In_equality Colloquium - Nations and languages, native and otherwise
Time
Tuesday, 27. June 2023
15:15 - 16:45
Location
Y213 and online
Organizer
Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality"
Speaker:
J. Joseph Errington (Yale University)
This event is part of an event series „In_equality Colloquium“.
Nations and languages, native and otherwise
This talk takes place on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. in Y213 and online. Find the full program and participation information, including registration for updates on participating online, here.
Abstract: National languages have distinctive values as means of communication and modes of commonality. In ideology, if not practice, they have legitimizing significance insofar as they count as native to national territories and citizenries. I first discuss the notions of nativeness, and native speakership, which help confer political and cultural salience on national languages. This helps next to sketch Indonesian’s postcolonial development as a notable exception. This national language came into being less than a century ago, and is now spoken by tens of millions, none of whom count as native speakers. I next consider “the Indonesian case” as a possible source of insight into sociolinguistic dynamics elsewhere in a globalizing world.
