Dimensions of linguistic otherness: prospects of minority language maintenance in Hungary

Abstract

ABSTRACT. After some preliminary remarks on minority policy and potential impacts of Eastern enlargement of the EU in Central and Eastern Europe, we give a brief overview of the basic characteristics of the sociolinguistic and ideological context, as well as of minority policy and legislation concerning autochthonous minorities in Hungary. In the next section of the paper we introduce the results of a national sociolinguistic language shift survey conducted by the authors, focusing here on the comparative data on language and identity of the six communities studied. This is followed by a detailed analysis of the attitudes of the Romanian and Serbian communities to mother tongue and national identity. Research results presented in our article demonstrate that the language-identity link is not self-evident: these concepts need to be separated if real linguistic (and ethnic) arrangements are to be understood. Analysis of the 'architecture' of the respective ethnic identities and the role of minority languages in the construction and negotiation of identities revealed that the native language plays different roles within the studied communities.

Shifting ground: exploring the backdrop to translating and interpreting

“…This norm has been noted by scholars across disciplines (e.g. language teaching and testing (Jessner and Cenoz 2007, 159); psycholinguistics (Zurer-Pearson 2010) and sociolinguistics (Rojo 2010, 60)) and occurs within many societies where it demands, from speakers, assimilation (Bartha and Anna 2006) and language shift (Li Wei 1994). The norm is enforced through such devices as expectations and policy and through language activities like interpreting and translating.…”

Stratégiák a magyarországi szerbek nyelvének és többnyelvűségének megőrzésére: kihívások és perspektívák

“…A magyar szociolingvisták 2001 és 2004 között végezték el az első országos felmérést hat, nem magyar etnolingvisztikai hátterű nyelvi kisebbség körében tapasztalható nyelvi és társadalmi változásokról. A beás, német, román, szlovák és szerb mellett a vizsgálat kiterjedt a siketekre mint erősen diszkriminált közösségre is (Bartha, Borbély 2006 (Сотиров 2000), a német (Gal 1987, Erb, Knipf 1999, a roma (Réger 1979), a román (Borbély 1995(Borbély /1996(Borbély , 1997(Borbély , 2000(Borbély , 2007, a szlovák (Gyivicsán 1993), a szerb (Илић [Мандић] 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 2014), a horvát (Grbić 1994) és más nyelvek esetében.…”

Languages and language varieties: Comparative research on the linguistic attitudes in four bilingual minority communities in Hungary

“…This study takes part from the research which focuses on how to obtain significant information about the mechanism of the language shift process concerning autochthonous minorities in Hungary (see e.g. Kontra 1997, Borbély 2001, Bartha and Borbély 2006).…”