Abstract
Using data from the work of a Language Commission set by the Faroese
Government in 2005 to formulate a proposal for an official Faroese language
policy and findings from my own study on language use among young Faroe
Islanders, this paper questions whether the present language policy in the Faroes is
an effective strategy to maintain and protect a demographically small language -
like Faroese - as a viable language. The findings of this study indicate a conflict
between a purist movement that wants to police the Faroese language and actual
language use. The findings also suggest that even if one lives in a linguistically
fairly homogenous situation, in remote areas, multilingualism is a necessity.
Government in 2005 to formulate a proposal for an official Faroese language
policy and findings from my own study on language use among young Faroe
Islanders, this paper questions whether the present language policy in the Faroes is
an effective strategy to maintain and protect a demographically small language -
like Faroese - as a viable language. The findings of this study indicate a conflict
between a purist movement that wants to police the Faroese language and actual
language use. The findings also suggest that even if one lives in a linguistically
fairly homogenous situation, in remote areas, multilingualism is a necessity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 128-146 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | International Journal of Multilingualism |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- purism
- multilingualism
- trilingualism
- bilingualism
- language use
- linguistic nationalism