Cultural and Heritage Continuity through Language Revitalisation

Presentation abstract

Abstract

Cultural and linguistic diversity are under increased threat, along with diversity of all kinds; one symptom of this is the widespread shift from smaller and minoritised languages to dominant, majority ones. Not only does this represent a significant loss of linguistic heritage, but it also has considerable detrimental impact on the populations concerned – through the causes as well as the effects. Links between language and culture have long been recognised, and are underlined by current initiatives by UNESCO (e.g. the International Decade for Indigenous Languages) and the European Union (e.g. funding to support European cultural heritage and linguistic diversity). As the ERC call notes, ‘Cultural heritage, the arts and the cultural and creative industries have a crucial role to play for resilient and socially sustainable societies, shaping and strengthening the values that hold us together and give meaning and a sense of belonging.’ In this talk I describe some efforts that are being made to reclaim, maintain and revitalise linguistic heritage around the world, and attempt to identify trends and models in approaches to similar problems. I examine what kinds of activities are promoted, and how we might measure their outcomes or even success. I am particularly interested in stated and unstated goals and how they relate to outcomes – both intended and unintended.