Language Rights

This reference volume brings together the key academic contributions that have shaped the field of language rights over the last 40 years. Work in language rights is particularly concerned with the rights of minority language speakers in modern nation-states. It also encompasses related discussions on language endangerment, the maintenance of bilingualism and multilingualism, the role of education, and the impact of English as the current world language in an increasingly globalized world. As such, the field of language rights is also strongly interdisciplinary, drawing on work in language policy, sociolinguistics, political theory, law and education - all key disciplinary areas that are represented in this volume. It is also avowedly international, with discussion in this volume of contexts that span Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania/the Pacific region. The various contributions in this volume also address a range of linguistic minority groups, including Indigenous peoples, national minorities, and migrant groups. This volume is relevant to a wide range of students and scholars interested in issues of language endangerment, linguistic justice, language and citizenship, human rights, Indigenous studies, language education, bilingualism and multilingualism, and English as a world language.

Stephen May is Professor of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, New Zealand