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(Apologies for cross-posting)<br>
<br>
Hi all,<br>
<br>
I hope this doesn't come across as shameless self-advertising (!) but
if anyone happens to be near SOAS in London on 19th January, I'm giving
a talk with the above title, which might be of interest to some. The
details, including directions etc., are on the HRELP seminars website,
where a host of other interesting talks are also listed:<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.hrelp.org/events/seminars/">http://www.hrelp.org/events/seminars/</a><br>
<br>
The abstract is as follows, for reference:<br>
<br>
This paper expands Freeland & Patrick’s (2004) distinction between
“language rights” and “language survival”, and develops a six-point
typology of language acquisition planning based around Sen’s
“capabilities” approach to human rights (e.g. 2004). The typology
begins with efforts to raise proficiency in majority/national languages
among linguistic minorities, focussed on increasing their capabilities
but ultimately indifferent toward minority languages themselves. A
range of cases is then considered, from language maintenance among
bilingual populations through to revival of long dead languages, where
languages are given progressively greater priority, and claims about
human rights and capabilities become steadily less tenable. The
purposes are firstly to add theoretical structure to an existing debate
highlighted by Freeland & Patrick’s distinction; and secondly to
foreground the difference between protecting existing speakers of a
language, and attracting new ones – a contrast often overlooked.
Analysis reflects on the varying descriptive and normative orientations
of these different language planning efforts.<br>
<br>
References:<br>
<br>
Freeland, J. & D. Patrick (2004). ‘Language rights and language
survival: Sociolinguistic and sociocultural perspectives’. In J.
Freeland & D. Patrick (eds.), <i>Language Rights and Language
Survival: Sociolinguistic and Sociocultural Perspectives</i>,
Manchester: St. Jerome (pp.1-33).<br>
<br>
Sen, A. (2004). <i>Rationality and Freedom</i>. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
All the best (and happy holidays!),<br>
Dave<br>
<br>
<br>
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<pre>--
Dr. Dave Sayers
Honorary Research Fellow
School of the Environment and Society
Swansea University
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:d.sayers@swansea.ac.uk">d.sayers@swansea.ac.uk</a>
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