Linguistic Genocide In Education Or Worldwide Diversity And Human Rights

In this powerful, multidisciplinary book, Tove Skutnabb-Kangas shows how most indigenous and minority education contributes to linguistic genocide according to United Nations definitions. Theory is combined with a wealth of factual encyclopedic information and with many examples and vignettes. The examples come from all parts of the world and try to avoid Eurocentrism. Oriented toward theory and practice, facts and evaluations, and reflection and action, the book prompts readers to find information about the world and their local contexts, to reflect and to act. A Web site with additional resource materials to this book can be found at http://www.ruc.dk/~tovesk/

A groundbreaking new work that sheds light on case studies of linguistic human rights around the world, raising much-needed awareness of the struggles of many peoples and communities The first book of its kind, the Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights presents a diverse range of theoretically grounded studies of linguistic human rights, exemplifying what linguistic justice is and how it might be achieved. Through explorations of ways in which linguistic human rights are understood in both national and international contexts, this innovative volume demonstrates how linguistic human rights are supported or violated on all continents, with a particular focus on the marginalized languages of minorities and Indigenous peoples, in industrialized countries and the Global South. Organized into five parts, this volume first presents approaches to linguistic human rights in international and national law, political theory, sociology, economics, history, education, and critical theory. Subsequent sections address how international standards are promoted or impeded and cross-cutting issues, including translation and interpreting, endangered languages and the internet, the impact of global English, language testing, disaster situations, historical amnesia, and more. This essential reference work: Explores approaches to linguistic human rights (LHRs) in all key scholarly disciplines Assesses the strengths and weaknesses of international law Covenants and Declarations that recognize the LHRs of Indigenous peoples, minorities and other minoritized groups Presents evidence of how LHRs are being violated on all continents, and evidence of successful struggles for achieving linguistic human rights and linguistic justice Stresses the importance of the mother tongues of Indigenous peoples and minorities being the main teaching/learning languages for cultural identity, success in education, and social integration Includes a selection of short texts that present additional existential evidence of LHRs Edited by two renowned leaders in the field, the Handbook of Linguistic Human Rights is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students of language and law, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, language policy, language education, indigenous studies, language rights, human rights, and globalization.

"This study broadens our knowledge of the important role of language in minority rights and in social and political struggles for LHRs. Exploring the interactions of linguistic diversity, biodiversity, the free market and human rights, the contributors present case studies to highlight such issues as Kurdish satellite TV attempting to create a virtual state on the air through trying to achieve basic LHRs for Kurds in Turkey; the implementation of LHRs in the Baltic states; language rights activism in Canada; the spread of English as an international language; and the obstacles met in education by Roma and the Deaf in Hungary because of lack of appropriate LHRs." "Language: A Right and a Resource is a multi-disciplinary text which can be used in a variety of different areas of study in the legal profession, linguistics, cultural and political studies."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In this powerful, multidisciplinary book, Tove Skutnabb-Kangas shows how most indigenous and minority education contributes to linguistic genocide according to United Nations definitions. Theory is combined with a wealth of factual encyclopedic information and with many examples and vignettes. The examples come from all parts of the world and try to avoid Eurocentrism. Oriented toward theory and practice, facts and evaluations, and reflection and action, the book prompts readers to find information about the world and their local contexts, to reflect and to act. A Web site with additional resource materials to this book can be found at http://www.ruc.dk/~tovesk/

The principles for enabling children to become fully proficient multilinguals through schooling are well known. Even so, most indigenous/tribal, minority and marginalised children are not provided with appropriate mother-tongue-based multilingual education (MLE) that would enable them to succeed in school and society. In this book experts from around the world ask why this is, and show how it can be done. The book discusses general principles and challenges in depth and presents case studies from Canada and the USA, northern Europe, Peru, Africa, India, Nepal and elsewhere in Asia. Analysis by leading scholars in the field shows the importance of building on local experience. Sharing local solutions globally can lead to better theory, and to action for more social justice and equality through education.

Are we facing an immense wave of language death or a period of remarkable new linguistic variation? Or both? This book answers this question by analysing studies of language endangerment and loss along with those of language change, revitalization and diversity. Using case studies from Russia and the EU, the authors compare historical language variation to that of the present day, arguing that accelerated language extinction can be considered a result of colonization, modernization and globalization, but so too can many new creoles, intertwined and mixed languages, new ethnic identities, new groups of urban dwellers or migrant groups, all with their own distinct cultural traits. The book therefore surmises that the linguistic heritage of today is simultaneously more endangered and more diverse than ever before.

Research on Language Rights has produced an enormous-and unwieldy-corpus of literature. Moreover, such work is often controversial and contested, in part because of the need for scholars from different disciplinary traditions to coordinate their concerns and integrate conflicting paradigms. Now, to enable researchers and advanced students to make sense of this vast literature, and the competing scholarly approaches, Routledge announces Language Rights, a new title in its Critical Concepts in Language Studies series. In four volumes, the set draws on a wide range of disciplines, including Sociolinguistics, Law, Anthropology, Education, Sociology, Political Science, and Economics. The learned editors have assembled both normative texts and studies of their practical applications, as well as more diverse interventions and interpretations. Volume I presents some of the basic concepts in language rights and traces developments from treaties and national constitutions to human-rights principles, and conditions for the maintenance of languages.Volume II, meanwhile, explores the tensions between homogenizing nation states and the status of indigenous and minority languages in education. The third volume in the collection brings together the best thinking on recent developments in language and cultural revitalization through community mobilization around language rights, especially in education, the preconditions for their success, their relationship to land rights and self-determination, and state responses to demands for language rights. Finally, Volume IV assesses ongoing trends of regional and global integration and questions the prospects for the world's languages in the light of economic and cultural constraints.

We live in a world threatened by the loss of one of humanity's greatest treasures--it's linguistic heritage. But few realize that bound up with the loss of language is loss of knowledge about our environment. This book documents the complex interrelationships between the Earth's linguistic, cultural and biological diversity. It offers a general introduction to a complex field and outlines some of the key challenges facing sustainable development from cultural and educational perspectives. 'We need more than ever to find ways to share and maintain this world of diversity in which languages, cultures and environments are mutually supporting and sustainable.'