The dissolution of the USSR has created conditions for a unique sociolinguistic experiment, in which fourteen countries, previously united by the same language and political system, engaged in a nation-building process, creating new linguistic regimes. Two decades later, how did these countries fare in their struggle to initiate a shift from Russian to the titular languages? Which ones succeeded and which ones restored Russian as an official language? How did they go about articulating the rights of linguistic minorities? Did Russian give way to the new lingua franca, English? This collection...
The dissolution of the USSR has created conditions for a unique sociolinguistic experiment, in which fourteen countries, previously united by the same...
The volume highlights the role of language ideologies in the process of negotiation of identities and shows that in different historical and social contexts different identities may be negotiable or non-negotiable. The chapters address various ways in which individuals may be positioned or position themselves in a variety of contexts. In asking questions about social justice, about who has access to symbolic and material resources, about who is 'in' and who is 'out', the authors take account not only of localised linguistic behaviours, attitudes and beliefs; they also locate them in wider...
The volume highlights the role of language ideologies in the process of negotiation of identities and shows that in different historical and social...