› › Linguistic Diversity And National Unity

Linguistic Diversity and National Unity

Author : William A. Smalley

Publisher : University of Chicago Press

Page : 460 pages

File Size : 37,7 MB

Release : 1994-06-15

Category : Foreign Language Study

ISBN : 9780226762883

Get eBook

Book Description

Unlike other multi-ethnic nations, such as Myanmar and India, where official language policy has sparked bloody clashes, Thailand has maintained relative stability despite its eighty languages. In this study of the relations among politics, geography, and language, William A. Smalley shows how Thailand has maintained national unity through an elaborate social and linguistic hierarchy. Smalley contends that because the people of Thailand perceive their social hierarchy as the normal order, Standard Thai, spoken by members of the higher levels of society, prevails as the uncontested national language. By examining the hierarchy of Thailand's diverse languages and dialects in light of Thai history, education, culture, and religion, Smalley shows how Thailand has been able to keep its many ethnic groups at peace. Linguistic Diversity and National Unity explores the intricate relationship between language and power and the ways in which social and linguistic rank can be used to perpetuate order.



Linguistic Diversity and National Unity

Author : William A. Smalley

Publisher : University of Chicago Press

Page : 460 pages

File Size : 35,45 MB

Release : 1994-06-15

Category : Foreign Language Study

ISBN : 9780226762890

Get eBook

Book Description

Unlike other multi-ethnic nations, such as Myanmar and India, where official language policy has sparked bloody clashes, Thailand has maintained relative stability despite its eighty languages. In this study of the relations among politics, geography, and language, William A. Smalley shows how Thailand has maintained national unity through an elaborate social and linguistic hierarchy. Smalley contends that because the people of Thailand perceive their social hierarchy as the normal order, Standard Thai, spoken by members of the higher levels of society, prevails as the uncontested national language. By examining the hierarchy of Thailand's diverse languages and dialects in light of Thai history, education, culture, and religion, Smalley shows how Thailand has been able to keep its many ethnic groups at peace. Linguistic Diversity and National Unity explores the intricate relationship between language and power and the ways in which social and linguistic rank can be used to perpetuate order.



Language Diversity in the USA

Author : Kim Potowski

Publisher : Cambridge University Press

Page : pages

File Size : 37,83 MB

Release : 2010-08-05

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 1139491261

Get eBook

Book Description

What are the most widely spoken non-English languages in the USA? How did they reach the USA? Who speaks them, to whom, and for what purposes? What changes do these languages undergo as they come into contact with English? This book investigates the linguistic diversity of the USA by profiling the twelve most commonly used languages other than English. Each chapter paints a portrait of the history, current demographics, community characteristics, economic status, and language maintenance of each language group, and looks ahead to the future of each language. The book challenges myths about the 'official' language of the USA, explores the degree to which today's immigrants are learning English and assimilating into the mainstream, and discusses the relationship between linguistic diversity and national unity. Written in a coherent and structured style, Language Diversity in the USA is essential reading for advanced students and researchers in sociolinguistics, bilingualism, and education.



Language Policy and National Unity

Author : William R. Beer

Publisher : Government Institutes

Page : 264 pages

File Size : 15,31 MB

Release : 1985

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 9780865980587

Get eBook

Book Description

The central focus of each chapter is language policy and how it accomplishes-or fails to accomplish-the task of maintaining national unity in the face of linguistic diversity. Included among the nations considered are examples of postcolonial cultures, as well as nations that have sheltered linguistic minorities within their borders throughout their history, countries fragmented into tribal groups, and those divided by a plethora of local dialects.



A Political History of Spanish

Author : José Del Valle

Publisher : Cambridge University Press

Page : 445 pages

File Size : 45,34 MB

Release : 2013-08-29

Category : Foreign Language Study

ISBN : 1107005736

Get eBook

Book Description

A comprehensive work which offers a new and provocative approach to Spanish from political and historical perspectives.





Respecting Linguistic Diversity in the European Union

Author : Xabier Arzoz

Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing

Page : 281 pages

File Size : 13,65 MB

Release : 2008-01-09

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 9027291322

Get eBook

Book Description

After the accession of ten new member-states in 2004, the number of official EU languages increased from eleven to twenty. In 2005, the Council of the European Union decided to expand the existing legal framework for Irish and for other languages, such as Basque, Catalan and Galician, which are official in all or part of the territory of a given member-state. On 1 January 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU, increasing the number of official EU languages still further. This book addresses the challenge of respecting linguistic diversity within the EU and is intended as an introduction to the issue for those not already familiar with EU law. It also provides an analysis of the potential of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union to enhance respect for linguistic diversity. Each chapter has been written by a recognised expert in the field. The appendices bring together the basic legal norms relating to linguistic diversity within EU institutions.



Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors

Author : Harold Schiffman

Publisher : BRILL

Page : 389 pages

File Size : 37,84 MB

Release : 2011-12-09

Category : Language Arts & Disciplines

ISBN : 9004201459

Get eBook

Book Description

The contribution of this collection of articles is to construct an updated picture of languages and language policy in and around Afghanistan, and give potential language learners a clearer picture of what kinds of resources exist, and what is still needed. The book was co-edited by Brian Spooner, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.



Uniformity and Diversity in Language Policy

Author : Catrin Norrby

Publisher : Multilingual Matters

Page : 293 pages

File Size : 20,8 MB

Release : 2011-10-17

Category : Education

ISBN : 1847694489

Get eBook

Book Description

This book brings together current research by leading international scholars on the often contentious nature of language policies and their practical outcomes in North America, Australia and Europe. It presents a range of perspectives from which to engage with a variety of pressing issues raised by multilingualism, multiculturalism, immigration, exclusion, and identity. A recurrent theme is that of tension and conflict: between uniformity and diversity, between official policies and real day-to-day life experiences, but also between policies in schools and the corporate world and their implementation. Several chapters present research about language policy issues that has previously not been fully or easily available to an English-language audience. Many of the chapters also provide up-to-date analyses of language policy issues in particular regions or countries, focusing on recent developments.



Linguistic Diversity and European Democracy

Author : Anne Lise Kjær

Publisher : Routledge

Page : 242 pages

File Size : 38,11 MB

Release : 2016-05-06

Category : Law

ISBN : 1317104927

Get eBook

Book Description

What role does linguistic diversity play in European democratic and legal processes? Is it an obstacle to deliberative democracy and a hindrance to legal certainty, or a cultural and economic asset and a prerequisite for the free movement of citizens? This book examines the tensions and contradictions of European language laws and policy from a multi-disciplinary perspective. With contributions from leading researchers in EU law and legal theory, political science, sociology, sociolinguistic and cognitive linguistics, it combines mutually exclusive and competing perspectives of linguistic diversity. The work will be a valuable resource for academics and researchers in the areas of European law, legal theory and linguistics.