Preserving minoritised languages helps safeguard communities and cultures
Despite practically every European country having regional and minority languages, many are not recognised or protected. Beyond the risk of losing some of Europe’s untranslatable cultural assets such as poetry or songs, this actually risks erasing identities and cultures, alongside collective memories and emotions, the ingredients of Europe’s common intangible heritage. “Some languages are actually minoritised, meaning they are marginalised to the point of vanishing. This is likely due to a combination of factors, including: limited media coverage of minority languages, political neglect or suppression, reduced teaching options or more people simply moving away for education or economic reasons,” says Gisela Hagmair, coordinator of the RISE UP(opens in new window) project. Closely collaborating with language community members, RISE UP created practical language tools, bolstered by policy recommendations, to help reverse this trend.
Identifying resources to help preserve minoritised languages
RISE UP focused on five minoritised languages: Aranese, Aromanian, Burgenland Croatian, Cornish and Seto – all reflecting different contexts. For example, there are very few Aranese speakers, which is struggling to survive despite governmental support. Meanwhile, despite being declared ‘dead’ several times, Cornish experiences a growing community of speakers. To best identify the most impactful resources needed to help preserve these minoritised languages, the researchers conducted a questionnaire focused on intra-community perceptions of the current status of their languages, alongside available resources and endangerment factors. This was complemented by ethnographic work allowing the researchers to participate in cultural events and build trust. The results fed into the development of the RISE UP Digital Toolkit(opens in new window), co-created with members of the language communities. Accessed via an app and online portal, it includes good practices such as guidelines on ‘Linguistic Risk-Taking’ and ‘Mentoring Programmes’, amongst others, alongside functionalities to create interactive activities such as gamified exercises, a forum and a searchable resource database(opens in new window). “Communities are already benefiting from Burgenland Croatian and Seto lessons, alongside Aranese, Aromanian/Vlach and Cornish linguistic challenges,” explains Hagmair, from MINDS & SPARKS(opens in new window), the project host. The team also produced and published a language map(opens in new window), representing official languages, regional and minority languages, recognised and unrecognised languages in the European Union – plus Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia and the United Kingdom – alongside protective legal measures in place. Additionally, RISE UP organised cultural activities, including Voices of Community(opens in new window), an artist residence in Barcelona with music and poetry in minoritised languages, and a travelling exhibition(opens in new window) with artworks and information from, and about, the five project language communities. These were complemented by online networking events(opens in new window) on topics such as artificial intelligence for minoritised languages, alongside an audiovisual translation workshop.
Building the necessary supportive policy framework
While there are strong EU policies regarding minority languages and lesser used languages, they are non-binding, not ratified and sometimes not even signed by all countries, for example: the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages(opens in new window) and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities(opens in new window). Consequently, RISE UP developed five sets of www.riseupproject.eu/recommendations (policy recommendations) focused on: education and research, cultural visibility, socialisation, community well-being and empowerment, governance and digital innovation; generative AI for minoritised languages; support and funding, community involvement and social visibility; guidelines for linguists working with endangered language communities; and network and alliance building. “Future policies should address the variable quality and quantity of minority language research, which over-studies some languages, while under-researching others. More research is also needed on non-endangered minoritised languages, such as Estonian, long minoritised by Russian. Additionally, migrant languages and diasporas, including within country, should be accommodated,” adds Hagmair.
