Contested Languages

by Marco Tamburelli (Editor), Mauro Tosco (Editor)

This is the first volume entirely dedicated to contested languages. While generally listed in international language atlases, contested languages usually fall through the cracks of excluded from the literature on minority languages and treated as mere ensembles of geographically defined varieties by traditional dialectology. This volume investigates the nature of contested languages, the role language ideologies play in the perception of these languages, the contribution of academic discourse to the formation and perpetuation of language contestedness, and the damage contestedness causes to linguistic communities and ultimately to linguistic diversity. Various situations and degrees of language contestedness are presented and analysed, along with theoretical considerations, exploring potential roads to recognition and issues in language planning that arise from language contestedness. Addressing the “language vs dialect” question head on, the volume opens up new perspectives that are relevant to all students and researchers interested in the maintenance of linguistic diversity.

277 pages, Hardcover

Published January 21, 2021

Reviews

[Martin Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contested Languages introduces those languages whose political status is controversial, focusing on the dialetti of Italy that lack official status. The nation state's "one country, one language" ideology is held up as the culprit preventing these languages from receiving the recognition they deserve. Tamburelli and Tosco aren't shy in criticising linguists for failing to advocate for speakers of contested languages. For them, the focus must move away from what people believe to be languages, toward using structural linguistic criteria to define languages and protect minority language speakers.

While I'm sympathetic to this argument, and appreciate their grounded approach to language advocacy, these essays are still largely exploratory and lacking in nuance. Further research is needed on these principles in practice, though this book is a good first start.