Standard Languages In Germanic-Speaking Europe

Beskrivelse

This book is the fourth installment from an international team of researchers working on the SLICE programme, which focuses on Standard Language Ideology in Contemporary Europe. It delves into the ideologies surrounding language, alongside the languages’ forms and functions.

Exploring the dynamics of language ideologies and the shifting status of standard languages in Europe.

The SLICE project investigates not only the structural aspects of language but also the attitudes and value systems that shape what is considered ‘standard.’ By using diverse research methods, it aims to uncover the subjective complexities and evolving perceptions tied to language standards.

A major goal of SLICE is to evaluate the degree and character of linguistic destandardisation happening across Europe today. While much sociolinguistic research has focused on how language varieties become established as standards, this work pushes beyond straightforward narratives.

It asks whether varieties once seen as non-standard or vernacular are gaining ground in areas traditionally dominated by standard languages. More provocatively, it questions whether the ideological frameworks supporting the distinction between standard and vernacular languages are weakening, losing influence, or undergoing transformation.

The book considers if the current era, often described as late modernity, might be a time when the process of linguistic standardisation is not only evolving but possibly reversing or becoming more complex and multi-faceted in certain contexts.