Belgian Multilingual Situation and Language Policy

Flashcards covering the Belgian multilingual situation, organizational structures of community multilingualism, language rights, the specific situation in Brussels and the German-speaking community, and the evolution of sociolinguistic waves.

Meertaligheid met functionele distributie

A method of reducing multilingualism to a limited set of choices where specific languages serve specific functions, such as in Luxembourg with Lëtzebuergesch, German, French, and English.

Volledige meertaligheid

A rare form of organization where all languages are egalitarian and many speakers are multilingual, typical of smaller states like Singapore.

Singlish

A local variant in Singapore characterized as a language containing many Malay words, emerging as a new home language for speakers of other languages.

Territoriale eentaligheid

A situation where multiple languages are officially recognized but divided into specific geographic zones rather than promoting individual multilingualism, such as in Belgium.

Language beliefs (Taalattitudes)

Value judgments expressed by people about a language they do not necessarily master or speak themselves, which largely determine language practices.

Tolerance of ambiguity

A psychological construct measuring the willingness of an individual to deal with vagueness and unclearness in communication.

Framework of Spolsky

A methodological outlook on language policy consisting of three components: language practices, language beliefs, and language management.

Language management

The concrete agreements people make in the context of multilingualism, such as the status of languages or government use, including concepts like inertia treatment.

Inertia treatment

A form of language management where no formal agreements are made, and practices simply continue as they were done in the past.

Zaak Coucke-Goethals

An 1860 event where two Flemings were sentenced to death because they could not defend themselves in French, bringing the linguistic struggles of the Flemish majority to light.

Wet Coremans

An 1873 law providing that in Flemish provinces, defendants and civil parties could use their preferred language during legal proceedings.

Territorialiteitsbeginsel

A principle established in 1962 dividing Belgium into four regions, three of which are monolingual.

Artikel 4 (1970)

A legal provision stating that language use in Belgium is free and can only be regulated by law for public authority acts and legal matters.

Tolerantierechten

Language rights that allow for the use of non-official languages in specific settings, such as Chinese in a Chinatown.

Accomodatierechten

Language rights centered on communication and interaction, such as the right to an interpreter.

Promotierechten

Language rights focused on active support, such as the OETC (education in own language and culture) provided for languages like Italian, Spanish, Turkish, and Arabic.

National solidarity argument

The idea that an official language serves as a guarantee for effective communication and interaction between the government and its citizens.

Duitstalige Gemeenschap

The community consisting of two cantons (Eupen and Sankt Vith) where German is the official language, though French education is organized for the minority.

Egalitaire gemeenschapsmeertaligheid

The multilingual status of the Brussels-Capital Region (BHG) where there is no hierarchical relationship between the official languages.

Personaliteitsprincipe

A principle heavily applied in Brussels where individuals choose their own language for interactions, a choice that remains flexible and can change.

Imagined community (Brussels)

A concept by Benedict Anderson suggesting that while Brussels policy separates linguistic communities, it creates a dynamic where individuals must choose a language, creating a tension between de iure and de facto situations.

Receptieve meertaligheid

Passive individual multilingualism, such as understanding but not necessarily speaking both French and Dutch, which forms the basis of 'language courtesy' in Brussels.

Thuistaal

The language used inside the home, considered the strongest indicator of linguistic identity.

Contacttaal

The language used to establish and maintain contacts with others outside the home.

Heritage language

A language tied to one's ethnic-cultural background, often the mother tongue of one's parents.

Verlies van indexicaliteit

The process where minority languages no longer used as home languages are reduced to purely functional rituals or forms of social interaction.

BRIO-onderzoek

A longitudinal language barometer study by Rudi Janssens analyzing the status of French, English, Dutch, and Arabic in Brussels via CAPI interviews.

Taalpotentieel

The number of employees who use a certain language in the workplace regardless of their objective level of proficiency.

Benutte capaciteit

The effective use of a language on the work floor, independent of the speakers' knowledge levels.

Majority of minority languages

The phenomenon where languages other than French (the default) maintain themselves in Brussels only through a multilingual perspective.

Vlaamse Rand

Six Flemish municipalities around Brussels (e.g., Wemmel, Kraainem) where French-speaking residents are granted language facilities.

Taalfaciliteiten

Language provisions viewed as temporary by Flemings but as permanent, personal rights by French-speaking politicians, allowing for minority language use in administrative settings.

First wave (Sociolinguistics)

A top-down approach focusing on macro-social variables, status planning, and competition between language varieties (diglossia).

Second wave (Sociolinguistics)

A bottom-up approach focusing on individual agency, social networks, Communities of Practice (CoPs), and how individuals use language as a resource.