The Protection of Lithuania’s Polish Minority: Bone of Contention in Bilateral Polish-Lithuanian Relations

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Kuzborska
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Golden Age ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
National Minority ◽  
Language Rights ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
National Minorities ◽  
Minority Language Rights ◽  
Current Stage

This article provides an overview of the recent political and legal events surrounding the protection of Lithuania’s Polish national minority in the context of Lithuanian–Polish bilateral relations, focusing particularly on what has occurred since the so-called golden age of relations between the two countries. This article aims to present up-to-date information on the current stage of dialogue on the issue of national minorities in Lithuania and on the actual protection of the Polish minority in this country. After the expiration of the Law on national minorities in Lithuania in 2010, the primary bones of contention between the two countries have been the use of the language of minorities in communication with local authorities and in bilingual topographical signs, the use of names and surnames in a minority language, rights related to the education of national minorities, and rights related to political participation of national minorities.

Territoriality and Minority Language Rights

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balázs Vizi
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Political Control ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Language Rights ◽  
Council Of Europe ◽  
Technical Approach ◽  
National Minorities ◽  
Minority Language Rights

Territorial principle emerges not only in domestic legislations on language rights, but also in international documents. The article aims at offering an overview of the interpretations of territoriality in international documents relevant for minority language rights, with a special focus on the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. While states often use territorial requirements as a tool of political control over minority language use, the interpretation of their obligations under the two Council of Europe treaties would require a more practical and technical approach to territorial limitations.

On the Intrinsic Value of Arabic in Israel—Challenging Kymlicka on Language Rights

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meital Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
General Question ◽  
National Minority ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Language Rights ◽  
Linguistic Minorities ◽  
Complex Situation ◽  
Intrinsic Interest ◽  
National Minorities ◽  
Israeli Arabs

In the postcolonial era, we have witnessed waves of mass immigration. Consequently, many states are no longer associated with just one or two national languages. Newly formed immigrant minorities raise demands for language rights, alongside national minorities, which raise similar demands.Such a complex situation exists, for example, in Canada, where only French and English are declared official languages although there are other languages, such as Chinese, which are spoken by large communities of people. My paper addresses the general question of which linguistic minorities are most entitled to comprehensive language rights. Will Kymlicka distinguishes between national minorities, which he regards as deserving of comprehensive language rights, and immigrant minorities which are not. Many scholars challenge Kymlicka’s distinction. However, none of them have suggested alternative criteria for distinguishing minority languages that are entitled to protection from minority languages that are less entitled to protection. In my paper, I suggest such a criterion. My alternative criterion is based on the intrinsic interest people have in protecting their own language as the marker of their cultural identity, thus, comprehensive language rights are to be accorded to linguistic minorities that possess the strongest intrinsic interest in the protection of their language as their marker of cultural identity. I apply my criterion to the Israeli case, in which there are two dominant linguistic minorities: the Arab national minority and the Jewish Russian immigrant minority. Relying on general criticism of Kymlicka’s distinction, I argue that this distinction is not applicable to the Israeli linguistic case. Applying my alternative criterion to the Israeli case, I argue that Israeli Arabs have a stronger interest in Arabic than the Russian Jewish minority has in Russian because Arabic constitutes Israeli Arabs’ exclusive marker of identity.

Equal Recognition and Language Rights

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Patten
Keyword(s):  
Minority Language ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Language Rights ◽  
Language Preservation ◽  
Minority Language Rights ◽  
Equal Recognition

This chapter explores the justification of minority language rights. It argues that equal recognition ought to play a key role in thinking about the justification of minority language rights, and that disputes about language rights ought to be examined from the perspective of what was called “full liberal proceduralism.” From this perspective, the mere fact that some minority language is doing poorly does not by itself ground a legitimate complaint of injustice by speakers of that language. But minority speakers do have a complaint if their language fares poorly in a context in which it is disfavored by public institutions. There is no right to language preservation, but there is a strong, pro tanto claim for equal recognition, a claim that can be considered a right in the absence of defeating countervailing considerations.

Minority Language Rights in International Law

2001 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
International Human Rights Law ◽  
Language Rights ◽  
Human Rights Law ◽  
International Human Rights ◽  
Minority Language Rights ◽  
Regional Or Minority Languages

The provision of legislative or other legal protection for linguistic minorities is widespread in domestic legal systems.1 In international law, and in international human rights law in particular, the question of minority language rights has until recently received much less attention. The entry into force on 1 March 1998 of the Council of Europe's European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (the “Minority Languages Charter”), the first international instrument directed solely at the question of language, suggests that the situation may be changing.

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