Language Without RightsLanguage without Rights is a book-length critique of the concept of language rights. Synthesizing insights from a variety of disciplines, including linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, sociology and political philosophy, Wee demonstrates how the appeal to language rights faces a number of conceptual and practical problems, particularly because the discourse of rights is fundamentally inconsistent with the socially variable nature of language. The book also explores an alternative that is more in tune with the complexities of language in social life by suggesting that issues involving language are better managed within a model of deliberative democracy. |
Contents
1 Introduction | 3 |
2 On Boundary Marking | 21 |
3 Language and Ethnic Minority Rights | 48 |
4 Beyond Ethnic Minorities | 74 |
5 Ethnic Diversity and Nationalism | 95 |
6 Migration and Global Mobility | 123 |
7 Language Education and Communication in the Workplace | 144 |
8 Language Justice and the Deliberative Democratic Way | 163 |
9 Culture without Rights? | 189 |
| 199 | |
| 215 | |
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Common terms and phrases
argue assumptions authenticity autonomy Benhabib boundaries bumiputra chapter Chinese claim consequence considered constructions context cultural practices cultural rights debate deliberation deliberative democracy deliberative polling dialect discussion distinct dominant language Ebonics economic English ethnic groups ethnic minority Eurasian example expected fact global group rights hybrid ideology immigrants individual rights interaction intralanguage involved issue italics in original janajati kinds Kymlicka language and culture language practices language rights advocates language shift learners learning Lee Kuan Yew LHR movement linguistic discrimination linguistic human rights LTTE Malaysia Mandarin means migration minority groups minority language mother tongue neutrality notion of language observes official mother tongue one’s participants particular political possible pragmatic problems protection question relevant rights discourse Rinkeby Swedish Rubio-Marín Singapore Singaporeans Singlish Sinhala Sinhalese Skutnabb-Kangas social societal culture society speak speakers specific Sri Lanka state’s status suggests Tamil Tamil Tigers tion variety workplace