Week 3: Multilingualism in state and society, and the role of communities

Last week we focused on the issues of individual character concerning the languages one identifies with, actively produces and utilizes in one’s life. The changes concerning language skills (including acquisition and attrition), their importance and functions may change quite fast, in connections with changes in one’s life. This week we will discuss more permanent language features describing societal functions of languages. We will look into the language use and the relations between languages in societies, threats and security factors concerning the survival and death of languages and conditions of sustainable development for languages. We will also shortly discuss language policies that aim to direct and control these linguistic trends.

In part one of the week you will learn about different language environments around us with its different aspects (visual, audial, digital). In part two you will learn what kind of functions a language may have and how the functions emerge as well as what language status means, and how it may change. In last part of the week you will understand the essence of language security, status and function.

3.1. Multilingualism in society: language environments

3.2. Languages in multilingual states: functions and status

3.3. Language conflict and language planning