Publications

Publication details [#2268]

Foldes, Csaba. 2006. 'Sprachinsel'-Paradigma auf dem Prüfstand: Konzept, Terminologie und Forschungsmethodologie. The 2nd Annual International Conference on Language and Literature (AICLL 2019) 125 (3) : 321–341. 21 pp.

Abstract

This article examines whether the concept of the 'Sprachinsel' (linguistic island) is helpful in understanding, discussing, interpreting and evaluating the phenomenon of "German as a Minority Language". It is shown that the metaphor of the linguistic island does not in today's world provide an optimal categorization and explanatory approach for at least two reasons. Firstly because the communicative profile of minority communities and the actual form of these linguistic varieties is no longer determined by philosophy of linguistics and by contacts between languages and cultures. Secondly because so-called metaphorical concepts play a major role in the way phenomena are perceived in science. For this reason a productive approach would be one which explicitly takes into account the specific current dynamics of the multilingual and multicultural configurations which are typical of minorities. In this context, the article proposes intercultural (or transcultural) linguistics as a possible paradigm. (Adapted from the source document) (LLBA, (c) CSA [2007]. All rights reserved.)