Language and National Identity

This book re-examines the relationship between language and national identity. Unlike many previous studies, it employs a comparative approach: France and Sweden have been chosen as case studies both for their
similarities (e.g. both are member states of the European Union) as well as their important differences (e.g. France subscribes in principle to a civic model of national identity, whereas the basis of Swedish identity is
undeniably ethnic). It is precisely differences such as these which allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the ethnolinguistic implications of some of the major challenges currently facing France, Sweden and other European countries: regionalism, immigration, European integration and globalization.The present volume benefits from the use of a multidisciplinary approach, and differs from others on the market because of the variety of methods of inquiry used. A series of societal analyses is complemented by an empirical
component, bringing a more grounded understanding to the issue of language and national identity.

Annette Harrison, University of California at Santa Barbara & SIL, in Language 80(4), 2004:
The value of O's research lies in the unique comparison of her history of official policies and actions concerning language and national identity to the synchronic study of speakers at a grassroots level. This book will be appreciated by those with interests in the areas of language attitude studies, the effects of language standardization, the globalization of English, and more particularly by those monitoring linguistics pressures in Europe.