John Benjamins Publishing Company
Chapter 6. Deconstructing the idea of language
Abstract
Patois is a term used to refer to some varieties of language of contested legitimacy. Close to dialect, it implies a nuance based on the diminished function and supposedly unpolished unpolished form of the language used. The application of the term patois to French linguistic communities is not accidental. It is a socio-historical process that can be analysed in parallel with the implementation of language policies made to promote French as the sole language of a nation-state. This chapter demonstrates that the application of this linguistic denomination is neither innocent nor objective. Indeed, the semantic evolution of the term itself indicates an increasingly disparaging connotation which has led to a submissive effect on the community of speakers of Occitan. Furthermore, a devaluing impact can be identified in the discourse of speakers when referring to their own language. Thus, this chapter will establish the link between the ideological notion of linguistic superiority of the national language and the micro-levelled declaration of speakers’ attitudes, and will therefore highlight the connection between macro language policies and speakers’ socio-psychological self-evaluation.
Abstract
Patois is a term used to refer to some varieties of language of contested legitimacy. Close to dialect, it implies a nuance based on the diminished function and supposedly unpolished unpolished form of the language used. The application of the term patois to French linguistic communities is not accidental. It is a socio-historical process that can be analysed in parallel with the implementation of language policies made to promote French as the sole language of a nation-state. This chapter demonstrates that the application of this linguistic denomination is neither innocent nor objective. Indeed, the semantic evolution of the term itself indicates an increasingly disparaging connotation which has led to a submissive effect on the community of speakers of Occitan. Furthermore, a devaluing impact can be identified in the discourse of speakers when referring to their own language. Thus, this chapter will establish the link between the ideological notion of linguistic superiority of the national language and the micro-levelled declaration of speakers’ attitudes, and will therefore highlight the connection between macro language policies and speakers’ socio-psychological self-evaluation.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Introduction
- Chapter 1. What are contested languages and why should linguists care? 3
-
Section 1. The broader picture
- Chapter 2. Contested languages and the denial of linguistic rights in the 21st century 21
- Chapter 3. Democracy 41
-
Section 2. Identifying and perceiving contested languages
- Chapter 4. Mixing methods in linguistic classification 59
- Chapter 5. The cost of ignoring degrees of Abstand in defining a regional language 87
- Chapter 6. Deconstructing the idea of language 105
- Chapter 7. Surveying the ethnolinguistic vitality of two contested languages 125
- Chapter 8. Contested orthographies 143
- Chapter 9. Revitalising contested languages 163
-
Section 3. Working with contestedness
- Chapter 10. Community-based language planning 185
- Chapter 11. Teaching Piedmontese 199
- Chapter 12. Publishing a grammar and literature anthology of a contested language 209
- Chapter 13. Which Sardinian for education? 221
-
Section 4. Beyond contested languages
- Chapter 14. Citizenship and nationality 237
- Chapter 15. The language ideology of Esperanto 247
- Index 269
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Introduction
- Chapter 1. What are contested languages and why should linguists care? 3
-
Section 1. The broader picture
- Chapter 2. Contested languages and the denial of linguistic rights in the 21st century 21
- Chapter 3. Democracy 41
-
Section 2. Identifying and perceiving contested languages
- Chapter 4. Mixing methods in linguistic classification 59
- Chapter 5. The cost of ignoring degrees of Abstand in defining a regional language 87
- Chapter 6. Deconstructing the idea of language 105
- Chapter 7. Surveying the ethnolinguistic vitality of two contested languages 125
- Chapter 8. Contested orthographies 143
- Chapter 9. Revitalising contested languages 163
-
Section 3. Working with contestedness
- Chapter 10. Community-based language planning 185
- Chapter 11. Teaching Piedmontese 199
- Chapter 12. Publishing a grammar and literature anthology of a contested language 209
- Chapter 13. Which Sardinian for education? 221
-
Section 4. Beyond contested languages
- Chapter 14. Citizenship and nationality 237
- Chapter 15. The language ideology of Esperanto 247
- Index 269