132304 VO Language landscape of minorities in the bilingual Europe (2017W)

Course description:

The lecture gives an overview on the effects made of majority languages /groups on the language use of minority groups. While giving a brief introduction to the complexity of multilingual situations (to be shown on the European language situation) the lecture points on the possible negative effect of lingua francas. Based on the up-to-date sources and field work students are going to be familiarized with a possible typology of multilingual situations and the status of involved languages.

A special position of religions is going to be presented: in what situations can religion save languages and what examples can be found in Europe. To what extend can be Ferguson’s diglosia found in Europe and what can religion do with it.

The lecture is going to focus on the following topics:

• Language and their users (diversity)
• Bilingualism the main types of multilinguality
• Types of bilingualism the European example
• Bilingualism in Europe
• Bilingualism in Central Europe
• Bilingualism in the post-Soviet countries