James Costa
Université Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle, ILPGA, Faculty Member
- Université de Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, ILPGA, Faculty MemberUniversity of Oslo, Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan (MultiLing), Department Memberadd
- Linguistic Anthropology, Modern Scots Language, Language revitalization, Sociolinguistics, Critical Discourse Studies, Critical sociolinguistics, and 89 moreBilingualism as a social phenomenon, Occitan, Occitan Language, Anthropological Linguistics, Romance Linguistics, Gaulish language, Critical Discourse Analysis, Globalization, Picts, Pierre Bourdieu, Scots Gaelic, Governance, Political Anthropology, Autochthony, Indigeneity, Nahuatl, Indigenous Languages, Oaxaca (Anthropology), Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Postvernacularity, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Anthropologie, Ethnology, Anthropology, Aranese, Gaelic Scotland, Political Science, Social Sciences, Language, Scottish Studies, Conflict, Violence, The anthropology of the awkward, Michel Foucault, Language Standardization, Orkney and Shetland studies, Peacebuilding, Language Standardisation, Historical sociolinguistics, Roy Harris, Scottish Literature, Commodification of Cutlure, Dialects, Pictish History and Scottish Early Medieval History, Sociolinguistics of orthography, Orthography, Writing Systems (Languages And Linguistics), David Harvey, Scottish Independence, Social Theory, Nationalism, Critical Theory, Tim Ingold, James Clifford, Michael Silverstein, Scottish History, Philippe Descola, Don Kulick, Charles Tilly, Language and society, Language revitalisation and shift, Semiotic Anthropology, Hipsters, Scottish Reformation, Scottish Enlightenment, History of the English Language, Paris, Actor Network Theory, Ethnography, Gabriel Tarde, Qualia, Marcel Mauss, Structuralism/Post-Structuralism, History of Anthropology, History of Linguistics, Language Ideology, Language in Society, Language and Identity, Multilingualism, Jurgen Habermas, South American Indian Languages, Slow Science, Bruno Latour, Modernity, Historiography, Ethnography of Communication, Semiotics, World-Ecology, and Climate Changeedit
- Professor of sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology at Sorbonne Nouvelle university in Paris. My research focus... moreProfessor of sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology at Sorbonne Nouvelle university in Paris. My research focuses on the consequences of non-standardisation of minority languages in Scotland and Provence, and on how linguistic issues are fundamental in defining a new nationalist public sphere in Scotland. I teach semiotics, linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics.edit
This is a discussion on issues of agency and affects in language revitalization.
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This article asks why the Occitan language revitalization movement, which began in the 1850s, failed to convince the vast majority of Occitan speakers. Traditional explanations focus on social conflict, alienation, and diglossic... more
This article asks why the Occitan language revitalization movement, which began in the 1850s, failed to convince the vast majority of Occitan speakers. Traditional explanations focus on social conflict, alienation, and diglossic ideologies. While essential elements, they may not provide a full account. Challenging the idea that patois is just a derogatory term pinned on what is in fact a language, this article proposes to take seriously the claim by tradi- tional speakers that a patois is not a language. Drawing on fieldwork in Pro- vence and historical data, I propose that the divergence is fundamentally ontological, revealing sharp differences that suggest that patois and language are indeed two separate things. The language movement’s reduction of the patois=language issue to one of labels helps explain why traditional speakers and language advocates have been talking past each other for 150 years, raising practical questions for language movements worldwide.
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Quand transmettre ne va pas de soi : entre transmission et socialisation, comment penser le futur des langues minoritaires ?
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This paper introduces and discusses Occitan sociolinguistics as it evolved from the 1970s onward as a theory of language contact as conflict. It was developed in conjunction with its Catalan counterpart and as a reaction to Joshua... more
This paper introduces and discusses Occitan sociolinguistics as it evolved from the 1970s onward as a theory of language contact as conflict. It was developed in conjunction with its Catalan counterpart and as a reaction to Joshua Fishman’s allocational model of diglossia, and came as a response to conditions of swift social and linguistic change in Southern France after the Second World War. This model, proposed mainly at first by Robèrt Lafont in Montpelhièr, is strongly materialist in that it focuses on the material conditions of language production and replaces the language movement among other social struggles. This paper first explores the roots of the contemporary Occitan movement and its links with the birth of Occitan sociolinguistics. It then analyzes key concepts in Occitan sociolinguistics such as diglossic ideology as essential to understand processes of minoritization, linguistic alienation, and social domination. Finally, it looks at how this approach conceptualizes language revitalization not as a linguistic issue but as a social one and suggests that Occitan sociolinguistics provides an alternative to models of language loss and revival rooted in cultural and identity politics.
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International audienceCert article propose une réflexion sur l'avenir de la sociolinguistique occitane
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Cet article propose d'examiner ce qu'un nom fait à un espace et à la langue dont le nom en est dérivé. Ainsi, le triptyque langue/territoire/groupe est si bien installé dans les idéologies modernes du territoire et de la langue qu'on... more
Cet article propose d'examiner ce qu'un nom fait à un espace et à la langue dont le nom en est dérivé. Ainsi, le triptyque langue/territoire/groupe est si bien installé dans les idéologies modernes du territoire et de la langue qu'on pouvait légitimement se demander quelles seraient les conséquences de la (re)naissance d'une région appelée Occitanie en 2016 dans le sud de la France actuelle sur une éventuelle politique linguistique favorable à la langue occitane. Analysant le digraphe oc- comme un praxème, nous entreprenons donc une étude idéologique et historique de ce nom d'Occitanie, pour montrer que ce lien langue/territoire ne saurait être prit pour garanti, et ne saurait effacer les conflits locaux sur la création de sens. Même lorsqu'un nom est porteur d'une histoire apparemment inséparable d'une langue, comme ça a été le cas d'Occitanie, ce lien est donc toujours un enjeu idéologique. Cet article s'attache ainsi à montrer comment un mouvement complexe de dépolitisation de la notion d'Occitanie a pu séparer le territoire de sa langue éponyme, et le rendre disponible pour un travail idéologique renouvelé. Quand l'espace, qui n'est qu'un pré-texte écrit par les hommes, dévient prétexte de leurs luttes et de leurs pensées, se crée du territoire.
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This article looks at the “new speaker” concept and the questions it raises in terms of legitimacy from the point of view of several types of social actors, namely language advocates, academics and school pupils (that is to say, “new... more
This article looks at the “new speaker” concept and the questions it raises in terms of legitimacy from the point of view of several types of social actors, namely language advocates, academics and school pupils (that is to say, “new speakers” themselves). The aim of this article is to show that this notion is not a purely descriptive one, but also carries a strong prescriptive loading – which in turns requires that minority language learners negotiate their participation in linguistic markets. Based on fieldwork in Provence, I look at how “new speakers” are often construed as speakers of “new languages”, “standard” or “artificial” languages that tend to index youth, urbanity, modernity and middle class membership – all qualities which may be seen as undesirable in parts of minority language movements. I then turn to pupils of an Occitan bilingual primary school in Provence and analyse how they reframe the new speaker debate in order for themselves to fit in the broader picture of O...
Research Interests: Sociology, Education, Language revitalization, Languages and Linguistics, Sociology of Children and Childhood, and 14 moreSociology of Language, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Anthropology of Children and Childhood, Applied Linguistics, Linguistics, Minority Languages, Interactional Sociolinguistics, Minority Rights, Minority language rights, Childhood studies, Provence, Occitan Language, and Revitalization
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Languages, Humanities, Language revitalization, Languages and Linguistics, and 15 moreLinguistic Anthropology, Political Science, Language and Power, Endangered Languages, Minority Studies, Critical Discourse Analysis, Linguistics, Minority Languages, Anthropology of France, Critical sociolinguistics, France, Lyon, Francoprovençal, Occitan Language, and Communication and media Studies
Research Interests: Languages, Sociology, Language revitalization, Languages and Linguistics, Sociology of Language, and 9 moreSociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Language Planning and Policy, Language and Ideology, Endangered Languages, Linguistics, Minority Languages, Critical sociolinguistics, and Language Endangerment
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Research Interests: History, Multiculturalism, Languages and Linguistics, Art, Sociology of Language, and 15 moreSociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Language Planning and Policy, Endangered Languages, Multicultural Education, Linguistic diversity, Critical Discourse Analysis, Minority Languages, Critical sociolinguistics, Language Endangerment, France, Romance Linguistics, Language Planning, Romance Languages, and Occitan Language
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, History, Anthropological Linguistics, Critical Discourse Studies, English language, and 15 moreBritish Politics, Critical Social Theory, Language and Ideology, Endangered Languages, Critical Discourse Analysis, Language Ideology, Language, Critical sociolinguistics, Imagined Community, Language Death, Devolution in the United kingdom, English Language, Charter Myths, Gaelic Language and Culture, and Celtic Languages and Cultures
Cet article compare la maniere dont l'ecossais et le gaelique sont commodifies de maniere differente en Ecosse.
Research Interests: Languages and Linguistics, Art, Sociology of Language, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, and 11 moreGaelic Scotland, Scottish Gaelic Studies, Modern Scots Language, Scots, Sociolinguistique, Sociologie, Linguistique, écosse, Anthropologie linguistique, Politique Linguistique, and Sociolinguistique Critique
This article is concerned with the way the French education system deals with new challenges in terms of language, while referring to the (traditional) general framework of language planning in the country. The same principles and mindset... more
This article is concerned with the way the French education system deals with new challenges in terms of language, while referring to the (traditional) general framework of language planning in the country. The same principles and mindset that governed the way regional minority languages were treated in the past are now largely determining the way the languages of immigrants and their speakers are treated and considered. We thus seek to remind readers what the theoretical and practical background to language planning in education is in France, showing how historical factors led to considering linguistic diversity as an unnecessary heritage to be disposed of rather than as an asset. We then move on to examine the state of language teaching generally speaking in the education system, in order to provide a general outlook on the subject. Finally, through looking at two particular contexts we show that albeit seemingly monolithic at fi rst, the French system can also accommodate diversi...
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HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or... more
HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Celtic Commodified: The Role of Minority Languages in Scottish and Irish National Celebrations Sara Brennan, James Costa
Research Interests: Languages, Irish Studies, Languages and Linguistics, Celtic Studies, Linguistic Anthropology, and 15 moreScottish Studies, Scottish History, Gaelic Scotland, Scottish Gaelic Studies, Gaelic Ireland, Linguistics, Minority Languages, Language, Critical sociolinguistics, Ireland, Commodification of Cutlure, Celtic Languages, Irish, Scotland, and Irish Nationalism
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Sociology, Education, Languages and Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, and 12 moreLinguistic Anthropology, Social Representations, Language and Ideology, Ideology, Social representations (Psychology), Language Ideology, Interactional Sociolinguistics, Language Ideologies, Sociolinguistique, Analyse du discours, Représentations Sociales, and Idéologies
Research Interests: Philosophy, Education, Humanities, Language revitalization, Languages and Linguistics, and 13 moreSociology of Language, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Political Science, Language Planning and Policy, Endangered Languages, Linguistics, Critical sociolinguistics, Language Endangerment, Teaching, Language revitalisation and shift, Occitan Language, and Occitan
Research Interests: Semiotics, Sociology, Geography, Irish Studies, Anthropology, and 12 moreLanguages and Linguistics, Social Sciences, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Semiotic Anthropology, Gaelic Ireland, Semiotics And Language, Orkney and Shetland studies, Critical sociolinguistics, Modern Scots Language, Scots, and Ireland
This article is concerned with the way the French education system deals with new challenges in terms of language, while referring to the (traditional) general framework of language planning in the country. The same principles and mindset... more
This article is concerned with the way the French education system deals with new challenges in terms of language, while referring to the (traditional) general framework of language planning in the country. The same principles and mindset that governed the way regional minority ...
Research Interests: Anthropological Linguistics, Education, Critical Discourse Studies, Language Education, Language revitalization, and 15 moreSocial Sciences, French Studies, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Political Science, Language Planning and Policy, Language Policy and Politics of Identity, National Education and Training Systems, Education Policy, Critical Discourse Analysis, Minority Languages, Critical sociolinguistics, France, French, and Language Policy
HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or... more
HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Nommer pour faire exister : l’épineuse question de l’oc Natalia Bichurina, James Costa
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Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme. © Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme. Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par... more
Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme. © Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme. Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit.
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Etude de discours de transmission familiale d'une langue minoritaire, l'occitan, parmi des militants occitanistes en Provence.
Research Interests: Anthropological Linguistics, Language revitalization, French Studies, Linguistic Anthropology, Language Planning and Policy, and 15 moreCritical Social Theory, Endangered Languages, Language Policy and Politics of Identity, Minority Studies, Critical Discourse Analysis, Intergenerational Relationships, Minority Languages, Critical sociolinguistics, Language Endangerment, Language socialization, Language maintenance and attrition, Language Ideologies, Language Maintenance and Shift, Cultural transmission, and Language Socialization
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In this Occasional Paper, I would like to emphasise one way in which language ideological issues permeate literary discourse in Scotland. Focusing on issues related to Scots, I will analyse two (in my view complementary) introductions to... more
In this Occasional Paper, I would like to emphasise one way in which language ideological issues permeate literary discourse in Scotland. Focusing on issues related to Scots, I will analyse two (in my view complementary) introductions to anthologies of texts in Scots published over the past twenty years, and show how they participate in a wider ideological debate on language and society in Scotland.
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Languages, Language revitalization, Languages and Linguistics, Literature, and 15 moreLinguistic Anthropology, English language, Language and Power, Language and Ideology, Critical Discourse Analysis, Language Ideology, Language and Identity, Language in Society, Contemporary British Literature, Linguistics, Minority Languages, Critical sociolinguistics, Modern Scots Language, Language maintenance and attrition, and English Language
To pay tribute to the contributions made by Wallace Lambert in the field of immersion education at an international level, this article highlights initiatives undertaken to revitalize regional languages through immersion education in... more
To pay tribute to the contributions made by Wallace Lambert in the field of immersion education at an international level, this article highlights initiatives undertaken to revitalize regional languages through immersion education in France. Based on the immersion model, school-based programs have been implemented in France to teach regional languages such as Occitan, Basque, and Catalan in the south, Corsican on the island of Corsica, Breton in the northwest, and German in the eastern regions of Alsace and Moselle. This article points out many differences across these regional contexts, but concludes by emphasizing common issues that need to be addressed across the different regions with respect to pedagogical practices and professional development.
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HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or... more
HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Through the looking glass: Politics of language and nature, and the disqualification of vernacular forms of knowledge Costa James
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Cet article propose d'examiner ce qu'un nom fait à un espace et à la langue dont le nom en est dérivé. Ainsi, le triptyque langue/territoire/groupe est si bien installé dans les idéologies modernes du territoire et de la langue qu'on... more
Cet article propose d'examiner ce qu'un nom fait à un espace et à la langue dont le nom en est dérivé. Ainsi, le triptyque langue/territoire/groupe est si bien installé dans les idéologies modernes du territoire et de la langue qu'on pouvait légitimement se demander quelles seraient les conséquences de la (re)naissance d'une région appelée Occitanie en 2016 dans le sud de la France actuelle sur une éventuelle politique linguistique favorable à la langue occitane. Analysant le digraphe oc-comme un praxème, nous entreprenons donc une étude idéologique et historique de ce nom d'Occitanie, pour montrer que ce lien langue/territoire ne saurait être prit pour garanti, et ne saurait effacer les conflits locaux sur la création de sens. Même lorsqu'un nom est porteur d'une histoire apparemment inséparable d'une langue, comme ça a été le cas d'Occitanie, ce lien est donc toujours un enjeu idéologique. Cet article s'attache ainsi à montrer comment un mouvement complexe de dépolitisation de la notion d'Occitanie a pu séparer le territoire de sa langue éponyme, et le rendre disponible pour un travail idéologique renouvelé. Quand l'espace, qui n'est qu'un pré-texte écrit par les hommes, dévient prétexte de leurs luttes et de leurs pensées, se crée du territoire.
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In this Occasional Paper, I would like to emphasise one way in which language ideological issues permeate literary discourse in Scotland. Focusing on issues related to Scots, I will analyse two (in my view complementary) introductions to... more
In this Occasional Paper, I would like to emphasise one way in which language ideological issues permeate literary discourse in Scotland. Focusing on issues related to Scots, I will analyse two (in my view complementary) introductions to anthologies of texts in Scots published over the past twenty years, and show how they participate in a wider ideological debate on language and society in Scotland.
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This chapter explores what is at stake in the definition of linguistic borders in the Rhone-Alpes region of France.
Research Interests: Languages, Sociology, Geography, Languages and Linguistics, Dialectology, and 15 moreSociolinguistics, Border Studies, Romance philology, Identity (Culture), French language, Regionalism, Language and Identity, Linguistics, France, Romance Linguistics, Romance Languages, Francoprovençal, Occitan, Sociolingüística, and Rhône-Alpes
Un etablissement scolaire est, en termes ecolinguistiques, une ecologie a l'interieur d'une ecologie plus large. Les langues que les membres de la communaute scolaire parlent ne sont pas necessairement celles qui y sont... more
Un etablissement scolaire est, en termes ecolinguistiques, une ecologie a l'interieur d'une ecologie plus large. Les langues que les membres de la communaute scolaire parlent ne sont pas necessairement celles qui y sont enseignees, des langues de statuts divers s'y cotoient au quotidien. Certains etablissements se trouvent dans une situation particuliere du fait de leur localisation dans une region ou l'on pratique une langue minoritaire regionale : lorsque cette langue est enseignee, elle fait partie de l'ecologie linguistique de l'etablissement, qu'elle soit ou non langue maternelle parmi les eleves. De ce fait, et du fait de son statut minorise dans la societe, la langue regionale est souvent exclue du champ de la convergence. Nous essayons de montrer que c'est la une erreur strategique pour les enseignants de langues etrangeres et de francais.
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Le livre de Carla Hustak et Natasha Myers est la traduction d’un long article que les autrices ont publie en anglais en 2012 dans la revue Differences. Preface par la romanciere Maylis de Kerangal et la philosophe Vinciane Despret, le... more
Le livre de Carla Hustak et Natasha Myers est la traduction d’un long article que les autrices ont publie en anglais en 2012 dans la revue Differences. Preface par la romanciere Maylis de Kerangal et la philosophe Vinciane Despret, le livre se situe dans un vaste renouveau de l’interet pour les vies animales et vegetales, et notamment pour la communication animale, vegetale et entre especes differentes – un mouvement qui voit la vie comme un enchevetrement de relations, de liens et de rapport...
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Research Interests: Sociology and Linguistics
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Ce dictionnaire présente près de 70 notions clés en sociolinguistique rédigées par plus de 40 auteurs et autrices.
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Dans le panorama de l'enseignement bilingue proposé dans ce volume, les textes qui suivent nous invitent, au-delà des différences inhérentes à chacune des situations décrites, à interroger les conditions d'un tel enseignement concernant... more
Dans le panorama de l'enseignement bilingue proposé dans ce volume, les textes qui suivent nous invitent, au-delà des différences inhérentes à chacune des situations décrites, à interroger les conditions d'un tel enseignement concernant les langue dites régionale en France au 21 e siècle. Les différents chapitres explorent ces conditions, principalement à l'école primaire, pour le basque, le breton, le catalan, le corse, l'occitan, et pour les langues d'Alsace (allemand standard et alsacien). Un chapitre est également consacré au flamand de l'arrondissement de Dunkerque, bien qu'aucun enseignement bilingue n'y soit dispensé. Le gallo, dans la même configuration, est évoqué dans le chapitre sur le breton. Chacun de ces textes pose le contexte et les problématiques locales et nationales dans lesquelles le bilinguisme scolaire est pensé, apportant un éclairage actuel sur ce type d'enseignement en France. Au-delà des conditions de possibilité de ces enseignements, c'est aussi le sens d'un investissement personnel et institutionnel, matériel et symbolique, dans ce type d'enseignement que ces textes nous permettent de questionner. Chaque texte parle pour lui-même et nous ne proposons pas de les résumer ici. Cette introduction sera l'occasion de saisir les enjeux communs aux enseignements bilingues en langue régionale, ainsi que, dans un second temps, de questionner et de discuter les divers enjeux auxquels les praticiens font face. En conclusion, nous chercherons à poser les bases de questionnements critiques futurs à partir des thématiques que les chapitres qui suivent nous invitent à explorer, à interroger et par dessus tout, à problématiser.
Research Interests: Education, Sociology of Education, Languages and Linguistics, Multi- & Bilingualism & Biliteracy, Sociolinguistics, and 9 moreBilingual Education, Breton language, literature, and culture, Minority Languages, Bilingual education (Education), Bilingual education (mother tongue-based), Bilingualism, Occitan Language, Sociolinguistique et Didactique de langues, and Corsican language
Edited volume, open access — see file for download link.
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Book (published February 2017) analysing language revitalisation as a social movement, based on several years of fieldwork in Provence.
Research Interests: Critical Theory, Languages, Sociology, Anthropology, Language revitalization, and 22 moreLanguages and Linguistics, Social Sciences, Sociology of Language, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Language Planning and Policy, Critical Social Theory, Endangered Languages, Minority Studies, Minority Languages, Critical sociolinguistics, Language Endangerment, France, Minority Rights, Language Policy, Language Maintenance and Shift, Language rights, Minority language rights, Language politics, Occitan Language, Indigenous Language Revitalization, and Revitalization
Research Interests: Social Movements, Language revitalization, Languages and Linguistics, Sociology of Language, Sociolinguistics, and 11 moreLinguistic Anthropology, Language and Ideology, Endangered Languages, Social Activism, Language and Identity, Minority Languages, Language Endangerment, France, Language Ideologies, Provence, and Occitan Language
A blog post summarizing my recent book.
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Paris, 12-14 June 2017 Given that Paris and Chicago are centers of scholarly vitality in their own respective lines of research and teaching, we propose to organize a bilateral conference exploring the socially framed and culturally... more
Paris, 12-14 June 2017
Given that Paris and Chicago are centers of scholarly vitality in their own respective lines of research and teaching, we propose to organize a bilateral conference exploring the socially framed and culturally focused study of language, particularly through analysis of language-in-use, on which such work rests. While there is, of course, continuing trans-Atlantic consciousness of such work through journals and other forms of publication, there has been little in the way of direct, systematic conversation in the setting of an international conference such as we are proposing. In particular, we propose to become familiar with each other’s modes of defining and working particular empirical issues, sensitively focusing on the backdrop of how different disciplinary connections and influences shapes such work in what is variously termed linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, anthropology or sociology of language, etc. We propose a three-day conference on the theme of “language as a lens on culture and society,” during which each invited participant from one or the other home milieu will present a piece of his or her current research, to be followed by a counterpart’s responsive commentary that initiates a more general discussion. We hope to come to understand the areas that promise future trans-Atlantic interlocution and research collaboration.
Given that Paris and Chicago are centers of scholarly vitality in their own respective lines of research and teaching, we propose to organize a bilateral conference exploring the socially framed and culturally focused study of language, particularly through analysis of language-in-use, on which such work rests. While there is, of course, continuing trans-Atlantic consciousness of such work through journals and other forms of publication, there has been little in the way of direct, systematic conversation in the setting of an international conference such as we are proposing. In particular, we propose to become familiar with each other’s modes of defining and working particular empirical issues, sensitively focusing on the backdrop of how different disciplinary connections and influences shapes such work in what is variously termed linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, anthropology or sociology of language, etc. We propose a three-day conference on the theme of “language as a lens on culture and society,” during which each invited participant from one or the other home milieu will present a piece of his or her current research, to be followed by a counterpart’s responsive commentary that initiates a more general discussion. We hope to come to understand the areas that promise future trans-Atlantic interlocution and research collaboration.
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Research Interests: Sociology, Political Sociology, Social Movements, Anthropology, Critical Discourse Studies, and 24 moreSocial Anthropology, Cultural Sociology, Language revitalization, Languages and Linguistics, Sociology of Language, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Romance philology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Applied Linguistics, Minority Languages, Critical sociolinguistics, Cultural Anthropology, Romance Linguistics, Language death and revival, Romance Languages, Language Maintenance/revival, Sociolinguistics, Sociology of Languages, Language Policy and Planning, Occitan Language, Occitan, Cultural Revivalism, Sociolingüística, Revitalization Movements, and Revitalization
Based on ongoing fieldwork in Scotland, and focusing in particular on the role of language in the referendum for independence debate (2012-2014) from a critical sociolinguistic perspective, this paper seeks to analyze how particular... more
Based on ongoing fieldwork in Scotland, and focusing in particular on the role of language in the referendum for independence debate (2012-2014) from a critical sociolinguistic perspective, this paper seeks to analyze how particular aspects of speech get to be classified as legitimate diversity or not, and by whom.
The very term “diversity” is now widespread, as the main topic of this conference suggests. Like all terms when they become dominant, it seems to have undergone a process of dehistoricization, leading to its being generally accepted uncritically. This presentation, however, draws on several years of ethnographic fieldwork among language advocates in France and Scotland to consider diversity as one possible regime of categorizing difference among many other possible ones (e.g. multiplicity, multitude, variation, standardization, regulation, or even chaos and disorder).
Not everything, however, may legitimately be counted diversity by the same social actors. In particular, while linguistic diversity has become a trope among language advocates worldwide but also with national and international institutions, not every aspect of speech may count as legitimate diversity. To what extent, for example, are those lects categorized as dialects liable to be considered under the regime of diversity? What would their exclusion or their inclusion entail, and for whom? Along similar lines, how are tensions between “variation” and “standardization” conceptualized in language advocacy movements? Can both aspects coexist under a regime of diversity?
In this respect, the case of Scots is particularly telling: recognized in Scotland yet usually categorized as dialect by speakers, unstandardized yet often used in literature, it is an unidentified linguistic object that invites us to reflect upon the elements that are deemed acceptable diversity in 21st century Scotland.
The very term “diversity” is now widespread, as the main topic of this conference suggests. Like all terms when they become dominant, it seems to have undergone a process of dehistoricization, leading to its being generally accepted uncritically. This presentation, however, draws on several years of ethnographic fieldwork among language advocates in France and Scotland to consider diversity as one possible regime of categorizing difference among many other possible ones (e.g. multiplicity, multitude, variation, standardization, regulation, or even chaos and disorder).
Not everything, however, may legitimately be counted diversity by the same social actors. In particular, while linguistic diversity has become a trope among language advocates worldwide but also with national and international institutions, not every aspect of speech may count as legitimate diversity. To what extent, for example, are those lects categorized as dialects liable to be considered under the regime of diversity? What would their exclusion or their inclusion entail, and for whom? Along similar lines, how are tensions between “variation” and “standardization” conceptualized in language advocacy movements? Can both aspects coexist under a regime of diversity?
In this respect, the case of Scots is particularly telling: recognized in Scotland yet usually categorized as dialect by speakers, unstandardized yet often used in literature, it is an unidentified linguistic object that invites us to reflect upon the elements that are deemed acceptable diversity in 21st century Scotland.
Research Interests: Sociology, Anthropology, Languages and Linguistics, Social Sciences, Sociology of Language, and 14 moreSociolinguistics, Diversity, Linguistic Anthropology, Language Planning and Policy, Politics, Scottish Gaelic Studies, Diversity Management, Linguistics, Minority Languages, Diversity & Inclusion, Critical sociolinguistics, Cultural Diversity, Language politics, and Scotland
Research Interests: Languages and Linguistics, Sociology of Language, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Language Planning and Policy, and 11 moreEndangered Languages, Nationalism, Nationalism And State Building, Minority Languages, Scots, Language and Nation, Scottish Nationalism, Scotland, Scottish Independence, Independence Referendums, and Scottish Referendum
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Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Languages, Anthropological Linguistics, Self and Identity, Social Sciences, and 13 moreSocial Identity, Sociology of Language, Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Identity (Culture), Sociology of Identity, Language and Power, Nationalism, Applied Linguistics, National Identity, Language and Identity, Language in Society, and Linguistics
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A blog post summarizing my recent book.
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Research Interests: Anthropology, Language revitalization, Languages and Linguistics, Art, Social Sciences, and 15 moreLinguistic Anthropology, Political Science, Endangered Languages, Minority Languages, Language Endangerment, Language death and revival, Language Debates, Provence, Occitan Language, Occitan, Provençal, Anthropologie linguistique, Militantisme, Revitalisation Linguistique, and Débats Linguistiques
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Research Interests: Languages, Cognitive Science, Anthropology, Education, Languages and Linguistics, and 15 moreMultilingualism, Linguistic Anthropology, Language Planning and Policy, Bilingual Education, Language and Identity, Linguistics, Minority Languages, Interactional Sociolinguistics, Modern Scots Language, Language Policy, Bilingualism and Multilingualism, Bilingualism, Multilingual Education, Scotland, and Language Standardization
Research Interests: Critical Theory, Education, Critical Discourse Studies, French Studies, Curriculum Design, and 15 moreCritical Pedagogy, Curriculum Studies, Language and Ideology, Ideology, French language, Curriculum Theory, Linguistic diversity, Critical Discourse Analysis, France, Curriculum and Instruction, Classroom Practices, Histoire, Enseignement, Colonialisme, and Diversité Linguistique
Research Interests: Sociology, Cognitive Science, Philosophy Of Language, Languages and Linguistics, Sociology of Language, and 15 moreSociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Political Science, Language and Ideology, Ideology, Language Ideology, Linguistics, Critical sociolinguistics, Language Ideologies, Standard Language Ideology, Standardization, Norway, Communication and media Studies, Languages ideologies, and Language Communication
In this article, I intend to concentrate on one type of process by which Scots has found new legitimation as a language, and how discourses surrounding the issue of Scots might seek to contribute to the creation of a new Scottish society.... more
In this article, I intend to concentrate on one type of process by which Scots has found new legitimation as a language, and how discourses surrounding the issue of Scots might seek to contribute to the creation of a new Scottish society. I whish to show how history is used as a legitimating discursive device by the various components of the Scots language revitalisation movement. The question of the very possibility of a history of a language is in itself particularly interesting. History itself, serving as a people’s grand narrative in the context of modern nation states, has been described by anthropologists as ‘simply a modern myth’ (Eagleton, 1991: 188). In fact, according to Woolard, “representations of the history of languages often function as Malinowskian charter myths, projecting from the present to an originary past a legitimation of contemporary power relations and interested positions” (2004: 58) Histories of languages, as socially situated narratives, can thus be seen ...