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Chapter 4. How to upgrade the status of migrant languages in the European Union

  • Christopher Houtkamp and László Marácz
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Advances in Interdisciplinary Language Policy
This chapter is in the book Advances in Interdisciplinary Language Policy

Abstract

In this chapter, we will compare the status of traditional minority and migrant languages in the European context and its practical implications for the trade-off between mobility and inclusion. It has been observed that traditional minority languages in Central and Eastern European (CEE) states have fewer rights compared to official languages and that their status and position is best described by language hierarchies, asymmetries, subordination, and threshold restrictions. This against the background of international treaties, such as article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFREU) stating that the European Union (EU) respects cultural, religious, and linguistic diversity and the charters of the Council of Europe (CoE). Although linguistic inequality is an unwanted state of affairs violating international treaties and obligations of member states, these traditional minority language cases might refer to the assignment of linguistic rights to languages of migrants. Both categories belong to the domain of the non-official, majority languages and are expected to be assigned less rights than ‘national languages’, although traditional minority languages have been assigned limited rights in terms of the personality principle next to the territoriality principle applied to the national languages. Note that the language rights of migrants in the EU are also restricted by the mobility-and-inclusion trade-off, which is detrimental to migrant languages in the national context. A solution to this inequality is provided by the fact that the personality principle is a common denominator in the assignment of linguistic rights to minority-language speakers and has already been introduced into transnational European spaces. Hence, the rights of migrant languages can be accounted for by applying the personality principle in these spaces as well. This results in a Union-wide supranational language policy for migrant languages which supports the upgrading of migrant languages in accordance with the personality principle.

Abstract

In this chapter, we will compare the status of traditional minority and migrant languages in the European context and its practical implications for the trade-off between mobility and inclusion. It has been observed that traditional minority languages in Central and Eastern European (CEE) states have fewer rights compared to official languages and that their status and position is best described by language hierarchies, asymmetries, subordination, and threshold restrictions. This against the background of international treaties, such as article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFREU) stating that the European Union (EU) respects cultural, religious, and linguistic diversity and the charters of the Council of Europe (CoE). Although linguistic inequality is an unwanted state of affairs violating international treaties and obligations of member states, these traditional minority language cases might refer to the assignment of linguistic rights to languages of migrants. Both categories belong to the domain of the non-official, majority languages and are expected to be assigned less rights than ‘national languages’, although traditional minority languages have been assigned limited rights in terms of the personality principle next to the territoriality principle applied to the national languages. Note that the language rights of migrants in the EU are also restricted by the mobility-and-inclusion trade-off, which is detrimental to migrant languages in the national context. A solution to this inequality is provided by the fact that the personality principle is a common denominator in the assignment of linguistic rights to minority-language speakers and has already been introduced into transnational European spaces. Hence, the rights of migrant languages can be accounted for by applying the personality principle in these spaces as well. This results in a Union-wide supranational language policy for migrant languages which supports the upgrading of migrant languages in accordance with the personality principle.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. List of contributors xi
  5. Part I. Setting the scene
  6. Chapter 1. General introduction 3
  7. Chapter 2. Principles of integrated language policy 23
  8. Part II. Politics
  9. Chapter 3. Cross-jurisdictional linguistic cooperation in multilingual federations 45
  10. Chapter 4. How to upgrade the status of migrant languages in the European Union 67
  11. Chapter 5. Inclusion and mobility in the multilingual region of Vojvodina 87
  12. Part III. Society
  13. Chapter 6. Language and inclusion in a multilingual environment 111
  14. Chapter 7. The politics of inclusion, citizenship and multilingualism 129
  15. Chapter 8. Urban multilingualism 151
  16. Part IV. Education
  17. Chapter 9. Metalinguistic awareness in education as a tool for enhancing social inclusion 173
  18. Chapter 10. Educational capacity-building for linguistic inclusion and mobility 195
  19. Chapter 11. Higher education language policies for mobility and inclusion 215
  20. Part V. Mediation
  21. Chapter 12. Portraying linguistic exclusion 237
  22. Chapter 13. Migrants’ attitudes towards community interpreting 257
  23. Chapter 14. The language choices of exchange students 275
  24. Chapter 15. The role of intercomprehension in short-term mobility experiences in multilingual contexts 297
  25. Part VI. Policy
  26. Chapter 16. Effectiveness of policy measures and language dynamics 319
  27. Chapter 17. The ontology of the linguistic territoriality principle 343
  28. Chapter 18. Justifying language policies in mobile societies 361
  29. Chapter 19. Complexity in language matters 381
  30. Chapter 20. Language, mobility and inclusion 405
  31. Part VII. Frontiers of multilingualism
  32. Chapter 21. Multilingualism and security 427
  33. Chapter 22. Multilingualism and consumer protection 451
  34. Chapter 23. ‘Learning all from all’ 473
  35. Chapter 24. Language use in international retirement migration 487
  36. Chapter 25. Multilingualism and creativity 509
  37. Chapter 26. Does global English influence the perception of professional ethical dilemmas? 531
  38. Author index 555
  39. Subject index 565
https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.9.04hou

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. List of contributors xi
  5. Part I. Setting the scene
  6. Chapter 1. General introduction 3
  7. Chapter 2. Principles of integrated language policy 23
  8. Part II. Politics
  9. Chapter 3. Cross-jurisdictional linguistic cooperation in multilingual federations 45
  10. Chapter 4. How to upgrade the status of migrant languages in the European Union 67
  11. Chapter 5. Inclusion and mobility in the multilingual region of Vojvodina 87
  12. Part III. Society
  13. Chapter 6. Language and inclusion in a multilingual environment 111
  14. Chapter 7. The politics of inclusion, citizenship and multilingualism 129
  15. Chapter 8. Urban multilingualism 151
  16. Part IV. Education
  17. Chapter 9. Metalinguistic awareness in education as a tool for enhancing social inclusion 173
  18. Chapter 10. Educational capacity-building for linguistic inclusion and mobility 195
  19. Chapter 11. Higher education language policies for mobility and inclusion 215
  20. Part V. Mediation
  21. Chapter 12. Portraying linguistic exclusion 237
  22. Chapter 13. Migrants’ attitudes towards community interpreting 257
  23. Chapter 14. The language choices of exchange students 275
  24. Chapter 15. The role of intercomprehension in short-term mobility experiences in multilingual contexts 297
  25. Part VI. Policy
  26. Chapter 16. Effectiveness of policy measures and language dynamics 319
  27. Chapter 17. The ontology of the linguistic territoriality principle 343
  28. Chapter 18. Justifying language policies in mobile societies 361
  29. Chapter 19. Complexity in language matters 381
  30. Chapter 20. Language, mobility and inclusion 405
  31. Part VII. Frontiers of multilingualism
  32. Chapter 21. Multilingualism and security 427
  33. Chapter 22. Multilingualism and consumer protection 451
  34. Chapter 23. ‘Learning all from all’ 473
  35. Chapter 24. Language use in international retirement migration 487
  36. Chapter 25. Multilingualism and creativity 509
  37. Chapter 26. Does global English influence the perception of professional ethical dilemmas? 531
  38. Author index 555
  39. Subject index 565
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