Language as a Value in a Pragmatic World: Global and National Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22364/BJELLC.11.2021.03Keywords:
multilingualism, identity, language policy, international languages, official languagesAbstract
The article deals with the perception of language and languages in the economy-oriented contemporary world and its specific features in such language-centered countries as Latvia. Two main levels could be discussed concerning the ‘intellectual’, ‘symbolic’ and practical treatment of language: a global (supra-national) and a national one. In majority of countries special laws have been adopted or national level programs have been enacted in order to protect the most significant elements of respective national identities – folklore, traditional ways of life, beliefs and languages in particular. At the beginning of the 21st century, economic and political goals of the European Union have been associated with the ideas of European culture and European identity. At the same time, the popularization of the languages, histories, and traditions of the member states have also been emphasized. The Republic of Latvia belongs to the countries where the diversity of thoughts and viewpoints on language are ever present and intense in both the political debates and even in many informal conversations. The paper gives an insight in Latvian language policy against the background of global and European sociolinguistic processes and wide usage of so-called international languages, English in particular.
References
Blommaert, J. (2010) The Sociolinguistics of Globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511845307
Bucholtz, M. and Hall, K. (2004) Language and identity. In A. Duranti (ed.) A Companion to Linguistic Anthropology (pp. 369-394). Blackwell Publishing Ltd. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470996522.ch16
Chan, K. L. (2016) Power Language Index. Available from http://www.kailchan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Kai-Chan_Power-Language-Index-full-report_2016_v2.pdf. [Accessed on 17 April 2020].
Crystal, D. (2003) English as a Global Language. Second edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Druviete, I. (2014) English in Latvia: symbol of European identity, tool for career promotion or the ‘third force’? Sociolinguistica: Internationales Jahrbuch für Europäische Soziolinguistik. Die Einstellungen und die Politik der Nationalen Sprachinstitute in Europa zu Englisch als Europäische Lingua Franca (pp. 69-88). Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gryuter.
Druviete, I. and Veisbergs, A. (2018) the Latvian language in the 21st century. In Latvia and Latvians : Collection of Scholarly Articles, Vol. I (pp. 244-278). Riga: Latvian Academy of Sciences.
Druviete, I. (ed.) (2018) Nacionālās identitātes sociolingvistiskie aspekti [Sociolinguistic Aspects of National Identity]. Rīga: LU Latviešu valodas institūts.
Edwards, J. (2009) Language and Identity: an Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
EFNIL (2005) Brussels Declaration of Language Learning. Available from http://efnil.org/documents/declarations/brussels-declaration-on-language-learning [Accessed on 20 April 2020].
EFNIL (2014) Florence Resolution Concerning Language Use in University Teaching and Research. Available from http://efnil.org/documents/resolutions/florence-resolution [Accessed on 20 April 2020].
Ehala, M. (2018) Signs of Identity. The Anatomy of Belonging. London/New York: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315271439
European Universities (2019) a key pillar of the European Education Area. Available from https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/european-education-area/european-universities-initiative_en [Accessed on 20 April 2020].
Evans, D. (ed.) (2014) Language and Identity. London/Oxford: Bloomsbury Academic.
Evans, D. (ed.) (2018) Language, Identity and Symbolic Culture. London/Oxford: Bloomsbury Academic.
Frascati Manual (2015) Frascati Manual. Guidelines for Collecting and Reporting Data on Research and Experimental Development. Paris: OECD Publishings.
Grenier, G. (2015) the Value of Language Skills. Available from https://wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/205/pdfs/economic-value-of-language-skills.pdf [Accessed on 17 April 2020].
Grin, F. (2018) the MIME Vademecum: an introduction. In F. Grin (ed.) The MIME Vademecum. Mobility and Inclusion in Multilingual Europe (pp. 14-25). Switzerland: Artgraphic Cavin SA.
Hultgren, A. K., Gregersen, F. and Thøgersen, J. (eds.) (2014) English in Nordic Universities. Ideologies and Practices. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.5
Joseph, J. E. (2004) Language and Identity: National, Ethnic, Religious. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kūle, M. (2018) Values in Latvia (in the context of European and universal values). In J. Stradiņš et al. (eds.) Latvia and Latvians, Vol. I (pp. 433-477). Riga: Latvian Academy of Sciences.
Language Situation in Latvia (2017) Sociolinguistic Survey 2010-2015. Rīga: Latvian Language Agency.
Phillipson, R. (1992) Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Phillipson, R. (2018) English, the Lingua Nullius of global hegemony. In P. A. Kraus and F. Grin (eds.) the Politics of Multilingualism. Europeanisation, Globalisation and Linguistic Governance (pp. 275-303). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.6.12phi
Schmid, C. L. (2001) the Politics of Language: Conflict, Identity, and Cultural Pluralism in Comparative Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195137750.001.0001
Seidlhofer, B. (2011) Understanding English as Lingua Franca. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Spolsky, B. (2009) Language Management. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Vīķe-Freiberga, V. (2018) Latvia and the Latvians as Europeans in the age of globalization. In J. Stradiņš et al. (eds.) Latvia and Latvians, Vol. I (pp. 29-53). Riga: Latvian Academy of Sciences.
Wilkinson, R. (2016) Does internalization promote multilingualism? A Dutch university study. Baltic Journal of English Language, Literature and Culture, DOI: https://doi.org/10.22364/BJELLC.06.2016.08
: 108-123.
Wee, L., Goh, R. B. H. and Lim, L. (eds.) (2013) the Politics of English. South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.4
INTERNET SOURCES
[Online 1] Available from www.terralingua.org [Accessed on 17 April 2020].
[Online 2] Available from www.ethnologue.org [Accessed on 15 April 2020].
[Online 3] Available from www.efnil.org [Accessed on 10 December 2019].
[Online 4] Available from www.forthem-alliance.eu [Accessed on 10 April 2020].
[Online 5] Available from www.csb.gov.lv [Accessed on 17 April 2020].
[Online 6] Available from www.km.gov.lv [Accessed on 20 April 2020].
[Online 7] Available from www.valoda.lv [Accessed on 20 April 2020].
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 University of Latvia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
