Responds to an article by Strubell on "Language, Democracy, and Devolution in Catalonia," by suggesting that the Catalonian situation is a civic and inclusive nationalism that has an ethnic dimension (defined in linguistic terms). The paper discusses the general theory of nationalism and ethnicity, examines the case of Catalan, and…

Responds to an article by Strubell, "Language, Democracy, and Devolution in Catalonia," focusing on nationalism. After describing nationalism; nations and other communities; languages; and language, ethnic and national identity, and nationalism; the paper concludes that many factors give language a crucial place in nationalism in many…

Responds to an article by Strubell, "Language, Democracy, and Devolution in Catalonia," focusing on the position of Castilian-speaking individuals resident and working in Catalonia. The paper notes that the policy of assimilating migrants is no longer accepted without question, and it suggests diglossia as the only way to provide…

Responds to an article by Strubell, "Language, Democracy, and Devolution in Catalonia," arguing that, in a globalizing world, Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia must resolve their differences and unite against the Anglo-Saxon language and culture which threaten to enter the equation and overtake them all. The paper suggests that Catalonia…

Responds to an article by Strubell, "Language, Democracy, and Devolution in Catalonia," explaining differences between various dialects grouped under the Catalan umbrella and focusing on the context of the new language-policy legislation, the impact of the new legislation, tensions arising from the implementation of the language policy,…

Responds to an article by Strubell, "Language, Democracy, and Devolution in Catalonia," noting the lack of congruence between the Catalan nation defined culturally and linguistically and Catalonia the polity. The paper examines nationalist discourse, identity, and evolution, and discusses the limits of devolution (borders and internal…

Responds to an article by Strubell, "Language, Democracy, and Devolution in Catalonia," arguing that the nationalism that already exists is viewed as the norm and suggesting that the Catalan nationalism and its attempts at affirmative action are menacing. The paper worries that demographic realities might push Catalan nationalism into…

Presents an overview of the geological and historical context of Catalan, explaining that today, Catalonia has both a political and cultural definition. Section 1 focuses on territory in political and cultural terms. Section 2 discusses Catalan and the Romance dialect continuum. Section 3 examines cultural centers and political allegiances. (SM)

Argues that in Europe over several centuries, the relationship between democracy and language policy in multilingual countries has been complex, noting that Catalan has thrived in democratic periods where devolution has advanced, and the causes of most problems facing Catalan are nonlinguistic. The paper examines language and democracy, language…

Response to an article on multiculturalism and the status of community languages in Australia, focusing on issues of language maintenance and shift emerging from the article and adding examples from other countries. Questions addressed include who is responsible for maintaining community languages, which are maintained, how this is done, and why,…

Response to an article on multiculturalism and status of community languages in Australia finds three areas in which the author's optimism appears not to be justified: argument that placing economic value on languages automatically works in favor of linguistic minorities; assumption that minority languages all have similar economic value; and…

A response to an article on multiculturalism and the status of community languages in Australia argues that efforts to maintain any minority language within immigrant communities should be tempered by critical assessment of what is to be achieved, for whom, and why. The original article's author responds. (MSE)

Examines the question of language revitalization against the background of the use of Hebrew as the language of public life in Israel and of Irish as an official language of Ireland. Notes that the organizing principles of nationalism are complex and disputed. The different linguistic outcomes in these two countries point up the complexity and…

Focuses on language restoration in a situation where people start again to use a language as the language of the home and to speak it to newborn children after a period when these uses were extinct. Specifically considers the conditions accounting for Hebrew language revitalization and compares this situation with efforts to revitalize the Maori…