Time: 13:00-14:00
Location: Moot Court, School of Law, Old College, University of Edinburgh
An IASH Work-in-Progress seminar, delivered by Professor Bernadette O'Rourke (Visiting Research Fellow, 2023)
Language, territory and nativeness: interrogating old and new assumptions in minority language sociolinguistics*
In this talk I will explore new dynamics in language revitalisation studies and contemporary debates which this has generated in the field of minority language sociolinguists. While it is often widely accepted that globalisation can be a factor in the dissolution and extinction of minority languages, this complex process does not result in language loss solely, as these languages are often taken up and used by new types of speakers, for new purposes and in new spaces. This complex reality requires critical engagement with three inter-related assumptions which have long dominated the field: (1) languages as bounded, discrete and named entities; (2) territorialised notions of language within in bounded communities of place; (3) the native speaker ideal. In my talk I will examine these key assumptions in the context of post-structuralist thinking that has taken place in the field of critical sociolinguistics more broadly. While advocating for the merits of critical sociolinguistic thinking and the new understandings this has generated, I will also explore some of the challenges that a post-structuralist position presents for policy makers and language activists. Following Urla (2012), I will examine how we as critical sociolinguists canretain a critical position without undermining the important work of language advocates. I explore how ethnography and participatory research methods can be used to articulate post-structuralist critique and theory in a way that is useful for the struggles that minority language activists are facing on the ground.
*An earlier version of this talk was given at the International Conference on Multilingualism and Multilingual Education (ICMME4) at the University of Malta in October 2023. The theme of the talk draws on ongoing research as part of a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship and discussions with international minority language experts and policy makers at a recent symposium on New Directions in Minority Language Sociolinguistics hosted by IASH and the University of Glasgow in October 2023.
Please join in-person, or click the link below to join the webinar:
https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/83178441780
Passcode: Kj7gnpP4
Please note that our weekly seminars will take place in the Moot Court in the School of Law between September and December 2023.
Accessibility: https://www.accessable.co.uk/venues/old-college-north