Linguae Europaeae

by Soffia H. Kuehner Gray Soffia H. Kuehner Gray is a junior in Communication and French Studies at the University of Illinois. She is planning on attending law school and completing a Master’s degree in Communication. She wrote this blog text while enrolled in 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’ in the spring of 2015. La rivière Chicago est teinte verte pour la Saint Patrick [ Image Source ] Si on marche dans la rue dans une ville aux États-Unis dans le mois de mars, il se peut qu’on voie un étalage de trèfles, de lutins et de pots d’or. Tous ces bibelots sont affichés pour la Saint Patrick. Centaines de milliers de personnes vont aux défilés comme le Défilé des Irlandais dans le sud de Chicago pour honorer leur héritage irlandais. En fait, n’importe quand dans l’année, on peut acheter les anneaux de Claddagh, les pulls d’Aran et du thé irlandais. Alors que les bibelots et les festivals qui font partie de la culture irlandaise gagnent en popularité, la langue irlanda...

by Soffia H. Kuehner Gray Soffia H. Kuehner Gray is a junior in Communication and French Studies at the University of Illinois. She is planning on attending law school and completing a Master’s degree in Communication. She wrote this blog text while enrolled in 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’ in the spring of 2015. Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day [ Image Source ] If you walk down the street of nearly any city in the United States during the month of March, chances are that you will encounter an array of shamrocks, leprechauns, and pots of gold all displayed in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Hundreds of thousands swarm to parades like the South Side Irish Parade in Chicago to honor their Irish heritage. Indeed, no matter the time of year, Claddagh rings, Aran sweaters, Guinness beer, and Irish tea are all readily available for purchase at local gift shops. While the trinkets and festivals that are a part of Irish culture are only increasing in popularity, the ...

by Jamie Ryan Jamie Ryan is a senior, majoring in Global Studies and Spanish. Jamie is planning on getting professional work experience in Chicago and continuing her education in the health care system in the future. She wrote this text as a student enrolled in SPAN 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’ in the spring of 2015. Ikastola in Getxo (town outside Bilbao) [ Image Source ] After studying abroad in Bilbao, an industrial city in the Basque Autonomous Community, I learned an interesting aspect of their educational system: children in the Basque Country attend immersion programs that teach them through different language models depending on parental preference. These different kinds of models differentiate the time spent speaking the language at school. Model A is when teaching in done predominantly in Spanish, but there is a required Basque class students must take (Lasagabaster 2001). Model B is teaching in both Basque and Spanish. In the children’s younger years, ...

by Amanda Oster Amanda Oster is a senior in Mathematics and Italian. After graduation she is continuing her education in graduate school to study cryptography. She is planning on using her language and mathematical skills in code-breaking for international organizations. She wrote this text as a student in 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’ in the spring of 2015. Image Source Italy is a country full of dialects, languages, outsiders. A common Italian language was virtually non-existent until a specific dialect was chosen to be taught in schools and used throughout the public spheres of Italian life. Italian illiteracy was uncommonly high in the first half of the 20th century, but sits today at only 1% (Homolaicus). The whole process was expedited immensely by the introduction of television. In 1954, 48% of the Italian population had access to television, and seven years later it increased to 97% (Homolaicus). Reaching this much of the population was enormous, and the Ita...

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...

by Eric Becker Eric Becker is a graduate student in French Linguistics at the University of Illinois. He is planning on continuing his work towards his Masters and is interested in minority languages in Europe. He wrote this text as a student enrolled in FR 418 ‘Language and Minorities in Europe’. Image Source La situation de la langue live, ou le livonien comme on y réfère dans certains contextes, est précaire : la langue est « en situation critique » d’extinction selon l’UNESCO. La dernière locutrice de cette langue finno-ougrienne proche du finnois et de l’estonien, Grizelda Kristiņa, est morte en 2013 au Canada. Sans aucun locuteur natif, que deviendra la langue live ? Le livonien appartient à la branche fennique des langues finno-ougriennes, mais il était influencé aussi par les langues baltiques et slaves. Le livonien est parlé en Livonie, une région de Lettonie située à la pointe nord de la Courlande sur une péninsule dans le Golfe de Riga. Le livonien est donc class...