not necessarily a "state"; in many African
countries the maternal languages and regional lingua francas are sometimes
given the term and sometimes also legal status of "national
languages")<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* endangered languages (needs no introduction but a lot
could be said about what the boundaries of that are; some popular and even
academic discussions have discussed some languages with millions of speakers
and active cultural production like Igbo or Gikuyu as "endangerd"
based on various criteria and projections)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* ethnic languages (less commonly used from my informal
observation, but it seems to be an alternative way of describing some of the
above)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* local languages (I've personally come to dislike this term
as it seems to imply an lesser inherent importance vis-à-vis other categories like
"official" or LWC; also with international migration many "local
languages" are now internationally "multi-local"; nevertheless,
this term is part of the discourse)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Each category above has its reason, but there is so much
overlap that it seems useful to have a catchall term to describe languages that
are not international LWCs. There seem to be a number of characteristics common
to the non-international-LWCs despite some significant differences. These
commonalities might be described as follows: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* they typically exist in multilingual contexts in which one
or more other languages are dominant, or no language is dominant, or another
language(s) has(have) higher social & legal status<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* there are policy and planning issues relating to their use
in public life that are by nature (aguably) different than those surrounding
use of LWCs<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* they are not favored by international mechanisms that
promote global LWCs (British & American TEFL/TESOL/etc. programs to promote
English; French & OIF programs to promote French; China's Confucius
Institutes to promote Mandarin Chinese; commercial publishing and ICT which
find larger markets in more widely spoken languages); they may benefit from
national or targetted international projects, but generally not on any
sustained basis<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* they are often experiencing some contraction to the point in
some cases of endangerment <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>* they present challenges in areas like development of terminologies,
development and maintenance of school curricula, and the localization of ICT<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Consolidating repeated letters I came up with "MINEL"
a couple of years ago. This meta-category is not without its shortcomings. For
instance, what is the boundary of the overall grouping "MINEL"? How,
say, does one categorize Chinese or Spanish which have huge numbers of speakers
globally and function in many areas as LWCs, yet are also minority languages in
other contexts? Would "MINEL" and "LWC" then depend on
context and relationship? Another problem is that more widely spoken MINELs may
at the same time be LWCs vis-à-vis less widely spoken MINELs - i.e., in some
contexts, the differences among MINELs might be as significant or more than
their similarities. Does the whole category become so large and amorphous to be
meaningless, or is it a useful catchall for languages that are not LWCs or are
in particular contexts in a subordinate legal or sociolinguistic status to LWCs
or official languages?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>This is quick and rough, but if it interests anyone on this
list I'd appreciate feedback. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Don Osborn<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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