New speakers of minority languages: the challenging opportunity - foreword

O'Rourke, B. , Pujolar, J. and Ramallo, F. (2015) New speakers of minority languages: the challenging opportunity - foreword. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2015(231), pp. 1-20. (doi: 10.1515/ijsl-2014-0029)

Abstract

In this special issue we examine and reflect upon the emergence of “new speakers” in the context of some of Europe’s minority languages. The “new speaker” label is used here to describe individuals with little or no home or community exposure to a minority language but who instead acquire it through immersion or bilingual educational programs, revitalization projects or as adult language learners. The emergence of this profile of speaker draws our attention to the ways in which minority linguistic communities are changing because of globalization and the new profiles of speakers that this new social order is creating. The concept also focuses our attention on some of the fundamental principles which had for a long time been taken for granted in much sociolinguistic research and in particular, language planning associated with linguistic revitalization. The authors of the eight articles included in this volume engage with these issues through their analyses of new speaker communities across a variety of European contexts including the Basque Country, Brittany, Catalonia, Corsica, Galicia, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Occitania.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: O'Rourke, Professor Bernadette
• Authors: O'Rourke, B., Pujolar, J., and Ramallo, F.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures > Hispanic Studies
• Journal Name: International Journal of the Sociology of Language
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• ISSN: 0165-2516
• ISSN (Online): 1613-3668
• Published Online: 18 December 2014
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 O'Rourke et al.
• First Published: First published in International Journal of the Sociology of Language 2015(231): 1-20
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License