Another Language Policy Colloquium accepted for AILA 2008

[Harold Schiffman]

AILA Symposium 2008 "Multilingualism in EU Institutions"


Organizer: Ulrich Ammon (Duisburg-Essen, Germany)


1. Introduction to the topic


Ulrich Ammon (Duisburg-Essen, Germany)


Summary


The overall topic can be separated into the following subtopics:
- The present working-language regime (in EU Institutions)
- The proposals to reform the present regime
- The technical facilities for interpretation and their implications
for various proposals
- The legitimacy of the various proposals in relation to core values
and ideologies
- Integrating technical feasibility and values towards optimal solutions



2. EU Institutional Language Use: How principled should one be?


Theo J.M. van Els (Nijmegen, Netherlands)
Summary


The principle of full equality of all national languages as 'official
and working-languages', if consistently applied, inevitably leads to
impossible situations in EU institutions.

A rational institutional language policy is required, in which the
interests of the communication partners –and of those that they
represent- and not the interests of the languages concerned are put
first.



3. The EU language constellation after the enlargement


Abram de Swaan (Amsterdam, Netherlands)




Summary


With the expansion of the EU, there are now 23 official languages.
This has complicated communication in the European Parliament and the
Commission. Yet, it has hardly altered the positions of the
predominant languages in European civil society, where English is
becoming the lingua franca. Are there fair and efficient solutions to
the language predicament of the EU?



4. Towards efficiency and fairness indicators for the evaluation of
language regimes in the EU


Michele Gazzola (Geneva, Switzerland)
Summary


I define a 'language regime' as a system of rules establishing what
languages are chosen as official and/or working languages in a given
institution and what specific functions are allocated to them. I will
explore a possible set of indicators for the evaluation and the
comparison of language regimes in EU institutions across two key
dimensions, namely, efficiency and fairness.



5. On the political implementability of a linguistic reform in the EU

Victor A. Ginsburgh (Brussels, Belgium)Summary


This paper focuses on possibilities of linguistic standardization for
the EU institutions. Such standardization would have to be adopted
unanimously by the Council and then could be followed by the qualified
majority votes (QMV) set by the new Constitution. It would not abolish
central functions of the official languages, but would decentralize
the translation of legal documents.


6. EU institutional multilingualism on trial - Reflections on core
values from Northern countries


Harald Haarmann (Helsinki, Finland)
Summary


The multi-faceted discussion about the web of official and working
languages in EU institutions offers a forum for pragmatic
considerations as well as for the articulation of sentimental values.
Viewpoints from Northern countries are presented and evaluated against
the background of the global zeitgeist relating to cultural and
linguistic diversity.



7. Communicative practices in the European Food Safety Authority


Augusto Carli, M. Elena Favilla & Maria Chiara Felloni (Modena and
Reggio Emilia, Italy)Summary

Introduction to the topic;
Presentation of the methodology and the collected data;
Analysis and discussion on following aspects:


- Practices resulting from real contexts and from linguistic profile
of the institutional subjects involved


-  Relation between language choices and their motivations


- Typologies of multilingual, monolingual and alternating
communicative practices.



8. Zur Zukunft der Sprachenregelung in den Organen der EU


Michael Schloßmacher (Duisburg-Essen, Germany)


Abstract
Summary


Im von der EU-Kommission geförderten Forschungsprojekt DYLAN, an dem
achtzehn Hochschulen aus zwölf europäischen Ländern beteiligt sind,
wird auch die Sprachenpolitik in den Organen der EU untersucht. Der
Vortrag bietet Ergebnisse von Befragungen von EP-Abgeordneten und
Beamten der EU-Kommission zur zukünftigen Sprachenregelung in den
Organen der EU.



9. Language networks in the European Parliament: the rise of English


Sue Wright (Portsmouth, United Kingdom)



Summary
The increasing use of English as a lingua franca in the European
Parliament has disadvantaged all those who do not have English in
their linguistic repertoire. In addition, and perhaps more
unexpectedly, some native English speakers are also isolated. This
study reveals that a number of monolingual English speakers are poor
communicators in this linguistic setting.
-- 
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

-------------------------------------------------