Search

An important mechanism for language maintenance is transmission from parents to their children. This mechanism is stronger for the regional language Frisian than it is for Low Saxon in the northern Netherlands. In this study, we assessed many variables potentially associated with parental language transmission for these regional languages. We analyzed questionnaire responses from around 25,000 Frisian and Low Saxon speakers participating in the Lifelines cohort study. Transmission was strongly associated with whether their children's other parent speaks the same language, and with the frequency of language use in different social contexts. Other important factors included language attitudes and the degree of urbanization of the respondent's neighborhood. Taken together, these findings suggest that language maintenance for Frisian and Low Saxon could potentially be bolstered by adequately stimulating positive language attitudes and the use of the language in different social contexts by both the government and smaller societal organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of The L N Gumilyov Eurasian National University Political Science Regional Studies Oriental Studies Turkology Series is the property of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aims to examine the vocal system in regional languages in South Kalimantan, focusing on eighteen varieties of local languages, namely Banjar, Sunda, Bakumpai, Lawangan, Dayak Halong, Dusun Deah, Flores, Manyan, Abal, Sasak, Javanese, Bugis, Samihin, Bajau, Madura, Berangas, Bali, and Mandar. The research method used is a qualitative descriptive approach with literature data analysis. The results showed variations in the vocal system between regional languages, with some languages having unique vowels while others showed anomalies in the distribution of vowels. The study found that the vowels /i/, /u/, /e/, and /a/ were found in all of the regional languages studied, while the vowels /ə/ were found in seventeen languages, the vowels /o/ in thirteen languages, and the vowels /ɔ/ in six languages. This research makes an important contribution to the development of language typology in South Kalimantan and can be the basis for further research on vocal anomalies in the regional language.

Since Russia has always been a multicultural and multilingual country, there are many regions where several official languages (apart from the Russian language) coexist. Needless to say, bilingualism has its own peculiarities in each region. What would be the difference between the linguistic situation in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Republic of Tatarstan? In the present article, we are aiming to investigate the peculiarities of bilingualism in the two above-mentioned republics. Based on the analysis of the historical background of minority languages and current language policies, the article provides an overview of the linguistic situation in terms of language status and language use of minority languages in the educational system. It has shown that despite similar language policies, the actual situation in Tatarstan and Yakutia is different, especially in terms of preference for learning the minority language at school. It is concluded that it is necessary to develop bilingualism in the regions and organize the necessary methodological support for parents and teachers.

Copyright of Lengas is the property of Presses Universitaires de la Mediterranee and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Language & Law / Revista de Llengua i Dret is the property of Revista de Llengua i Dret and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article compares the immersion-education systems in Brittany and Wales. The number of Welsh speakers is growing thanks to its well-developed immersion-education system. Brittany has a much less well-developed system and the number of Breton speakers is falling dramatically. Urgent action is needed if Breton is to survive. Using an approach based loosely on 'comparative history as a comparison of contrasts', the paper examines differences in political support for immersion education between the two regions. It considers the impact of this support on planning strategies and mechanisms and considers how a range of pedagogical factors including age of exposure, language-use in the classroom and teacher training are tackled in the two contexts. It finds that the Welsh system enjoys far greater political support than that of Brittany because control of the education system is in the hands of a devolved regional authority which fully supports the regional language. The situation may be about to improve for Breton owing to the publication of a recent circular authorising full-immersion education within the state-education system for the first time. The paper recommends close collaboration between the two regions moving forward in an attempt to save Breton from extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to explore the sociolinguistic paths of students dealing with the issue of discrimination on linguistic pretexts (or glottophobia) in Brittany, a region where the question of linguistic minority has been visibly raised for a long time. Just over 100 participants enrolled at Rennes 2 University participated in a semi-directive online quantitative survey. The responses reveal a significant linguistic plurality, especially of family origin and to which respondents say they are attached. In particular, there is a significant place held by a regional language, Breton, alongside languages from elsewhere (about half of the witnesses grew up with several languages and say they practice several of them today). The normative norm of French (perceived as above all academic, Parisian, socially marked) occupies an important place both as a reference and as a declared practice. A stigmatization of their forms of French is reported by nearly 50% of respondents, which creates a certain linguistic insecurity. The notion of glottophobic discrimination appears to be very well identified. In the last three years, more than 50% have witnessed it and about 10% have been victims (the use of « immigration » languages being the main pretext mentioned). About 20% spoke to relatives and none to a mediation or appeal body. Implementing a glottopolitical intervention requires establishing a diagnosis of a sociolinguistic situation at a time T by including the glottopolitical orientations of social actors (the « agents », in the Guespin-Marcellesi terminology). This study confirms that an information and vigilance system is necessary to ensure respect for fundamental language rights and fair treatment of people regardless of the language(s) and variety of French used.

In this article, the author has analysed educational reforms and educational policy in general, which was implemented in Ukraine during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych. A few political cases were analysed, in particular the opposition of the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” to the educational trends implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine under the leadership of Dmytro Tabachnyk. The manifestations of colonial policy in Ukrainian education, which were aimed at the rapprochement of Ukraine and Russia and the positioning of Ukraine as a colonial part of the imperial body, have been outlined. It has been discussed in what implicit way the colonial strategy was implemented in the educational reforms in Ukraine, in particular in the aspect of teaching humanitarian disciplines, e.g. Ukrainian literature. Forms of possible resistance to colonial strategies in the educational field, the principles of overcoming imperial pressure and intensifying the narrative of resistance, which made it possible to avoid further splitting of the Ukrainian identity in the imperial body, have been analysed. The legislative activity, which was focused on strengthening the status of the Russian language as a regional language, has been outlined. Linguistic colonial approaches at the level of legislative initiatives in language policy have been spotlighted, in particular in the Kivalov-Kolesnichenko Law.

The article reports on the current process of completing and further developing the corpus of contemporary written Latgalian (MuLa). It gives an overview over the sources and the principles of compiling the corpus and compares it with corpora of other lesser used languages of Europe. In addition, it analyses the profile of current and potential users, users’ experience with the corpus so far and their wishes for the future. The first version of the corpus MuLa, which has been publicly available since 2012, contains 1 million running words. It will be enlarged to 2 million words in the extended and corrected version prepared 2020–2022. Corpora of lesser used languages play an important role in the documentation and development of the language. They are also a valuable resource for the preparation of linguistic tools and teaching materials. While MuLa does not have either the size or the functionality of corpora of such well-cared-for European regional languages as Basque, Welsh, or Sami, the fact that a corpus exists and is being further developed puts Latgalian in a better position than some other regional languages in Europe. Due to a shortage of financial and human resources, corpora of lesser used languages are often compiled from sources automatically gathered from the Internet. MuLa, in turn, is still compiled manually, which allows higher control of register diversity and balance, as well as linguistic quality. The corpus is not tagged, but it is accessible to everyone. Data about the usage and users of MuLa since 2012 have been collected with an online questionnaire answered by 214 respondents. The study shows that the corpus has been used very little, mostly by researchers and a few other professionals. On the other hand, many respondents expressed a potential interest and ideas about potential uses of the corpus for learning about Latgalian as well as further developing their linguistic skills. In order for the corpus to be used more broadly, promotion and the spread of information within society is indispensable. Still more important is cooperation and a constant dialogue with teachers and university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this study is translating "for the stage" and, more specifically, the collaborative dimension in the field of translation for a yet-to-be mise en scène. After reflecting on the collaboration between several individuals in theatrical translation, this paper will examine on the feature-length film directed by the Taviani brothers that focuses on one of the Rebibbia theatrical experiences and more specifically on the work of the director and screenwriter, Fabio Cavalli. The aim is to understand how a Shakespearean text became a Julius Caesar staging within prison walls and later the transposition of the film Cesare deve morire, through a series of translations and retranslations where several participants were involved. The analysis of the translated work and the direct account of the theatre director will provide useful insights and understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nicknames for imaginary remote hamlets are widespread. One may think, for example, of Podunk Hollow (US). In the Netherlands, Boerenkoolstronkeradeel is best known (boerenkool = kale, stronk= stembase, deel = municipality). The leading Dutch dictionary defines Boerenkoolstronkeradeel as 'a remote hamlet, alledgedly unreachable for "modern civilisation"', the reference – most probably – being the Randstad, the urban conglomeration in the western part of the country. At least two factors may be supposed to have played a part in making some really existing locations inspirational: 1) remoteness, 2) rural or agrarian character. This paper identifies regional linguistic characteristics in these nicknames, and relates them to specific existing locations, leading to the paradox that an almost unknown and remote location becomes a known icon for 'the middle of nowhere'. It will analyze to what extent each of the two factors may have made such really existing names inspirational. One of the conclusions will be that a third factor, too, must be considered: the estimated (subjective) linguistic distance between regional languages concerned on the one hand, and the standard language on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

France is generally considered a monolingual or linguistically unitary country, but this reality is highly nuanced. Alongside French, the only official language, there are many other «languages of France» which are constitutionally considered as «patrimony of the Republic», and whose legal status is far from clear, focusing on the ideas of protection and promotion. This has given rise to various problems, such as that of linguistic immersion in education, which have recently been subject to regulation and analysis by the Conseil Constitutionnel, with a result that may be confusing and has been very controversial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Studies: Interdisciplinary Political & Cultural Journal is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nicknames for imaginary remote hamlets are widespread. One may think, for example, of Podunk Hollow (US). In the Netherlands, Boerenkoolstronkeradeel is best known (boerenkool = kale, stronk= stembase, deel = municipality). The leading Dutch dictionary defines Boerenkoolstronkeradeel as 'a remote hamlet, alledgedly unreachable for "modern civilisation"', the reference – most probably – being the Randstad, the urban conglomeration in the western part of the country. At least two factors may be supposed to have played a part in making some really existing locations inspirational: 1) remoteness, 2) rural or agrarian character. This paper identifies regional linguistic characteristics in these nicknames, and relates them to specific existing locations, leading to the paradox that an almost unknown and remote location becomes a known icon for 'the middle of nowhere'. It will analyze to what extent each of the two factors may have made such really existing names inspirational. One of the conclusions will be that a third factor, too, must be considered: the estimated (subjective) linguistic distance between regional languages concerned on the one hand, and the standard language on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cet article s’intéresse aux conditions de production d’un récit territorial régional unifié dans deux régions marquées par des mouvements de revitalisation linguistique (Grenoble et Whaley, 2006). La Bretagne abrite deux communautés linguistiques– bretonne et gallèse – porteuses de revendications de statut (Gusfield, 1986). La Lusace est un territoire revendiqué par les locuteurs des langues basse-sorabe et haute-sorabe. Les deux territoires régionaux revendiqués par les militants linguistiques diffèrent des territoires de l’action publique. Nous montrons que malgré des tentatives militantes de produire un récit territorial unifié de la région revendiquée, des rapports de concurrence et de domination entre les groupes linguistiques viennent morceler cette entreprise. En partant du postulat que l’action collective linguistique construit l’image sociale du territoire (Avanza et Laferté, 2005) tout autant que l’image sociale du territoire la construit en retour, nous nous intéressons aux usages militants des multiples récits régionaux et aux enjeux politiques qu’ils drainent.

The paper discusses and analyses the situation of regional languages in Poland against the background of phenomena taking place in Europe. The phenomena discussed include language extinction, language revival and raising the prestige of linguistic varieties generally considered inferior to recognised languages, i.e. state, national or official ones.

The paper considers promotion of regional languages in mass media. The experience of European countries in ensuring the presence of regional languages in the media in the context of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (the Charter) has been discussed. The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that the development of information technologies and, as a consequence, the globalization processes lead to the displacement and loss of national cultural phenomena, primarily national or regional languages. We have analyzed the state periodical reports of Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain on the implementation of obligations stipulated in Article 11 of the Charter and Committee of Experts’ evaluation reports, which allowed studying the current situation of regional languages in media communications, as well as favorable and negative trends. The provision of favorable conditions for the functioning of regional languages in the media in the context of the Charter is due to state support, the provision of financial assistance, the creation of organizations and councils responsible for promoting regional media and their cooperation with each other and with the authorities, and finally, regulatory documents, which guarantee the fulfillment of these conditions. The results obtained are of importance for modern sociolinguistics, because the experience gained allows us to determine the most universal factors favorable for the development and support of the media functioning in regional languages.

This article tackles the conditions in which a unified territorial narrative is built in two regions that are characterized by language revitalization movements (Grenoble & Whaley, 2006). Brittany is home to the Breton and the Gallo minority-language communities. Lusatia is a territory that is claimed by speakers of both Lower and Upper Sorbian, two distinct Slavic languages. Both regional territories claimed by language activists differ from the territorial frame for public action. However, the construction of territorial narratives by language activists cannot be summed up by drawing an alternative territory. Concurrence and power dynamics between language communities shatter this unified vision of the region. Based on the assumption that collective action for minority languages builds the social image of the territory (Avanza et Laferté, 2005) just as much as this social image builds collective action, we will shed light on the militant uses of the various regional narratives and on the political issues that they carry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symbolic crusades in Lusatia and Brittany? An analysis of minority language movements from the perspective of status politics This paper proposes to analyse mobilizations for regional minority languages in Lusatia and Brittany from the perspective of “status politics”. In a post-modern context, where traditional speech communities are fragmented by territorial and social mobility, speaking a minority language seems to be a matter of personal choice, structured through engagement and activism. Assuming that languages are part of a linguistic economy shaped by power conflicts and struggle for classifications, this article approaches the promotion of regional and minority languages as a struggle for social recognition of particular cultures, styles of life and collective prestige. By using the tools of political sociology, our ambition is to examine actions for Upper and Lower Sorbian, Breton and Gallo as symbolic ones, aiming at influencing the distribution of social prestige in Lusatia and Brittany, thus exceeding mere language issues. Today, campaigners for minority languages of Lusatia and Brittany participate in “revitalization movements” which also assert visions of the social world. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with language activists and on participatory observations, the idea is to consider to what extent linguistic mobilizations can be qualified as symbolic crusades”, and in what ways this sociological notion could be useful to understand the mechanisms at work in linguistic collective action in general. Krucjaty symboliczne na Łużycach i w Bretanii? Próba spojrzenia na aktywizm mniejszości językowych poprzez analizę polityki statusu Artykuł proponuje spojrzenie na mobilizację użytkowników regionalnych języków mniejszościowych na Łużycach i w Bretanii z perspektywy polityki statusu. W ponowoczesnym kontekście, w którym tradycyjne wspólnoty komunikacyjne zostały rozbite przez wzrost mobilności terytorialnej i społecznej, używanie języka mniejszościowego wydaje się kwestią jednostkowego wyboru, realizowanego poprzez osobiste zaangażowanie i aktywizm. Przyjmując założenie, że języki stanowią element ekonomii lingwistycznej, kształtowanej przez konflikty władzy i potrzebę klasyfikacji, artykuł traktuje promowanie języków regionalnych i mniejszościowych jako walkę o akceptację konkretnych kultur i stylów życia oraz o prestiż społeczny. Korzystając z narzędzi socjologii politycznej, autorka stawia sobie za cel zbadanie działań na rzecz języków górnołużyckiego, dolnołużyckiego, bretońskiego i gallo jako działalności symbolicznej, mającej prowadzić do zmian w dystrybucji prestiżu społecznego na Łużycach i w Bretanii, a zatem wykraczającej poza kwestie czysto językowe. Obecnie działacze na rzecz języków mniejszościowych na Łużycach i w Bretanii biorą udział w „ruchu rewitalizacyjnym”, który przedstawia również własną wizję świata społecznego. Opierając się na częściowo ustrukturyzowanych wywiadach z aktywistami językowymi oraz na obserwacji uczestniczącej, autorka próbuje określić, do jakiego stopnia mobilizacja językowa może być uznana za „krucjatę symboliczną” i w jaki sposób ta wywodząca się z socjologii koncepcja może być przydatna dla zrozumienia mechanizmów funkcjonujących w szerszym kontekście działań zbiorowych o charakterze językowym.

As a multilingual country, Pakistan faces innumerable problems in language in education policy and medium of instruction in educational institutions (Ammar et al. 2015; Mehboob. 2017; Channa, Manan & David, 2020) There is an intellectual divide among the proponents of English, Urdu and regional languages. English is important for science and education while Urdu reflects the national sense of pride. A history of ethnic strife has also led to the rise of regional and provincial sense in the context of languages. This paper attempts to investigate attitudes towards these languages and the choice of language as a medium of instruction. The focus is to examine code switching or translanguaging in classrooms. The findings of the study are based on data generated though a questionnaire and audio/video recording of classroom lectures. Among the respondents of the study are included 300 students and 30 instructors of three educational universities in Islamabad. The survey conducted through questionnaire examines the attitude of students towards the use of language while classroom sessions have been recorded and transcribed to authenticate the quantitative data. The study reveals that there is no uniform approach to the use of language and variation in the respondents’ pattern of thinking. This cognitive persona of respondents shows that they are not decisive about choosing medium of instruction. The study recommends designing and implementation of the practice of translanguaging that maintains cultural pluralism and is flexible and accommodative to increase linguistic resources in an educational setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Adeptus is the property of Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Slavic Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article deals with the problems of bilingual education in the Republic of Tatarstan and the peculiarities of bilingual students' linguistic consciousness. On the basis of socio-psycholinguistic experiments, surveys conducted over several years, conclusions were drawn about the language preferences of young students. The authors of the article analyze the causes of the imbalance of Tatar-Russian bilingualism in the Republic and suggest ways of promoting the Tatar language as a systemic approach that reflects the specificity of a multicultural mobile multilingual society. Systematic and consistent questioning of bilinguals and monolinguals allows saying that the linguistic consciousness of bilingualism in the Republic is determined by a complex of linguistic and extralinguistic factors. There are also several factors, which are undoubtedly influenced by factors of a personal nature. Thus, the basic constant and variable parameters of the personality (nationality, gender, education, specialty, family traditions, etc.) play a huge role in creating a general picture of linguistic consciousness, and, most importantly, form a behavior model of a bilingual, including speech and not only, in a multicultural society, which is today any state in the essence. Language education should meet the challenges of the time and prepare the younger generation for successful socialization and integration. The authors believe that the basis of bilingual education should be an ethno-oriented approach to teaching the language as a non-native (another native) one and the education of a bilingual person from childhood, at school and the development of this system for the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article follows up on a paper presented in 2013 and references a research project carried out from 1996 to 2018. Drawing on examples of situations of public, bilingual and symbolic marking in several areas of Brittany, it examines the links between culture and the economy. How do they function? When the regional language is used in the public space for no other reason than to allow an exchange between speakers of that language, is it still a language? And what future is secured for the language through these uses? The article examines these sociolinguistic fields by presenting language as an unending string of social practices, a continuum of situations and environments that are themselves social. Through these public display practices, which are necessarily social and in many cases economic, new relationships to the object language are established through a modification of the communication codes. What is important here is not so much the intention to address the public with words but rather what these words reference. Does this then make the language a paralinguistic element? Such situations can bring together economists, sociolinguists, and so on, to contribute to the debate in order to identify, together, how we can act to better control the balance between culture’s contribution to the economy and the economy’s contribution to culture.

Events of 2014 in Ukraine and around it confirmed that Russian languages, as well as the Russianspeaking population, have been involved into a cruel political game in which the ruling circles of that country are ready to go as far as physical extermination of national minorities. The article analyzes the legal status of the Russian-speaking population in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine, and the possibility of obtaining basic and higher education in Russian. Taking into consideration the priority of such areas as the protection of rights of Russian-speaking compatriots, the article proposes possible ways of improving the efficiency of using funds allocated to support the Russian-speaking education in these states.

This study, the second chapter of which this article is, aims at disentangling the relationship between politics and languages and raises the question of to what extent and at what level it is possible to have a language policy and particularly a French language policy from a plurilingualism perspective. The bases of our argument is a comparative approach to the future of English and French. This approach is all the more legitimate since the two languages, despite the obvious supremacy of English, have some common characteristics as international languages. We like to point out that the French language is no longer the property of France. In fact, an objective look at nearly a millennium forces us to consider that the French language, which owes much to the French monarchy, has always had its own destiny, and there is no reason for this to change. Despite the disappearance of thousands of languages by the end of this century, the idea of a single language is likely to remain a myth. Economic and technological factors and cultural dynamics play a role in both diversification and unification. From this point of view, the Francophone space, capable of assuming its linguistic diversity, has a decisive role to play in future balances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses and analyses the situation of regional languages in Poland against the background of phenomena taking place in Europe. The phenomena discussed include language extinction, language revival and raising the prestige of linguistic varieties generally considered inferior to recognised languages, i.e. state, national or official ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AThEME is a collaborative research project studying multilingualism in Europe. This 5-year research project was set up with funding from the European Commission, and it runs from March 2014 until March 2019. The main objectives of the project are: (1) to investigate cognitive, linguistic and sociological issues in multilingual Europe, (2) to assess existing public policies and practices within the areas of education and health as well as their impact on multilingualism and (3) to contribute to evidence-based policy making. AThEME uses a range of research methodology and aims to raise awareness of multilingualism among policy makers, health professionals, academics and educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Language & Law / Revista de Llengua i Dret is the property of Revista de Llengua i Dret and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Language & Law / Revista de Llengua i Dret is the property of Revista de Llengua i Dret and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current special issue of Neurocomputing was designed to encourage researchers from interdisciplinary domains working on multilingual social media analytics to think beyond the conventional way of combating online hostile posts. The special issue was primarily based on the theme of the First Workshop on Combating Online Hostile Posts in Regional Languages during Emergency Situation (CONSTRAINT) (https://lcs2.iiitd.edu.in/CONSTRAINT-2021/), held with AAAI'2021. We invited a few good quality papers accepted in CONSTRAINT to submit an extended version. We also made the call open for the general audience. The special issue broadly focused on three major points: (i) Regional language: the offensive posts under inspection may be written in low-resource regional languages (e.g., Tamil, Urdu, Bangali, Polish, Czech, Lithuanian, etc.). (ii) Emergency situation: The proposed solutions should be able to tackle misinformation during emergency situations where, due to the lack of enough historical data, learning models need to adopt additional intelligence to handle emerging and novel posts. (iii) Early detection: Since the impact of misinformation during emergency situations is highly detrimental to the society (e.g., health-related misadvice during a pandemic can cost human lives), we encourage the solutions to be able to detect such hostile posts as early as possible after their appearance on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Synergies Pays Germanophones is the property of GERFLINT (Groupe d'Etudes et de Recherches pour le Francais Langue Internationale) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper addressed the question how the use of Dutch and the regional languages Frisian or Limburgish differ on Twitter and which patterns in language choice can be identified. Previous quantitative studies (Jongbloed-Faber, Van de Velde, Van der Meer & Klinkenberg, 2016; Nguyen, Trieschnigg & Cornips, 2015; Trieschnigg, 2015) have already shown that people in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Limburg tweet in Frisian or Limburgish respectively, but most often in Dutch interspersed with some English. In this qualitative study, we compared the tweets from twenty twitterers in Friesland and Limburg who use both Dutch and Frisian or Limburgish regularly in order to get insight into their language use patterns. The following patterns in language use were identified: when a twitterer aims to maximise his/her audience, Dutch is regularly employed. However, as soon as an interpersonal, addressed tweet is formulated, Frisian or Limburgish is often used. General tweets in Dutch may therefore very well get a Frisian or Limburgish continuation. Another mechanism frequently found in responding tweets is following the language used in the original tweet, notwithstanding such a tweet was in Dutch or in a regional language. Finally, the data show that, although Twitter is a global medium which can be accessed at any time and any place provided that one has access to the needed technical equipment and Internet connection, twitterers sometimes construct localness i.e. what is perceived as local culture through using Frisian or Limburgish exclusively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of new information and communication technologies on European societies could not have been foreseen at the time the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) was adopted two decades ago. Although the text of the ECRML contains no reference to such technologies, they clearly have a role in the context of linguistic communication, given their current social ubiquity. The measures outlined in the ECRML concerning, inter alia, media and cultural facilities, are precisely those being affected by the new media landscape. We can therefore be certain that the internet has some sort of impact on regional and minority languages in Europe, yet detailed assessments of this impact at the policy level are lacking. This article seeks to uncover the extent to which the Committee of Experts of the ECRML assesses the impact of the internet on those languages that have been selected by state parties for protection and promotion under the provisions of the ECRML. Findings show that references to the internet have increased in the reports of the Committee of Experts since monitoring began. However, the role of new technologies in inhibiting or facilitating regional and minority languages is seldom evaluated.

The protection of speakers and of regional or minority languages is a major topic in the Romanian multicultural and ethnically diverse background. The Romanian law approach on this subject is inspired mainly by two distinct theories developed in international law with regard to the notion of language. The first theory, more classical, was developed in many international conventions such as the Convention for the protection of the national minorities. It considers the language from a subjective point of view as a component of the identity of a minority. Therefore, the protection of the language represents a right guaranteed to that minority. This approach inspired the Romanian legislation towards a protection of the language through the protection of their speakers. Consequently, Romanian law incorporates the linguistic issue in the legal framework of the judicial status of national minorities and of the equality principle. The second theory inspiring the Romanian legislation is a more modern and objective approach of the notion of language, as it considers it as a cultural asset, part of a regional, national or European heritage that has to be preserved. The Charter of the regional or minority languages and the specific EU law on this field are the main European references developing this theory. As they constitute a binding legislation for Romania, they should be progressively integrated in the national law. Thus, the protection of speakers and of minority or regional languages is developed in Romania on a clear legal framework founded under the strong influences of international law and it continues to evolve in accordance with the national specificity.

The European Union (EU) today counts 23 national languages with as many as 65 regional and minority languages, only a few of which enjoy recognition in the EU. We assess the perspectives of regional and, particularly, endangered languages in Europe in three steps. First, we argue that the current approach of nation-states, defining both national and regional/minority languages from the top down, is increasingly at odds with the idea of cross-border migration and communications. We illustrate this with the examples of Estonian and Latvian, official languages of EU member-states with around one million native speakers each. Second, we attest the end of 'traditional' forms of minority language, contending that if they are to survive they cannot do so as mirror copies of minority languages. To make our point clear, we discuss regional efforts to increase the use of the Breton and the Welsh languages. We outline a research agenda that takes into account the nation-state dominated linguistic regulations and the future of an increasingly borderless Europe, and suggest how both can be accommodated.