This article presents a framework for evaluation of the impact of languages in multilingual societies. We consider several ranking methods grounded on various principles, including minimal disenfranchisement, communicative benefits, utilitarianism, and the game-theoretical concept of the Shapley Value. We use data from the Special Barometer survey to apply these methods to languages within the European Union. Although the methods we consider are driven by distinct normative grounds, they generate quite similar results. Finally, we analyse the impact of Brexit on the rankings, especially if English forfeits its status as an official language in the Union.
"This booklet looks in turn at the wide array of languages spoken in the EU, the many ways in which Europeans can benefit from learning languages and the EU's support programmes. Finally it examines what it takes to run a multilingual Union."--Ed.
While committed to integration at European level, the EU promotes the linguistic and cultural diversity of its peoples. It does so by promoting the teaching and learning of their languages, including minority and regional languages. The EUʹs ambitious goal, set out in a new action plan, is that as many of its citizens as possible should speak one - and ideally two - languages in addition to their mother tongue.The European Union as an organisation now works with 20 official languages. This is because, in a democracy, the laws it applies must be understandable to all its citizens. There can be no discrimination, for instance, between the way people in big and small countries are treated. In their dealings with the EU institutions, all citizens have the right to use their own national language - as do their elected representatives in the European Parliament.
After the accession of ten new member-states in 2004, the number of official EU languages increased from eleven to twenty. In 2005, the Council of the European Union decided to expand the existing legal framework for Irish and for other languages, such as Basque, Catalan and Galician, which are official in all or part of the territory of a given member-state. On 1 January 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU, increasing the number of official EU languages still further. This book addresses the challenge of respecting linguistic diversity within the EU and is intended as an introduction to the issue for those not already familiar with EU law. It also provides an analysis of the potential of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union to enhance respect for linguistic diversity. Each chapter has been written by a recognised expert in the field. The appendices bring together the basic legal norms relating to linguistic diversity within EU institutions.
This book examines the language policies relating to linguistic rights in European Union law and in the constitutions and legal statutes of some European Union member states. In recent years, the European Union has seen an increase in claims for language recognition by minority groups representing a considerable population (such as Catalan in Spain and Welsh in the UK). Additionally, there is a developing situation surrounding the official use of English within the European Union in the aftermath of the Brexit vote. In light of these two contexts, this book focuses on the degree of legal protection afforded to linguistic groups in the European Union. It will be of interest to students and scholars of language policy, EU law, minority languages and sociolinguistics.
The Handbook of Easy Languages in Europe describes what Easy Language is and how it is used in European countries. It demonstrates the great diversity of actors, instruments and outcomes related to Easy Language throughout Europe. All people, despite their limitations, have an equal right to information, inclusion, and social participation. This results in requirements for understandable language. The notion of Easy Language refers to modified forms of standard languages that aim to facilitate reading and language comprehension. This handbook describes the historical background, the principles and the practices of Easy Language in 21 European countries. Its topics include terminological definitions, legal status, stakeholders, target groups, guidelines, practical outcomes, education, research, and a reflection on future perspectives related to Easy Language in each country. Written in an academic yet interesting and understandable style, this Handbook of Easy Languages in Europe aims to find a wide audience.
Cutting through the jargon of EU politics, the third edition of this engaging and informative textbook examines the history, institutions, processes and politics of the European Union with unprecedented clarity. The EU is a fascinating political experiment in regional integration and it has changed our understanding of Europe, how Europeans relate to one another, the role Europe plays in global politics and has even shifted our understanding of politics itself. Helping to make sense of it all in the author's accessible style, this book is underpinned by theory and the latest research throughout. Organised in three main parts, the text covers everything from the history of the EU and its treaties to the institutions that make up the EU and its policies in areas such as the economy, the environment and the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. This is the go-to text for all students taking courses or modules on the EU, as well as functioning as an accessible introduction for anyone who wants to find out more about how the EU works and what difference it makes. New to this Edition: - Fully updated to take account of the latest developments, including the ongoing Brexit negotiations, the 2019 European Parliament elections and more on the fallout from the euro zone and migration crises - Two new separate chapters to cover the European Council and the Council of Ministers respectively - More emphasis on comparative politics throughout to compare institutions and policies - Expanded debates on key issues of contention in the European project - Expanded coverage of the most recent research into public opinion in the EU - New Snapshot features in each chapter focusing on a particular EU country Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/european-union-politics-3e. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 24. Chapters: European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, European Language Council, Linguistic issues concerning the euro, Languages of the European Union, Leonard Orban, Educational policies and initiatives of the European Union, European Day of Languages, List of the names of bodies of the European Union in its official languages, Liet-Lavlut, European Master's in Translation, Inter-Active Terminology for Europe, Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union, Eurodicautom, Directorate-General for Interpretation, Directorate-General for Translation. Excerpt: Several linguistic issues have arisen in relation to the spelling of the words euro and cent in the many languages of the member states of the European Union, as well as in relation to grammar and the formation of plurals. In official documents, the name "euro" must be used for the nominative singular in all languages, though different alphabets are taken into account and plural forms and declensions are accepted. In documents other than EU legal texts, including national legislation, other spellings are accepted according to the various grammatical rules of the respective language. For European Union legislation, the spelling of the words for the currency is prescribed for each language; in the English-language version of European Union legislation the forms "euro" and "cent" are used invariantly in the singular and plural, even though this departs from usual English practice for currencies. the language is an official language in a Eurozone member state. partitive singular. Most languages use a plural or immutable singular with numbers, but Estonian and Finnish use the partitive case. Welsh follows numerals with the singular form of the noun. English, Turkish and Swedish are marked by the sign of Euro because they are official languages of Eurozone...
The institutions of the European Union employ hundreds of translators. Why? What do they do? What sort of translation problems do they have to tackle? Has the language policy of the European Union been affected by the recent inclusion of new Member States? This book answers all those questions. Written by three experienced translators from the European Commission, it aims to help general readers, translation students and freelance translators to understand the European Union institutions and their work. Although it deals with written rather than spoken translation, much of the information it gives will be of interest to interpreters too. This second edition has been updated to reflect the new composition of the EU and changes to recruitment procedures.
