Language & Nationalism in Europe, chapter 1 Nationalism, Language, Europe.

Language & Nationalism in Europe, chapter 1

Nationalism, Language, Europe

Some mysteries of nationalism

• Power to arouse passionate loyalties, justifying extreme violence

• Motives can be hard to understand, due to lack of clear:– Genetic motivation (as for family or tribe)– Spiritual motivation (as for religion)

• So what ARE the motives?

Nations are “imagined communities”

Q: What need DO they fulfill?

Nations are “imagined communities”

Q: What need DO they fulfill?

A: They provide:– A sense of identity– Economic

organization (though this may no longer be true, due to EU)

– Sense of greater community (to replace local/religious units)

Nationhood is a recent construal

• “Nation” does NOT describe an objective reality

• The concept of “Nation” is a recent phenomenon, a product of the social and economic modernization that took place in Europe from the mid 18th century onwards

A Nation is a population that shares…

• WHAT?

A Nation is a population that shares…

• A name• A territory• Myths and memories• A culture• An economy• Rights and dutiesQ: What do you need to hold all of these

together?

A Nation is a population that shares…

• A name, a territory, myths and memories, a culture, an economy, rights and duties

Q: What do you need to hold all of these together?

A: Communication. A shared language or languages.

Nation vs. Nation-state

Q: What’s the difference?

Nation vs. Nation-state

Q: What’s the difference?A: A nation-state is a country that belongs to

a nation. A nation-state is a nation that has political autonomy. A nation may have only aspirations for independence.

An example of a nation that was not a nation-state: Poland was merely an idea for 123 years, until Poland was re-established after WWI.

Poland 1795-1914

Nation vs. Nation-state, cont’d.

Q: What situations challenge the “ideal” of the nation-state?

Nation vs. Nation-state, cont’d.

Q: What situations challenge the “ideal” of the nation-state?

A: Any situation where the boundaries of a nation and a state are not the same.

We will look at three of these:*states of many nations*nations that do not accept their states *nations that go beyond states (diasporas)

Let’s do the math…

• Q: How many countries are there in the world?

• A: About 200.• Q: How many

languages are there in the world?

• A: Between 5,000 and 6,000

Nation vs. Nation-state, cont’d.

Name some states -- past or present -- that united or unite many nations:

Nation vs. Nation-state, cont’d.

Name some states -- past or present -- that united or unite many nations:

*Roman Empire *USSR

*Chinese Dynasties *India

*Austro-Hungarian Empire

*Russian Empire *Ottoman Empire

*Czechoslovakia *Yugoslavia

Nation vs. Nation-state, cont’d.

Q: What are some examples of nations that do not accept the identity of the states they are in?

Nation vs. Nation-state, cont’d.

Q: What are some examples of nations that do not accept the identity of the states they are in?

A: *Scots *Welsh

*many Arabs *Basque

Nation vs. Nation-state, cont’d.

Q: Some nations have large diasporas. Can you name some of them?

Nation vs. Nation-state, cont’d.

Q: Some nations have large diasporas. Can you name some of them?

A: Hungary, Germany, Korea, Poland, Italian

Nation vs. Ethnic Group

Q: What is the difference between a nation and an ethnic group?

Nation vs. Ethnic Group

Q: What is the difference between a nation and an ethnic group?

A: A nation has a territory, but ethnic groups may be scattered and mixed (esp. in urban settings). An ethnic group is often smaller and more culturally coherent and usually has a shared language. The concept of ethnic group is older than the concept of nation and is functionally equivalent to “tribe”.

Nationalism and Territory

• The connection between a nation and its territory is particularly significant. The territory is an important ingredient in national identity and nationalism. However, nationalism can inspire tensions when two or more nations have conflicting aspirations. Often these result from historical memories of territory that overlaps.

Ethnic group vs. Religious group

Q: What is the difference between an ethnic group and a religious group?

Ethnic group vs. Religious group

Q: What is the difference between an ethnic group and a religious group?

A: Religious groups tend to be bigger and may not share a language. There are, however, confusions between these two. For example, is “Jewish” ethnic or religious?

Ethnic group and Language

• Language often helps to define the coherence of an ethnic group

• Language is also the vehicle for culture, which is particularly significant for an ethnic group

Language or Dialect?

• Q: How can you tell whether two groups of people are speaking different languages or dialects?

Language or Dialect?

• Q: How can you tell whether two groups of people are speaking different languages or dialects?

• A: Ask them! Language is not a discrete entity. We have no operational definitions.

Why are there different languages and dialects?

Q: What causes linguistic differentiation?

Why are there different languages and dialects?

Q: What causes linguistic differentiation?

A: Barriers:• Geographic

barriers -- mountains, bodies of water

• Political barriers -- administrative, economic, and judicial boundaries

• Social barriers -- class, rank, employment

Language vs. Dialect

Q: What is the difference between having two different languages and having two different dialects?

Language vs. Dialect

Q: What is the difference between two different languages and two different dialects?

A common answer is:• If the two varieties are

mutually incomprehensible, you have two different languages.

• If the two varieties are mutually comprehensible, you have two different dialects.

Language vs. Dialect

Q: What is the difference between two different languages and two different dialects?

A common answer is:• If the two varieties are

mutually incomprehensible, you have two different languages.

• If the two varieties are mutually comprehensible, you have two different dialects.

BUT I DON’T AGREE!

Language vs. Dialect

• Mutual comprehensibility serves to distinguish language vs. dialect for some situations, such as: Hungarian, Romanian, Basque.

• It doesn’t work for many situations:– German (incomprehensible dialects)– Norwegian,Swedish,Danish (comprehensible)– Slavic (both situations)– Chinese

Language vs. Dialect

Q: What ultimately defines whether two varieties are languages or dialects?

Language vs. Dialect

Q: What ultimately defines whether two varieties are languages or dialects?

A: Imagination.

National Identity

Q: What ultimately produces a name and identity for a nation?

National Identity

Q: What ultimately produces a name and identity for a nation?

A: Imagination.

Language and Nationalism

• A single shared language is not absolutely necessary for a nation, but it is useful, and is often a goal of nationalist ideology.

• The mutual dependence of language and nationalism motivate two ideals:– A linguistically homogeneous nation– A clearly distinct national language

• NB: This is a modern, European view!

Language and Nationalism

In reality, the relationship between language and nationalism is very complex, and Europe is only one of several models.

Linguistic homogeneity -- this ideal can motivate various repressive policies

Distinct national language -- this ideal can motivate various responses, such as standardization or even the revival of a language (cf. Hebrew, Irish)

Language Standardization

• This is a modern phenomenon.• Selection of a language variety (or of selected

features of various language varieties) and promotion to the status of a literary language, for use in public arenas.

• This is often a politically charged process, as we will see.

Language Standardization

Has side effects that might seem counter-intuitive:

The languages of the largest groups (nations, nation-states, empires, and especially nations/empires that undertake colonization) are the most unified and homogeneous.

The languages of smaller groups tend to suffer more from dialectal fragmentation.