Assessing Ethnolinguistic Vitality: Theory and Practice (Publications in Sociolinguistics, Vol. 3)

A collection of selected papers presented at SIL International's Third International Language Assessment Conference in England (1997).

Presents papers by leading scholars and SIL International language survey specialists that reflect various issues related to ethnolinguistic vitality and its assessment and present a variety of approaches to this study. Includes the sociology of language, anthropological grid/group model, social network theory, and motivations for ethnolinguistic vitality maintenance, power, and solidarity orientations. Is of interest to sociolinguists, sociologists, anthropological linguists, and those in language planning and language development. Is a source of information about a wide range of language situations, and an encouragement to those working among speakers of less commonly known languages.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Contributors

Theory

• Reversing Language Shift: RLS Theory and Practice Revisited Josha A. Fishman
• Ethnicity, Ethnic Movements, and Language Maintenance Christina Bratt Paulston
• Language Contact, Evolution, and Death: How Ecology Rolls the Dice Salikoko S. Mufwene
• Motivations: Language Vitality Assessments Using The Perceived Benefit Model of Language Shift Mark E. Karan
• Power and Solidarity as Metrics in Language Survey Data Analysis M. Paul Lewis

Practice

• Towards Predicting and Planning for Ethnolinguistic Vitality: An Application of Grid/Group Analysis Sue Harris Russell
• Social Network Analysis: More Toward an Application to Sociolinguistic Research and Language Development Assessment Steve Graham
• Modifying Language Beliefs: A Role for Mother-Tongue Advocates? Carolyn P. Miller
• Assessing Motivations: Techniques for Researching the Motivations behind Language Choice Mark E. Karan and Jürg Stalder