Lionel Wee
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199737437
- eISBN:
- 9780199827107
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199737437.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This chapter traces three identifiably distinct groups or movements associated with the concept of language rights and reviews the differences and similarities between these groups. Despite their ...
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This chapter traces three identifiably distinct groups or movements associated with the concept of language rights and reviews the differences and similarities between these groups. Despite their differences, the three movements share a particular conception of language, one that assumes the existence of neat and clear boundaries between languages. Also, for all three movements, the prototypical cases motivating the appeal to language rights involve speakers of ethnic minority languages. These observations serve to delineate the conceptual and empirical scope of language rights.Less
This chapter traces three identifiably distinct groups or movements associated with the concept of language rights and reviews the differences and similarities between these groups. Despite their differences, the three movements share a particular conception of language, one that assumes the existence of neat and clear boundaries between languages. Also, for all three movements, the prototypical cases motivating the appeal to language rights involve speakers of ethnic minority languages. These observations serve to delineate the conceptual and empirical scope of language rights.
