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Programme: accepted abstracts

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Abstract ID: 1136

Part of Session 130: Language in Multilingual Cities (Other abstracts in this session)

Fostering multilingualism or protecting minorities? Practice and discourse in officially multilingual cities

Authors: Brohy, Claudine
Submitted by: Brohy, Claudine (Universit of Fribourg/Freiburg, Switzerland)

All cities of the world are multilingual, individual and social multilingualism being the norm rather the exception. However, cities with an officially multilingual status are scarce, even in officially quadrilingual Switzerland. In this contribution, I will mainly concentrate on two officially multilingual Swiss cities, Biel/Bienne and Fribourg/Freiburg, drawing comparisons with some officially multilingual municipalities elsewhere. The research questions were: How far does official and private discourse on multilingualism map? To what extend does linguistic landscape mirror discourse and demography? What is the status of the migrant minorities compared to the local “legitimate” minority? How do schools react to social, economic and cultural needs for multilingualism? In a diglossic situation, how is the dialect integrated in the issues surrounding multilingualism? Is English a threat to local, indigenous multilingualism or an extension of the linguistic repertoire? Methods combine the analysis of public and media documents and ethnographic analysis. The research shows that although some general conclusions can be drawn, each officially multilingual city represents a unique linguistic niche shaped by history, culture and individuals. Citizens react differently to official multilingualism. For some informants languages and multilingualism are a constant challenge at different levels, for others, they rate far behind in the multiple challenges life represents.

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