Linguistic Policies and the Survival of Regional Languages in France and Britain: The Survival of Regional Languages
It was traditionally assumed that having a single official language was a necessary condition for the wellbeing of the state, particularly in France and Britain. This assumption is now questioned, and the regional languages are making, in some cases, an impressive comeback. It is the story of their decline, their survival and, more recently their efforts to re-establish themselves as effective tools of normal communication which is tackled in this book. Each language is analyzed in terms of...
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It was traditionally assumed that having a single official language was a necessary condition for the wellbeing of the state, particularly in France and Britain. This assumption is now questioned, and the regional languages are making, in some cases, an impressive comeback. It is the story of their decline, their survival and, more recently their efforts to re-establish themselves as effective tools of normal communication which is tackled in this book. Each language is analyzed in terms of its development from the earliest times, through its period of decline to present-day efforts at regeneration.
List of Illustrations ixList of Maps xAcknowledgements xiSeries Editor's Preface xiiIntroduction 1The Rise of French and English and the Destruction of the Regional LanguagesIntroduction 7The Rise of French as an Official National Language 9The Rise of English as an Official Language 34The Regional Languages Spoken in Metropolitan FranceGeneral Presentation 63Regional Languages Official Elsewhere: Basque, Catalan, Flemish and Alsatian 69Regional Languages Not Official Elsewhere: Breton, Corsican, Franco-Provencal, Occitan and the Langues d'oil 93Revitalising the Regional Languages of France 120The Regional Languages of BritainGeneral Presentation 149The Regional Languages of England and Wales: Welsh and Cornish 156The Regional Languages of Scotland: Scottish Gaelic and Scots 187The Regional Languages of Northern Ireland: Irish and Ulster Scots 210Concluding Comments 231Notes 236Bibliography 248Index 257
