Multilingual Encounters in Europe’s Institutional Spaces: Advances in Sociolinguistics

Description

Multilingual encounters have been commonplace in many types of institutions, and have become an essential part of supranational institutions such as the EU since their inception. This volume explores and discusses different ways of researching the discursive dimension of these encounters, and critically examines their relevance to policy, politics and society as a whole. This includes institutions at the local, regional and supranational level. Multilingualism in institutions is currently often seen as an obstacle rather than an opportunity, at least with respect to European public and private spheres. The volume asks: -exactly how is multilingualism conceptualized and talked about in different institutions? -how do different institutions 'deal' with multilingualism, both internally and externally? -what are the policy making rules and challenges for the future for various institutions with respect to multilingualism? Cover Half-title Title Copyright Contents 1 Introduction: Encountering Multilingualism in Europe’s Institutions About this volume The many meanings of multilingualism in late-modern (European) societies Overview of the volume References Part 1: Private-sector Institutions 2 Language Management Measures and Their Impact in Companies Operating in a Context of Linguistic Diversity Introduction Contextualization Research questions and methods Conceptual framework Results Perspectives References Notes 3 Language Choice and Participation Management in International Work Meetings Introduction Participation at stake Fieldwork in international work settings Language choices and their renegotiation during transitions and after changes in the participation framework Negotiation of language choice and confrontation of divergent concepts of participation Conclusion References Note 4 Economic Capitalization of Linguistic Diversity: Swiss Multilingualism as a National Profit? Introduction Language, postnationalism and late capitalism The institutionalization of the economic promotion of the nation Production of promotional materials and strategic language choice Language choice as a strategic tool Multilingualism as a promotional argument of the nation as an economic site Multilingualism and the ideological formation of an ideal nation Language and culture in late capitalism: new (inter)nationalist discursive formation? References Notes Part 2: National and Supranational (Political) Institutions 5 Multilingual Communication in Europe’s Supranational Spaces: Developments and Challenges in European Union Institutions Introduction The making and the democratic crisis of a ‘deepened’ and ‘widened’ EU Multilingual communication in the post-enlargement EU institutions – a closer look at the European Commission and the European Parliament Learning from the past while thinking ahead: confronting the (long-standing) challenges to EU-institutional multilingualism References Notes 6 The European Parliament: Multilingual Experiences in the Everyday Life of MEPs Critical approaches to multilingualism The multilingual European Parliament and monolingual MEPs Analysing ‘language ideologies’ in the European Parliament MEPs’ language ideologies Some future perspectives References Notes 7 Multilingualism in the European Commission: Combining an Observer and a Participant Perspective Introduction: language ideologies in supranational political institutions Data, ethnography and a few more theoretical remarks Code-switching and multilingualism in the European Commissions: an observer perspective Code-switching and multilingualism in the European Commission: a participant perspective Concluding remarks References Notes Part 3: Educational Institutions 8 Discourses of Aspiration and Distinction in the Local School Economy Introduction Aspirations A magical threshold Multilingualism Heteroglossia Methods Aspirational habitus Educated people Discourses of aspiration and distinction References Note 9 The Genealogy of Educational Change: Educating to Capitalize Migrant Students Researching in multilingual and multicultural schools in Madrid Linguistic educational programmes at Villababel school The analytical frame The genealogy of change The capitalizing process Concluding remarks References Notes 10 Negotiating Multilingualism in Flemish Higher Education Globalization, Europe, Belgium, Flanders Flanders: multilingual reality vs monolingual ideology The 2012 Decree Multilingualism in Flemish higher education: a case study Conclusion References Notes 11 Building a Multilingual University in Institutional Policies and Everyday Practices Introduction Languages in ‘international’ Catalan universities Ideologies and practices Fieldwork and data analysis Performing ‘international’ in ‘local’ settings Conclusion Appendix References Index