Skip to content
Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter Mouton May 30, 2007

A macroscopic intergroup approach to the study of ethnolinguistic development

  • Rodrigue Landry , Réal Allard and Kenneth Deveau

Abstract

This article analyzes the ethnolinguistic development of linguistic minority group members using two complementary models. The first is a macroscopic model of the factors that influence the ethnolinguistic development of minorities in intergroup contexts. The model comprises three levels of factors: a) the macrosocial, comprising two sublevels (ideological, legal and political framework; institutional and social context), b) the microsocial (linguistic and cultural socialization), and c) the psychological (ethnolinguistic development). The second model analyzes specific hypotheses between the microsocial and psychological levels. This model shows precise relationships between different aspects of language and cultural socialization and important components of ethnolinguistic development (for example, linguistic competencies, group identity, subjective vitality, language motivation, language use). These models take into consideration factors that are related to social determinism and others that favor selfdetermination at the group and individual levels. The second model can be tested empirically with the use of structural equation modeling. Examples of research with Francophone minority group members in Canada are presented. It is contended that these models could be applied to other linguistic minorities.

Published Online: 2007-05-30
Published in Print: 2007-05-23

© Walter de Gruyter

Downloaded on 29.3.2024 from https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/IJSL.2007.032/html
Scroll to top button