Guernsey French, identity and language endangerment

Sallabank, Julia

Abstract

This chapter looks examines the effects of identity on revitalization efforts in the context of a small and dwindling language community. It discusses the nature and inter-relationship of identity, ethnicity and culture, and their roles in language choice and attitudes, relating these to the ethnolinguistic vitality of the indigenous language in Guernsey. It is often assumed in discourse on language endangerment that language plays an significant part in identity, but this view is not necessarily consistent with the language shift taking place in many places around the world. This paper considers to what extent language shift entails the loss of part of speakers' identity, and the role of identity in language maintenance.

Citation

Sallabank, J. (2006). Guernsey French, identity and language endangerment. In T. Omoniyi, & G. White (Eds.), The Sociolinguistics of Identity (131-156). Continuum

• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2006
• Deposit Date: Mar 14, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 3, 2025
• Pages: 131-156
• Series Title: Advances in Sociolinguistics
• Book Title: The Sociolinguistics of Identity
• ISBN: 9781847063328
• Publisher URL: http://www.continuumbooks.com/Books/detail.aspx?BookID=132178