scholarly journals Wprowadzanie podwójnego nazewnictwa na tablicach miejscowości i urzędów oraz języka pomocniczego w gminach na Górnym Śląsku a ich społeczne postrzeganie

2016 ◽  
pp. 120-144
Author(s):  
Paweł Popieliński
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
German Language ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Upper Silesia ◽  
Regional Language ◽  
Polish Society ◽  
German Minority

The law on National and Ethnic Minorities and Regional Language of 2005 regulates not only matters related to the preservation and development of the cultural identity of national and ethnic minorities in Poland, but also the problem of bilingualism, auxiliary language and bilingual names. It allows minorities living in Poland to express and emphasize their presence, among other things, by placing names in the minority language on signs next to the official names of places and physiographic objects. Polish society was most concerned about the introduction of dual place names and the use of minority languages as auxiliary languages in offices in some municipalities in Poland, especially in Upper Silesia. Issues of cultural cultivation and the use of education aroused far fewer objections and did not cause doubts.This article shows not only the origins and the role of the introduction of bilingual village and office signs and the German language as the auxiliary language in offices in Upper Silesian municipalities (in the provinces of Opole and Silesia), but also the perception of this phenomenon by both the German minority and the majority society. This paper also presents the legal and sociological aspects of the discussed issues.

scholarly journals A language that forgot itself (Essay on the curious non-existence of German as a recognized minority language in today’s Poland)

2014 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Tomasz Kamusella
Keyword(s):  
Minority Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
German Language ◽  
Upper Silesia ◽  
Region I ◽  
History Of ◽  
German Minority ◽  
The One ◽  
Everyday Communication ◽  
Official Recognition

A language that forgot itself  (Essay on the curious non-existence of German as a recognized minority language in today’s Poland)This essay draws on my almost three decades worth of research on the multiethnic and multilingual history of Upper Silesia during the last two centuries, when various ethnolinguistic nationalisms have radically altered the ethnic, political, demographic and linguistic shape of the region. I focus on the German minority that was recognized in Poland in the early 1990s. This recognition was extended to the German language. However, though in official statistics there are hundreds of schools with German, and bilingual signage amply dots the Upper Silesian landscape, neither in the region nor elsewhere in Poland is there a single, however small, locality where German would be the language of everyday communication. With this essay I attempt to explicate this irony of official recognition on the one hand, and the tacitly enforced non-existence on the ground, on the other hand.

Jianchuan Bai

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jerold A. Edmondson ◽  
John H. Esling ◽  
Li Shaoni
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Yunnan Province ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Remote Area ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Populated Area ◽  
The Third ◽  
The North ◽  
Salt Mining

The Bai language () is spoken by approximately 1.6 million people in northwest Yunnan Province, China. Of the 25 minority languages spoken in Yunnan, where 33% of the population are ethnic minorities and 67% are Han Chinese, the Bai ethnic minority is second in population only to the Yi (Wiersma 1990, 2003; 2010 census). Bai is classified as a Tibeto-Burman language (Xu & Zhao 1964, 1984), although arguments have been raised as to its possible early Sinitic origins (Starostin 1994, 1995). A summary in French reviews Chinese loanwords, ancient Bai, and comparative Bai dialects (Dell 1981). The historical influence of Chinese on Bai has been significant, but evidence is not compelling that Bai is Sinitic (Norman 2003: 73). There are three major dialects of Bái: Jiànchuān (), Dàlĭ (), and Bìjiāng (). The data in this illustration represent the variety of Jianchuan (jian1239, BCA). The third author (), who was about 60 years old at the time of recording, is a male native of the Jianchuan region, originating from QiÁohǒu, a mountain village some 50 km southwest of Jianchuan city – a remote area known for salt mining and where the language has been less influenced by modern Chinese. These locations are indicated on the map of Yunnan (the southwesternmost province of China in an intensely minority-language-populated area) in Figure 1. The traditional geographical link from Qiaohou is to Jianchuan to the north rather than to Dali to the south, and many of the most distinctive characteristics of Jianchuan Bai described here are not found in Dali Bai.

scholarly journals Contested minorities – the case of Upper Silesia

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-51
Author(s):  
Dariusz Gierczak
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
National Minority ◽  
Upper Silesia ◽  
The Status ◽  
Polish Society ◽  
First Time ◽  
Formal Recognition

AbstractUpper Silesia in terms of ethnicity is a typical example of a historical region in Europe, but in fact, one of the few exceptions in contemporary Poland, where its mixed ethnic and religious structures have at least partly survived until today. While their existence had been denied by Nazi Germany (1933-1945) as well as by the Polish People's Republic (1945-1989), the emancipation of the German and Silesian minorities after the democratic changes of 1989 have evoked strong emotions in the ethnically almost uniform country. Nonetheless, the recent situation of minorities has improved as never before. Minority organisations has been officially recognized and German finally has become the second language in some municipalities of Upper Silesia, but the largest ethnic group in the whole country, the Silesians, have still experienced no formal recognition as a national minority. This article deals with the demographic aspects of the ethnic groups in Upper Silesia since the 19th century until recent times. The census results concerning the ethnic minorities or languages in Upper Silesia have been contested since the first records of that kind have been taken. The outcomes of the both last censuses of 2002 and 2011 concerning the minority question reflected for the first time a much more realistic picture of the status quo. Furthermore, they showed that the idea of Silesian identification found an unexpected high number of supporters. This fact indicates an emerging meaning of regional identification amid significant changes of cultural values in Polish society.

scholarly journals Kontrowersje wokół nauczania języka niemieckiego jako języka mniejszości narodowej w Polsce po 1989 roku – podtrzymywanie tożsamości narodowej czy nauka języka obcego

2015 ◽  
pp. 150-168
Author(s):  
Ewa Pogorzała
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
National Minority ◽  
German Language ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
German Minority ◽  
Polish Law ◽  
To Receive

This article attempts to analyse the problems of teaching German in Poland as a language of a national minority. According to the Polish law, the aim of such language classes is to maintain the national identity. As early as in the 90s of the twentieth century, however, when people were allowed to learn German as a minority language, there were allegations that some of them would send their children to these lessons without feeling de facto any relation to the German minority; they just wanted their children to learn a foreign language. During more than two decades of teaching German as a minority language, a number of interpretation problems appeared in the Polish education system concerning the principles of this teaching and persons entitled to receive education in this form. Applications for the admission of children to a German language course are treated as a declaration of nationality. A controversy also arises about the amount of additional financial resources provided for the organization of the minority language classes from the educational part of the general subsidy that is often compared to the funds allocated by the German authorities on the activities of the Polish diaspora and Poles in Germany. At present, the German minority in the Opole region undertakes a number of activities to promote bilingualism and thus overcome the conflicts around the German language, and to draw attention to the benefits of knowing more than one language as a first/second language, and not just as a foreign language.

scholarly journals The monolingual habitus of German society challenging the interests of an autochthonous minority language

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-106
Author(s):  
Heiko Marten ◽  
Maris Saagpakk
Keyword(s):  
German Society ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Regional Administration ◽  
Majority Population ◽  
The Common ◽  
The City ◽  
Societal Role

This paper analyzes the LL in the city of Bautzen / Budyšin in Germany, a town which is frequently considered the “capital” of the Slavonic minority of the Sorbs. It focuses on the societal role of Sorbian in relation to practices and ideologies of mainstream German society. The vast majority of signs in Bautzen / Budyšin are in German only. Sorbian is essentially restricted to explicitly Sorbian institutions and to local and regional administration. Interviews conducted in shops and on the streets reveal that paternalistic attitudes common to perceptions of language policies and minority languages in Germany dominate; practices maintain the common monolingual habitus in German society. Members of the majority population show little awareness of Sorbian issues, and Sorbian signage is seen as a generous gesture but considered essentially unnecessary. Only in most recent times, a reaction by the Sorbian community has challenged these practices and attitudes.

scholarly journals The Role of Socio-Cultural Factors in Teaching Students a Minority Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-135
Author(s):  
E. V. Voevoda ◽  
G. N. Mutaf
Keyword(s):  
Minority Language ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
State University ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Cultural Component ◽  
Motivating Factor ◽  
Regional Languages

The article addresses the problems concerned with teaching minority languages in the regions of Russia and the Gagauz Autonomy in the Republic of Moldova. The authors analyze sociocultural factors exerting motivating and demotivating influence on the use of regional languages. The results of a survey conducted in Komrat State University have shown that the Gagauz language does not fully cater to the social, intellectual and personal needs of the younger generation. Along with that, the socio-cultural component of university curricula serves as a motivating factor, promotes interest in learning a minority language and contributes to building linguo-cultural and national identity.

The legal status of regional or minority languages: Ukrainian and foreign experience

10.12737/1931 ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-99
Author(s):  
Константин Витман ◽  
Konstantin Vitman
Keyword(s):  
Legal Status ◽  
National Language ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Legal Rules ◽  
National Minorities ◽  
Regional Language ◽  
Regional Or Minority Languages ◽  
Regional Languages ◽  
Working Out

The legal status of regional or minority languages in Ukraine, Post-Soviet space and European understanding is studied. The author proves that Ukraine stretches the meaning of regional languages, provided by European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The regional languages rather play the role of the largest national minorities’ languages than disappearing ones in Ukraine. National minorities did not get appropriate protection of their language rights that is why they had to take advantage of international legal rules. Ukraine had to extend the concept of “regional language” to the largest national minorities’ languages to use international law effectively. Thus, the legal status of regional languages has been changed in national language law. Thanks to European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages the idea of regional language got implanted in language policy terminology. That is why the lawmakers decided not to decline it during new language Act working out. The Ukrainian experience exemplifies modification of the legal status of regional languages, its adaptation to language situation and has no analogs in Post-Soviet space.

scholarly journals Virtual communities as breathing spaces for minority languages: Re-framing minority language use in social media

Adeptus ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillem Belmar ◽  
Maggie Glass
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Language Revitalization ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Essential Component

Virtual communities as breathing spaces for minority languages: Re-framing minority language use in social mediaConsidering that social media is increasingly present in our daily communicative exchanges, digital presence is an essential component of language revitalization and maintenance. Online communication has modified our language use in various ways. In fact, language use online is often described as hybrid, and boundaries across languages tend to blur. These are also characteristics of translanguaging approaches, which see language as fluid codes of communication. “Breathing spaces” are needed in order to achieve “sustainable translanguaging” practices for minority languages. The establishment of communities of performing minority language speakers in a digital environment raises the question whether these emerging virtual communities can take up the role of  breathing spaces for minority languages. Społeczności wirtualne jako przestrzeń życiowa dla języków mniejszościowych. Nowe spojrzenie na używanie języków mniejszościowych w mediach społecznościowychPonieważ media społecznościowe są coraz bardziej obecne w codziennej komunikacji, obecność języków mniejszościowych w świecie cyfrowym jest niezbędnym elementem dla ich zachowania i rewitalizacji. Komunikacja online przyniosła zmiany wielu aspektów użycia języka. Używanie języka w Internecie często określa się jako hybrydowe, a granice między językami często się zacierają. Te zjawiska cechuje również transjęzyczność (translanguaging), podejście które postrzega język jako płynne kody komunikacji. W przypadku języków mniejszościowych, osiągnięcie „zrównoważonej transjęzyczności” (sustainable translanguaging) wymaga „przestrzeni życiowej” do ich używania. Tworzenie wirtualnych społeczności posługujących się językami mniejszościowymi w świecie cyfrowym rodzi pytanie, czy mogąone pełnić rolę takiej przestrzeni.

Ethnolinguistic Identity and Television Use in a Minority Language Setting

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 135-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake Harwood ◽  
Laszlo Vincze
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
German Language ◽  
Tv Viewing ◽  
School Students ◽  
Ethnolinguistic Vitality ◽  
Ethnolinguistic Identity ◽  
Television Use

Based on the model of Reid, Giles and Abrams (2004 , Zeitschrift für Medienpsychologie, 16, 17–25), this paper describes and analyzes the relation between television use and ethnolinguistic-coping strategies among German speakers in South Tyrol, Italy. The data were collected among secondary school students (N = 415) in 2011. The results indicated that the television use of the students was dominated by the German language. A mediation analysis revealed that TV viewing contributed to the perception of ethnolinguistic vitality, the permeability of intergroup boundaries, and status stability, which in turn affected ethnolinguistic-coping strategies of mobility (moving toward the outgroup), creativity (maintaining identity without confrontation), and competition (fighting for ingroup rights and respect). Findings and theoretical implications are discussed.

Pondok Pesantren Sebagai Lembaga Pendidikan Alternatif

KUTTAB ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-57
Author(s):  
Salman Zahidi
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Boarding Schools ◽  
Islamic Education ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Learning Models ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
The Times ◽  
Modern Era

Ali Bin Abi Talib once said that children should be educated in accordance with the  development of the times. The Ali bin Abi Talib’s statement could be considered as his attention more to the development of human civilization. For that reason, there should be studies focused on the role of educational institutions in facing the challenges of the times. On this stand, the writer raises the existence of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) for being considered to have been able to survive amid the onslaught of civilization increasingly obscuring cultural identity. In addition, this study also aims to identify and discuss the role of pesantren in the modern era. This is a literature study using a descriptive and exploratory approach. It can be concluded that pesantren are non-formal Islamic educational institutions. Pesantren have permanent and distictive methods and learning models. The purpose of pesantren education is the same as Islamic education in general, instilling a sense of virtue, familiarizing themselves with courtesy, preparing for a holy, sincere and honest life entirely. Pesantren could be seen from three aspects: (a) pesantren that are seen from facilities and infrastructures, (b) pesantren that are seen from disciplines taught, and (c) pesantren that are seen from the fields of knowledge.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document