Durk Gorter; Jasone Cenoz
"Minority languages in the linguistic landscape: Basque and Frisian"
Ikerbasque / University of the Basque Country
Barcelona, 16 d'octubre de 2008
Minority languages in the linguistic landscape
Conferència a càrrec de Durk Gorter
12 a 14 hores, Sala de Professors
Organitza: CUSC-UB, Càtedra Linguamón i Xarxa CRUSCAT
D. Gorter: Minority languages in the linguistic landscape: Basque and Frisian
1. Minority languages in the linguistic
landscape: Basque and Frisian
Durk Gorter
Jasone Cenoz
Ikerbasque / University of the
Basque Country
Barcelona 16 October 2008
3. Linguistic landscape defined (1)
• “Landscape” =
• 1) expanse of scenery
• 2) picture representing such a view
LITERAL &
REPRESENTATIONAL
Hobbema - Avenue at Middelharnis, 1689
4. “Linguistic landscape” defined (2)
Existing literature
• Sciriha, L. and Vassallo, M. (2001) Malta : A Linguistic Landscape.
• = language situation
• Labov, W., Ash, S. and Boberg, C. (1997) A National Map of The Regional
Dialects of American English.
• = spread and boundaries of dialects
• Tafoya, S.M. (2002) The Linguistic Landscape of California Schools.
• = non-English speakers in primary schools
• Hicks, D. (2002) Scotland's linguistic landscape: the lack of policy and
planning with Scotland's place-names and signage.
• = signage and place-names
5. Linguistic landscape defined (3)
‘The language of public road signs, advertising
billboards, street names, place names, commercial
shop signs, and public signs on government buildings
combines to form the linguistic landscape of a given
territory, region, or urban agglomeration’
(Landry and Bourhis 1997: 25)
6. Linguistic landscape defined (4)
• Written language(s) in public space
• Language visible in a specified area
• Alternative term: “multilingual cityscape”
7. Motivation
• Study of linguistic diversity
• Reflect different strengths of languages
• Related to identity and language policy
• Additional source of information
9. Conceptual approaches
historical
urban geography language policy
sociolinguistics
semiotics Linguistic
Landscape
education economic
SLA
10. Historical
• LL as old as writing
• Origin of writing
- urbanisation
- public sphere
• Readership
Mene tekel : “writing on the wall”
11. Historical
Jerusalem street signs
Spolsky 2008
12. Model of language policy
Spolsky 2004
Language
Policy
Language Language Language
Practices Beliefs Management
13. Language policy
• Rules and regulations
• Status and corpus planning
• Bilingual signage
• Reflection of traditions and ‘uniqueness’
• Contestation of space
14. Top-down
• Written by authorities (traffic signs, street
names, public notices, etc.)
• = ‘top-down’
15. Bottom up
• Written by citizens (advertisements, shop
signs, graffiti, etc.)
• = ‘bottom-up’
25. Basque Country & Friesland:
two streets
Boulevard, Donostia Nieuwestad, Ljouwert
Cenoz & Gorter 2006
26. Geography Ljouwert
Friesland
Donostia Iparralde
Basque Autonomous
Community
Navarre
Size
Basque C. 20.664 km2
BAC 7.234 km2
Friesland 3.339 km2
Population
Basque C 3.000.000
BAC 2.100.000
Friesland 643.000
28. Language policy
Basque Autonomous Fryslân
Community
Old: gradual 19th C.
Recent: since 1979
Normalization Formalization
1st Education: strong 1st Education: weak
2nd Media: strong 2nd Government: medium
3rd Government: medium 3rd Media: weak
35. Second study
Street interviews
1st tourists visiting the city
Donostia N = 314
Ljouwert N = 251
2nd local inhabitants
Donostia N = 56
Ljouwert N = 76
Cenoz & Gorter 2008; Aiestaran, Cenoz, Gorter & Hanenburg forthcoming
36. Stated preference:
nr of languages - tourists
Donostia Ljouwert
one two more than two
19%
36%
45%
“How many languages should be used in
the language signs?”
37. Willingness to pay
Allocation scenario:
• “In order to assess and rank your priorities, we
kindly ask you if you were given 100 euros, how
would you allocate this amount of money among
the following activities?”
44. Languages as a resource
- Languages not in compartments
- Allocation is planned: aesthetic
value, symbolic force, audience effect
- Use languages in different ways
- Interaction between different languages
- Mixing blurs lines separate languages
47. Characteristics
• Visible for all citizens
• Combines public and private sectors
• Can be regulated by authorities
• Linked to economic value (e.g. advertising)
• World-wide phenomenon
• “multilingual cityscapes”
48. Main trends
• The spread of multilingualism
• The spread of English
• Top-down and bottom-up signs
• The effect of globalization
49. SOURCES can be found in :
Special issue International Journal of Multilingualism: link
http://www.multilingual-matters.net/ijm/003/1/default.htm
New book on linguistic landscape research: link
http://www.routledgelinguistics.com/books/Linguistic-Landscape-isbn9780415988735
CONTACT?:
Jasone.Cenoz@ehu.es
D.Gorter@ikerbasque.org