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LANGUAGE SHIFT & LANGUAGE DEATH Youssef Tamer Associate Professor Department Of English Studies Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
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O B J E C T I V E S
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• In this session, we will discuss how and why languages shift and sometimes disappear or “die”. • We shall also look into the factors which make one language stronger than the others at different times.
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O B J E C T I V E S
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• By the end of this session you should be able to: !
• 1. Explain how and why languages shift, die, revive and remain vital !
• 2. Suggest ways to resolve the conflict between the need for world-‐wide communication and language preservation
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K • What is ‘Language shift’? E Y • What are the factors contributing to language C O N C E P T S
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shift? What is language death? What kills a language? How can a language revive? (Language Revival) What keeps a language vital? (Language Vitality) How can a minority language be maintained? (Language Maintenance) WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E
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When One Language Meets Another
Language maintenance
Language shift
S H I F T WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E S H I F T
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When One Language Meets Another Migrant minorities
SCENARIOS
Non-migrant communities WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
Migrant majorities
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L A N G U A G E
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Migrant  minorities
Immigrant minority
Local majority
S H I F T WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E S H I F T
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Migrant minorities • Language shift is expected • A sign of successful assimilation
Pressure from the host society
Language shift for practical reasons • Job • Education • Business
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L A N G U A G E
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The language shift of 2nd-‐generation immigrants
S H I F T WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E
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Migrant  Majority
Local minority
Immigrant majority
S H I F T WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E S H I F T
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Migrant  Majority Language shift does not necessarily occur when multilingualism is widespread.
Language shift could occur When one primary indigenous language is used
many indigenous vernacular languages WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A Migrant Majority N G U A G • Colonization E • The colonial powers impose their languages on S H I F T
the colonies.
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L A N G U A G E S H I F T
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• A community shifts from using one language for most purposes to using a different one • One language replaces the roles and functions of another language in a community • A strong language becomes weak; a weak language becomes strong in a community
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L A N G U A G E S H I F T
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Direction of language shifts Whose language would be stronger? • seller -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ buyer • minority -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ majority • poor -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ wealthy • low social status -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐high social status • ruled -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ ruler
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L A N G U A G E S H I F T
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Factors contributing to language shift Economic factor • Seller -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ buyer Demographic factor • Minority -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ majority Social factor • Poor -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ wealthy • Low social status -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐high social status Political factor • Ruled -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ ruler WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E S H I F T
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What factor(s) account(s) for the following movements of languages in HK? • 1) PTH (Putonghua, national lge of China) has become more important in HK after 1997 (political factor) ! • 2) PTH has become a more important language than English for people working in the retailing industry (economic factor) ! • 3) Cantonese has replaced some major functions of English in HK in the past decades e.g. a) the language of the government; b) the language of HK Legislative Council; c) the medium of instruction in secondary schools. (political and demographic factors)
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L A N G U A G E S H I F T
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• 4) The Filipinos are the biggest group of foreign population in HK (2.1%) but their language is not as popular as that of the British which make up only 0.3% of the HK population in 2001. (social factor) !
• 5) The HK population using other Chinese dialects as a usual language has decreased from 7% in 1991 to 5.5% in 2001. (social and demographic factors)
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L A N G U A G E
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• 6) Standard Arabic in Morocco after independence Vs French. (political, social factors) !
• 7) Amazigh recently. (social and political factors)
S H I F T WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E D E A T H
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• How can a language die? – 1) when all the people who speak that language die; – 2) when the domains in which a language is used are totally replaced by another language; – 3) when a language is suppressed by a political power
• Which is more likely to die, a standard language or a dialect?
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L A N G U A G E R E V I V A L
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Language revival/ revitalization What brings dead/dying languages back to life? 1) New Zealand: Maori (cultural crisis) 2) Israel: Hebrew (nationalism) 3) Taiwan: Taiwanese (political independence) 4) Wales: Welsh (cultural identity) 5) Morocco: Standard Arabic -‐ Amazigh (political independence, social factors)
! Who brings dead/dying languages back to life? 1) Acceptance by Institutions (i.e. government, university, church, media etc.) 2) Acceptance by people WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E V I T A L I T Y
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Ethnolinguistic Vitality • Ethno – different ethnic groups • Ethnolinguistic – different ethnic groups speaking different languages • Vitality – strength • Amazigh in Morocco
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L A N G U A G E V I T A L I T Y
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Six factors which may help a language to progress (Crystal, 2000) • An endangered language will progress if its speakers: • increase their prestige within the dominant community • increase their wealth • increase their legitimate power in the eyes of the dominant community • have a strong presence in the education system • can write down the language • can make use of electronic technology WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E V I T A L I T Y
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Three factors to assess ethnolinguistic vitality Giles et al (1977:309) suggest three main factors in assessing the vitality of different ethnolinguistic groups, namely: • Demographic strength • Institutional support • This is very much applicable for Amazigh in Morocco WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E V I T A L I T Y
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Ethnolinguistic Vitality • Status, Demographic Strength and Institutional Support. • The Status variable is about the prestige of the target linguistic group. • The Demographic variables are related to the number of members in a linguistic group and their distribution in the territory. • Lastly, Institutional Support refers to the degree to which a language is used in various institutions e.g. the government, church, schools, media. • Giles’s theory was devised to examine the interrelationship between different ethnolinguistic groups in a multi-‐racial society. WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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L A N G U A G E V I T A L I T Y
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A language will last long and remain strong in a community if: • The social status of the target language speakers remains high; • The number of people using the target language remains large; • Institutional support to the target language remains high. WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM
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M A I N T E N A N C E
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How can a minority language be maintained? • If a language is an important identity marker (Standard Arabic, Amazigh); • If a minority group is cohesive (e.g. China Town, Amazigh); • If a minority group keeps close contact with the homeland; • If a minority language gets institutional support WWW.ENGLISHSTUDIESINFO.BLOGSPOT.COM