book notice: Multilingual Europe: Extra, Gorter (Eds)

[Harold Schiffman]

Multilingual Europe: Extra, Gorter (Eds)


Title: Multilingual Europe
Subtitle: Facts and Policies
Series Title: Mouton Select
Published: 2009
Publisher: Mouton de Gruyter
                http://www.mouton-publishers.com

Book URL: http://degruyter.de/cont/fb/sk/detailEn.cfm?isbn=978-3-11-020513-8

Editor: Guus Extra
Editor: Durk Gorter

Abstract:

Now available in paperback

This book offers an inclusive perspective on the constellation of languages
in Europe by taking into account official state languages, regional
minority languages and immigrant minority languages. Although "celebrating
linguistic diversity" is one of the key propositions in the European
discourse on multilingualism and language policies, this device holds for
these three types of languages in a decreasing order. All three types of
languages, however, are constituent parts of a multilingual European
identity and should be taken into account in any type of language policy.
Both facts and policies on multilingualism and plurilingual education are
addressed in case studies at the national and European level. The selection
of case studies is based on a careful weighing of geographical spread of
countries and languages across Europe on the one hand, and availability of
established expert knowledge on the other.

After an Introduction to the theme of the book (Guus Extra and Durk
Gorter), Part I deals with official state languages with a focus on the
spread of English as lingua franca across Europe (Juliane House), on French
and France (Dennis Ager), on Polish in Poland and abroad (Justyna
Lesniewśka), and on language constellations in the Baltic States (Gabrielle
Hogan-Brun). Part II deals with regional minority languages with a focus on
Catalan in Spain (Francesc Xavier Vila i Moreno), Frisian in the
Netherlands (Durk Gorter et al.), Hungarian as a minority language in
Central Europe (Susan Gal), and Saami in the Nordic countries (Mikael
Svonni). Part III deals with immigrant minority languages in the United
Kingdom (Viv Edwards), Sweden (Lilian Nygren-Junkin), Italy (Monica Barni
and Carla Bagna) and Europe at large (Guus Extra and Kutlay Yağmur).

http://linguistlist.org/issues/20/20-1478.html

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