Carter, Bob, 1948- and Sealey, Alison. (2007) Languages, nations and identities. Methodological Innovations Online, Vol.2 (No.2). ISSN 1748-0612

Preview

PDF WRAP_Carter_Methodological_Innovations_Online__Vol__2__No__2_2007.pdf - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader Download (120Kb)

Abstract

This article reviews a range of ways in which issues of national identity have been shown to be linked with the topic of language. We suggest that there is scope for development both of the theoretical underpinning to claims made about the nature of these links, and also, in consequence, to the methodological approaches appropriate to empirical investigations of them. Here, we explore the ways in which aspects of the social world such as those summarised above are understood theoretically. The first part of the paper argues that debates about the relationship of languages to forms of social identity, particularly those associated with nationalisms, often make a number of assumptions - about languages, about collectivities and about social agency. The second part interrogates these assumptions and proposes the utility of realist theory in evaluating claims in this area. In the final part of the paper, we outline the methodological implications of our argument.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Language and languages -- Research, National characteristics
Journal or Publication Title:	Methodological Innovations Online
Publisher:	University of Plymouth
ISSN:	1748-0612
Date:	2007
Volume:	Vol.2
Number:	No.2
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
References:	Archer, M. (1995), Realist Social Theory: the morphogenetic approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Archer, M. (2000), Being Human: the problem of agency. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Blommaert, J. (2003), ‘Commentary: a sociolinguistics of globalization’. Journal of Sociolinguistics 7 (4), 607 - 623. Brubaker, R. (2004), Ethnicity Without Groups. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Carli, A., Guardiano, C., Kaucic-Baša, M., Sussi, E., Tessarolo, M. and Ussai, M. (2003), Asserting ethnic identity and power through language. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 29 (5), 865-883. Carter, B. (2000), Realism and Racism: Concepts of Race in Sociological Research. London: Routledge. Cooper, R.L. (1989), Language Planning and Social Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Crowley, T. (1989), The Politics of Discourse: the standard language question in British cultural debates. Basingstoke: Macmillan Education. Crowley, T. (ed.) (1991), Proper English? Readings in language, history and cultural identity. London: Routledge. Crowley, T. (2003), Standard English and the Politics of Language. London: Palgrave. Crystal, D. (2002), Language Death. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Dow, J.R. (ed.) (1991), Language and Ethnicity. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Fenton, S. (2003), Ethnicity. Cambridge: Polity. Fenton, S. (2004), 'Beyond ethnicity: the global comparative analysis of ethnic conflict’. International Journal of Comparative Sociology 45: 179-194. Fenton, S. (2007) 'Indifference towards national identity: what young adults think about being English and British' Nations and Nationalism 13: 321-339. Fishman, J. (ed.) (2001a), Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fishman, J. (2001b), ‘Concluding comments’. In J. Fishman (ed.) Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Graddol, D. (1997), The Future of English? London: The British Council. Grin, F. (2006), ‘Economic considerations in language policy’. In T. Ricento (ed.) An Introduction to Language Policy: theory and method. Malden, MA & Oxford: Blackwell. Halliday, M.A.K. (1978), Language as Social Semiotic. London: Edward Arnold. Halliday, M.A.K. (1985), An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold. Harris, R. and Rampton, B. (eds.) (2003), The Language, Ethnicity and Race Reader. London: Routledge. Hirschman, C. (2004), 'The origins and demise of the concept of race'. Population and Development Review 30: 385-415. Hobsbawm, E.J. (1990), Nations and Nationalism since 1780. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Huntington, S.P. (1993), 'The clash of civilizations?' Foreign Affairs 72: 22-49. Judge, A. (2000), France: 'One state, one nation, one language'? In S. Barbour and C. Carmichael (eds.) (2000), Language and Nationalism in Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kaplan, R.B., Richard B. Baldauf, J., Liddicoat, A.J., Bryant, P., Barbaux, M.-T. and Pütz, M. (2000), ‘Current Issues in Language Planning’. Current Issues in Language Planning 1 (1), 1 - 10. Kramsch, C. (ed.) (2002), Language Acquisition and Language Socialization: ecological perspectives. London & New York: Continuum. Layder, D. (1990), The Realist Image in Social Science. London: Macmillan. Layder, D. (1997), Modern Social Theory. London: UCL Press. Lemke, J. (1997), ‘Cognition, context, and learning: a social semiotic perspective’. In D. Kirshner and J.A. Whitson (eds) Situated Cognition: social, semiotic, and psychological perspectives. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Lemke, J.L. (2002), ‘Language development and identity: multiple timescales in the social ecology of learning’. In C. Kramsch (ed.) Language Acquisition and Language Socialization: ecological perspectives. London & New York: Continuum. Le Page, R.B. and Tabouret-Keller, A. (1985), Acts of Identity: Creole-Based Approaches to Language and Ethnicity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lewis, G. (2002), The Turkish Language Reform: a catastrophic success. Oxford: Oxford University Press. MacDonald, M. (2006), Why Race Matters in South Africa. Scottsville, SA: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press. Mar-Molinero, C. (2000), ‘The Iberian peninsula: conflicting linguistic nationalisms’. In S. Barbour and C. Carmichael (eds.) Language and Nationalism in Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Milroy, J. (2002), ‘The legitimate language: giving a history to English’. In R. Watts and P. Trudgill (eds) Alternative Histories of English. London: Routledge. Milroy, J. and Milroy, L. (1991), Authority in Language: investigating language prescription and standardisation. London: Routledge. Obeng, S.G. and Adegbija, E. (2001), ‘Sub-Saharan Africa’. In J. Fishman (ed.) Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Omoniyi, T. and White, G. (eds.) (2006), The Sociolinguistics of Identity. London: Continuum. Pennycook, A. (2006), ‘Postmodernism in language policy’. In T. Ricento (ed.) An Introduction to Language Policy: theory and method. Malden, MA & Oxford: Blackwell. Rannut, M. (2004), ‘Language policy in Estonia’. Noves SL. Revista de Sociolingüística Spring-Summer 2004: 1-17 Schiffman, H.F. (1996), Linguistic Culture and Language Policy. London: Routledge. Schmid, C.L. (2001), The Politics of Language: conflict, identity, and cultural pluralism in comparative perspective: Oxford University Press. Sealey, A. (forthcoming), ‘Linguistic ethnography in realist perspective’. Journal of Sociolinguistics. Sealey, A. and Carter, B. (2004), Applied Linguistics as Social Science. London: Continuum. Vikør, L.S. (2000), ‘Northern Europe: languages as prime markers of ethnic and national identity’. In S. Barbour and C. Carmichael (eds.) Language and Nationalism in Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Virtanen, Ö.E. (2003), ‘Recent Changes in Turkey’s Language Legislation’. Ciemen Mercator (Escarré International Centre for Ethnic Minorities and Nations) Working Papers 11. Wodak, R., de Cillia, R., Resigi, M. and Liebhart, K. (eds.) (1999) The Discursive Construction of National Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Wright, S. (1994), 'The contribution of sociolinguistics'. Current Issues in Language and Society 1: 1 - 6. Wright, S. (2000), Community and Communication: the role of language in nation state building and European integration. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Wright, S. (2004), Language Policy and Language Planning. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/484

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item