Linguae Europaeae

by Sean Curran Sean Curran is an M.A. student in French Linguistics, finishing his degree in spring 2016. He is interested in vowels and dialects of French and wrote this text as a student in 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’. Place Royale [ Image Source ] Quand j’avais 20 ans, j’ai eu la chance de passer un semestre et mon premier séjour à l’étranger à Nantes. On m’a logé chez une famille française qui habitait dans la région depuis longtemps. Un sujet de conversation intéressant mais conflictuel a surgi un jour entre ma mère d’accueil et moi : cette dame, une Française « de souche » parlant à la fois tout bas mais avec une fierté affectée, proclama (chuchota ?) d’un ton sérieux et digne la phrase suivante : « Sean, tu sais, d’abord je me considère femme bretonne, puis femme française, et puis alors femme européenne. »  Je n’avais pas trop bien compris en quoi ces identités auraient été contradictoires. Je lui ai ensuite posé la question dont les suites auraient p...

by Sarah Little Sarah Little is a graduate student in Spanish Linguistics. Sarah is planning on continuing her studies in higher education. She is interested in phonetic and sociolinguistic research and aspires to live in Latin America in the near future. She wrote this text as a student in 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’. "No to the death of Breton. Yes to schools that teach it." [ Image Source ] In recent years, the argument against English as a Lingua Franca has found full support on the part of the French, who continually promote the idea of plurilingualism on an international scale. However, the situation within France narrates a different story. Breton, a Celtic language spoken in the Northwest region of Brittany, has undergone a lengthy process to gain the recognition and presence it possesses today. Although there have been vast improvements in the past few decades regarding perceived acceptance of this minority language, one could argue that the steps...