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Reconfiguring Europe - The Contribution of Applied Linguistics - Constant Leung

Prospects for linguistic diversity in Europe and beyond: views from a small island

Reconfiguring Europe - The Contribution of Applied Linguistics - Constant Leung

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It is now generally accepted among linguists that there are benefits to bilingualism, both social and cognitive. Recent research indicates that it correlates with higher general educational achievement, but only if both languages are afforded equal (or at least respected) status. In addition, the ability to acknowledge and understand other ways of viewing the world is increasingly important in the current political climate. This paper maintains that strengthening minority linguistic rights will not only maintain linguistic diversity, but also promote bi- and multilingualism more effectively than traditional foreign language teaching. Minority languages cannot be safeguarded using functional/instrumental arguments alone. The benefits of bilingualism can also be conferred using ‘more economically useful’ languages, although tuition may not be effective without taking into account affective factors. Maintaining regional identity is often seen as increasingly important in the era of globalisation, with local languages a key element. The consequences of loss of societal bilingualism in a small speech community in Guernsey, Channel Islands, can be seen as a microcosm of diminishing linguistic diversity in larger communities. It may be no coincidence that anglicisation is further advanced in Guernsey than in most other European countries, given its neglect of its linguistic heritage.

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