Can language policies affect language vitality?
A study of Sámi language use in Norway and Sweden.
On Wednesday, March 20th from 12pm to 2pm, Prof. Professor Tanja Kupisch (University of Konstanz) gave an engaging talk to faculty and students from across UofT (in hybrid format) about the measurable effects of policy on language maintenance and revitalization. A delicious lucn was enjoyed by all in-person participants.
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Tanja Kupisch is Professor of Linguistics and Member of the Excellence Cluster "The Politics of Inequality” at the University of Konstanz. Her research is concerned with bilingualism from different perspectives, including child language acquisition, adult heritage speakers, trilingualism, and bilectalism, focusing on syntax and phonology. Another research focus is the link between language vitality and language policy among multilingual minorities. She is co-editor of the journal Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism. |
Can language policies affect language vitality?
A study of Sámi language use in Norway and Sweden.
Language policies target language behaviour, sometimes with the aim of revitalising languages, which might be in danger because of assimilatory policies in the past. However, it is notoriously difficult to assess their effects. In a survey study with 5000 participants, we investigated language use and competence in the Indigenous Sámi populations of Norway and Sweden, taking into account the national-level policies in the two countries. We compared educational, linguistic and budgetary policies in Sweden and Norway, showing differences across these countries, which are reflected in the vitality of the language. Overall, Sámi language use has dropped dramatically over the past three generations. Only a small proportion of Sámi are highly fluent and use a Sámi language with their children; Sámi language knowledge remains negligible in the majority population. Sámi language use and proficiency are somewhat higher in Norway, which seems to reflect the more favourable policies adopted there. In both countries, more work is needed to increase speaker numbers, also in the majority population.