B.14 Family language policy and actual language use in Finno-Ugrian minority situations

Language choices of individuals and families are connected with societal, political, legal, environmental and linguistic aspects alike. Family’s language norms, ideologies and planning are called family language policy (FLP). Family forms a contact surface between the individual and the society. In Finno-Ugrian studies, family language policy has not been studied extensively, although it is closely connected with minority language and revitalization studies. This symposium aims at reinforcing this line of study and enhancing our knowledge about the factors influencing individual choices and actual language use.

The situations of the speakers of Finno-Ugrian minority languages vary greatly in terms of their legal and societal status and history. In addition, demographic factors produce significant differences that have an effect on the language choices of individuals and families. The goal of the symposium is to provide an arena for researchers to create a versatile view of complex dynamics of language choices. The symposium contributes to an insight into the differences between language groups in particular countries (especially Russia and Finland) as well as differences between countries. 

The symposium also aims to reach beyond the framework of particular countries and put the situation in a larger context in order to clarify the actual linguistic and social circumstances of Finno-Ugric minority language speaking families. All this contributes to better understanding of the impacts of language policy and concrete measures in language maintenance.

The focus of the symposium is on FLP, but we welcome also other contributions examining language choices, ideologies, attitudes and language use on the individual level.

Organizers: Magdolna Kovács, Svetlana Edygarova, Outi Tánczos
Contact: magdolna.kovacs@helsinki.fi