Agency in the Peripheries of Language Revitalisation: Examining European Practices on the Ground

by Mary S. Linn (Editor), Alejandro Dayán-Fernández (Editor)

Overview

A unique focus on the issue of agency in minority language revitalisation in Europe.

This book addresses the question of agency in the revitalisation of minoritised languages in Europe, with each chapter presenting an ethnographic account of how language policy operates in a specific linguistic context. The chapters investigate how grassroots actors shape revitalisation, and how individuals and groups negotiate historical factors, motivations, and institutionalised initiatives and policies in a variety of efforts.

Between them the chapters address both contexts where social actors have gained and exerted agency in their revitalisation efforts, and contexts where issues of authority, authenticity and lack of engagement plague efforts; these chapters provide insights into how social actors work within and against social conventions and strictures.

This book is available Open Access under a CC BY ND License.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781800416284
Publisher:	Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Publication date:	05/14/2024
Series:	Multilingual Matters , #178
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	196
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Mary S. Linn is Curator of Language and Cultural Vitality at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Washington, DC, USA. Her primary research is in effective grassroots strategies in language reclamation and cultural sustainability, especially in small language communities. She directs the Language Vitality Initiative, which focuses on training, networking, innovation and advocacy, and she is on the curatorial committee of the annual Smithsonian Mother Tongue Film Festival.

Alejandro Dayán-Fernández is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Glasgow. Grounded in critical sociolinguistics, his PhD research explored the role of language in diaspora community building processes based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted among Galicians in the UK. By combining his interdisciplinary background in political science, translation studies and sociolinguistics, his current research focuses on the use of language in processes of collective action among grassroots social movements and the instrumentalisation of minoritised languages for political gains by different ideological forces.

Mary S. Linn is Curator of Language and Cultural Vitality at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Washington DC, USA. Her primary research is in effective grassroots strategies in language reclamation and cultural sustainability, especially in small language communities. She directs the Language Vitality Initiative, which focuses on training, networking, innovation, and advocacy, and she is on the curatorial committee of the annual Smithsonian Mother Tongue Film Festival.

Alejandro Dayán-Fernández is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Glasgow. Grounded in Critical Sociolinguistics, his PhD research explored the role of language in diaspora community building processes based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted among Galicians in the UK. By combining his interdisciplinary background in Political Science, Translation Studies and Sociolinguistics, his current research focuses on the use of language in processes of collective action among grassroots social movements and the instrumentalisation of minoritised languages for political gains by different ideological forces.

Table of Contents

Contributors

Preface and Acknowledgements

Mary S. Linn and Alejandro Dáyan-Fernández: Introduction: Sustaining Minoritised Languages in Europe: An Agentive Perspective on Social Actors and Language Revitalisation         

Part 1: Building Agency

Chapter 1. Cassie Smith-Christmas and Orlaith Ruiséal: Tús Maith: Empowering Children’s Agentive Role in Language Revitalisation            

Chapter 2. Bernadette O’Rourke and Alejandro Dayán-Fernández: Sowing the Seeds at Semente: Urban Breathing Spaces and New Speaker Agency           

Chapter 3. Nicole Dołowy-Rybińska and Cordula Ratajczak: The Dynamics of a Triangle of Agency: Sorbian Language Policy             

Tadhg Ó hIfearnáin: Commentary: Language Conflict and the Contextual Nature of Agency                 

Part 2: Rethinking Possibilities in Agency

Chapter 4. Manuela Pellegrino: I Was There: Agency, Authority and Morality Among the Griko Linguistic Minority of Southern Italy (Apulia)                 

Chapter 5. Lena Terhart, Femmy Admiraal and Nils Langer: Which North Frisian Should Be Maintained? Exploring Language Attitudes and Agency of Speakers and Non-Speakers

Chapter 6. Sara C. Brennan: Reconsidering Agency in 21st-Century Language Revitalisation: Insight from the Occitan Context

Lenore A. Grenoble: Commentary: Rethinking Agency

James Costa: Conclusion: Final Thoughts on Agency and Affects        

Index   

Editorial Reviews

This anthology is a box of delights for those who are looking to explore the subject of agency in close and complexly nuanced depth by bringing it to life with situated examples [...] Each case study details instances of minority languages as tools of social resistance and how they can be used to challenge the linguistic status quo against top-down language planning. The authors present evidence from a range of diverse contexts, unified by
speaker advocacy, presenting minority language speakers as agents of language change, and underlining the need to create safe non-judgemental spaces for language users (‘breathing spaces’).

Cerise Andrews

The case studies in this volume provide valuable ethnographic insights into the practices of social actors – both individual and collective – who are using and promoting minoritised languages in early 21st century Europe. Additionally, the authors’ discussions of the nature of agency in language revitalisation make a significant contribution to advancing both theory and practice in this field.

Haley De Korne

This book explores the processes and histories of revival in Europe's minority languages, exploring agency dynamics and structural constraints. It enriches sociolinguistic discussions by emphasizing the complexity of the agency, evaluating emotional forces, and involving diverse actors. Beyond conventional concepts, revitalization is seen as being driven by passion and emotion, advocating for research on emotional mobilization. Challenging traditional dichotomies, this book undoubtedly offers valuable insights for scholars and practitioners in minority language revitalization.

Tomasz Wicherkiewicz

Agency and self-empowerment are at the very core of language reclamation efforts, forming a powerful, self-propelling social mechanism. This cutting-edge book shows the complexity of the notion of agency and the potential of ‘peripheries’ as creative hubs of language diversity, affirming that it is indeed possible to challenge the homogenizing legacy of nation states.

Justyna Olko

This volume is a fantastic example of what a good edited collection looks like [...] I am particularly interested in the way the volume focuses on the ‘peripheries’ of language revitalisation: spaces and networks on the margins of state control, whether actively abandoned, autonomously governed, or simply ignored and overlooked. This approach provides valuable insights into how revitalisation works at the ground level, in families and community organisations, as well as in sites like bookstores and cafes that serve as revitalisation hubs in urban settings.

Gerald Roche