Linguistic Identities, Language Shift and Language Policy in Europe

The papers in this volume reflect the changes in the linguistic landscape, and illustrate the dynamics of linguistic situations in Europe. Whereas some contributions offer theoretically distanced views on linguistic identity, linguistic internationalisation and linguistic adaptation, other papers provide empirical documentation on language policies, language loss or retention, code-switching in migrant communities, and linguistic rights. The volume offers important materials for a comprehensive overview of the social, political, and cultural status of language varieties in Europe. The papers, covering data from a wide array of languages (Germanic, Romance, Slavic, Baltic, Finno-Ugric, Greek and Turkish), are preceded by an introduction focusing on the ecolinguistic setting of the study of linguistic identities, language shifts and linguistic ideologies. The contributions are intended to reflect essential features of European language study, past and present: European language awareness in relation to highly diversified linguistic and cultural situations; the development of linguistic models, and the construction of key concepts in general linguistics; the interest in systemic variation; translation theory and practice.