Synopses & Reviews
This volume examines the role of language in the present and past creation of social, cultural, and national identities in Europe, considering the way in which language may sometimes reinforce national identity (as in England) while tending to subvert the nation-state (as in the United Kingdom).
The book describes the interactive roles of language, ethnicity, culture, and institutions in the character and formation of nationalism and identity throughout Europe. A select team of international contributors consider various questions drawing on evidence from the majority of European countries.
The book concludes with a consideration of the current relative status of the languages of Europe and how these and the identities they reflect are changing and evolving.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction: Nationalism, Language, Europe,
Stephen BarbourChapter 2: Britain and Ireland: The Varying Significance of Language for Nationalism, Stephen Barbour
Chapter 3: France: 'One State, One Nation, One Language?', Anne Judge
Chapter 4: The Iberian Peninsula: Conflicting Linguistic Nationalisms, Clare Mar-Molinero
Chapter 5: Northern Europe: Languages as Prime Markers of Ethnic and National Identity, Lars S. Vikør
Chapter 6: The Low Countries: A Study in Sharply Contrasting Nationalisms, Robert B. Howell
Chapter 7: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg: The Total Coincidence of Nations and Speech Communities?, Stephen Barbour
Chapter 8: Language and Nationalism in Italy: Language as a Weak Marker of Identity, Carlo Ruzza
Chapter 9: Contrasting Ethnic Nationalisms: Eastern Central Europe - Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, Barbara Törnquist-Plewa
Chapter 10: 'A People Exists and that People has its Language': Language Nationalism in the Balkans, Cathie Carmichael
Chapter 11: Greece and European Turkey: From Religious to Linguistic Identity, Peter Trudgill
Chapter 12: Coming to Terms with the Past: Language and Nationalism in the Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic States, and the Russian Federation, Cathie Carmichael
Chapter 13: Conclusions: Language and National Identity in a Changing Europe, Cathie Carmichael