Educational materials © for/by Peter L. Patrick. May contain copyright material used for educational purposes. Please respect copyright.
Linguistic Human Rights:
A Sociolinguistic
Introduction
Dept. of Language & Linguistics
University of
Essex
Linguistic Perspectives on Human
Rights Issues
What are some of the problems in LHR
that have most exercised linguists? What have we written or done that is
relevant to human rights? Here are a few materials and topics from recent
years. Many more could be added (ready-made entries will be welcomed!). I have
not attempted to round up all the major materials available on the web and
elsewhere, but rather assume that you will be able to find them through the
links below and other sources.
o Theorising Linguistic Human Rights: Some of the major positions recently taken by sociolinguists
actively involved in the debates (full references here), to start readers off:
o
Possibly the best-known is outlined by Tove Skutnabb-Kangas & Robert Phillipson. In a 1994 volume, Linguistic
Human Rights: Overcoming linguistic discrimination, Phillipson
says, “The challenge... is to see how a human rights perspective can support
efforts to promote linguistic justice.”
o
In a 1997 review article, Christina Bratt
Paulston characterises the above approach as
representing one type of “exhortatoty and
ideologically based studies in which language rights are considered a causal
variable” aimed at producing “social change or future developments”. She
contrasts this with atheoretical historical and
descriptive accounts with language rights treated as a dependent variable. Her
own argument is to consider LR as context-specific, emic
rights rather than universal.
o
In a 2001 issue of the Journal of Sociolinguistics, dialogue
#8 by Blommaert challenges the framework, aims and
scholarship of the respondents – dialogue #9 by Skutnabb-Kangas,
Phillipson & Kontra –
and a heated discussion ensues.
o Some general resources relevant to language and
human rights:
o
The Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights.
o
The Linguistic Society of
o
The M.O.S.T. (Unesco)
Clearing House on Linguistic Rights.
o
Statements & position papers by the American
Anthropological Association on “Language Rights”, “Human Rights”,
etc.
o
Some basic definitions and concepts in sociolinguistics.
o
Summary of an overall perspective on Linguistic Culture and Language Policy by Prof. Hal Schiffman.
o
International legal instruments relevant to
linguistic rights.
o
Sign language users and linguistic rights by Dr Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, on Terralingua.
o
FAQ on linguistic diversity by Terralingua.
o The “Oakland Ebonics” controversy – whether African American children in the
o
John Rickford's Ebonics
page.
o
The Center for Applied Linguistics Ebonics information
page.
o
The Linguistic Society of America resolution
on Ebonics (LSA sitemap)
o
Recordings from John
Baugh’s
study of housing discrimination-by-accent.
o
Rosina Lippi-Green’s model of the language subordination process
(which she applies to African American English).
o
My own webpage
and 700-item+ bibliography on African American
English.
o The “English Only” movement in the
o
Journalist Jim Crawford's homepage tracking legislation
related to English-Only and bilingual education.
o
Dennis Baron’s collection of articles and columns
on English-Only.
o
A basic-level summary of cases and rules governing use of
non-English languages (mostly Spanish) in the workplace, brought under the
Civil Rights Act, by Katie Thomas Trites
o
The Linguistic Society of America Resolution
on the US “English Only” movement
(LSA sitemap)
o Language death and endangerment – some
general sources, and case study material from the Pacific, one of the world’s
largest sources of small, traditional and/or endangered language groups:
o
A standard source for information on languages around the world (Ethnologue).
o
The Foundation for Endangered Languages.
o
The International Clearing House for Endangered Languages.
o
Internet Resource List on Language Endangerment,
by Terralingua.
o
Randy LaPolla’s webpage
on endangered languages & resources (1998 but still useful).
o
The Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project
at SOAS.
o
M
o
and list of Factors safeguarding the vitality of languages in Papua New
Guinea.
Linguistic Human
Rights homepage
- Peter L Patrick
homepage
Last revised 30 October
2007