Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 1267

Part of Session 191: Language variation, identity and urban Space (Other abstracts in this session)

Brussels versus the "rest of Belgium": Identity, language attitudes and practices

Authors: Comanaru, Ruxandra-Silvia
Submitted by: Comanaru, Ruxandra-Silvia (Birkbeck, University of London, United Kingdom)

Language plays an important role in understanding cultural and linguistic contact, since it is through language that people communicate and construct social interactions and identities (see e.g. Pavlenko & Blackledge 2004; Wei, Dewaele & Housen, 2002). Brussels has always been considered to be at the heart of Europe, but public discourse in Belgium often attempts to emphasise both the linguistic and identity differences between Brussels and the "rest of Belgium”(de Schutter, 2011). The present study was designed to investigate whether these differences are actually so acute. Data were collected using online surveys and the participants had the option of filling out the French or the Dutch version of the survey. The sample consisted of both French and Dutch speakers, living in Brussels or outside of Brussels. The data obtained from these surveys were analysed statistically. The results indicate that the main differences observed were recorded on the participants' proficiency and frequency of use of various languages, and their levels of anxiety and confidence in using a foreign language. With regards to their feeling of identification with Belgium, Europe or the EU, no differences were observed. Their levels of general and civic European identity (Bruter, 2005) were comparable. The BIOS instrument (Comanaru & Noels, in preparation) was developed to better understand how bicultural people deal with their two identities and was adapted for the purposes of this study to investigate the relation between regional, national and European identities in Belgium. The results revealed slight differences between the two groups. This study suggests that although there are linguistic differences between the people of Brussels and the "rest of Belgium", their allegiance to their country and Europe is homologous.

References

Bruter, M. (2005) Citizens of Europe? The emergence of a mass European identity. Palgrave Macmillan

De Schutter, H. (2011). Let’s Brusselize the world! in A. Gosseries & Y. Vanderborght (Eds.) Arguing about justice. Essays for Philippe Van Parijs.

Comanaru, R. S. & Noels, K.A. (in preparation) Dimensions of biculturalism: the development of BIOS and a comparison of first and second-generation immigrants to Canada.

Pavlenko, A. & Blackledge, A. (2004) Negotiation of identities in multilingual contexts. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Wei, L., Dewaele, J.M. & Housen, A. (2002) Opportunities and challenges of bilingualism. Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter.

Sociolinguistics Symposium 19

Programme: accepted abstracts

Brussels versus the "rest of Belgium": Identity, language attitudes and practices