Description
Book SynopsisWhat role does language play in the formation and perpetuation of our ideas about nationality and other social categories? And what role does it play in the formation and perpetuation of nations themselves, and of other human groups?
Language and Nationality considers these questions and examines the consequences of the notion that a language and a nationality are intrinsically connected. Pietro Bortone illustrates how our use of language reveals more about us than we think, is constantly judged, and marks group insiders and group outsiders. Casting doubt on several assumptions common among academics and non-academics alike, he highlights how languages significantly differ among themselves in structure, vocabulary, and social use, in ways that are often untranslatable and can imply a particular culture. Nevertheless, he argues, this does not warrant the way language has been used for promoting a national outlook and for teaching us to identify with a nation. Above all, the commo
Trade ReviewA short summary can hardly do justice to the wide scope of this book, which provides insights into a number of topics related to language and nationality ... Overall, this is a highly relevant and excellently researched book, one which will certainly inspire future research. * LINGUIST List *
Bortone has triumphantly fulfilled his aims. He is a highly knowledgeable, clear-sighted, urbane and friendly guide through the labyrinthine complexities of the perceived relationship between language and nationality. His book can be read with profit and pleasure by linguists and non-linguists alike. * Folia Linguistica *
Bortone brings new insight into questions of nationality and explicates the tangle of mis-information that so often confounds the topic. The expert will find meticulous attention to a wide range of phenomena associated with language and nationality, while the more general reader will find the book eminently readable. * Susan Samata, University of Sheffield, UK *
Informative and well-written ... Phenomenally erudite and fluent in many languages, the author entertains the readers with little-known facts about similarities and dissimilarities of various languages from different parts of the globe, their historical evolution, and widespread perceptions thereof among scholars and the general public. In the process, he vividly demonstrates how the language people use is almost always perceived as a marker of their belonging. * Nationalities Papers *
Table of ContentsForeword 1. Explicit Labelling 2. Ways of Speaking 3. Preference for the Linguistically Similar 4. Linguistic Diversity 5. Hidden Culture 6. The Effects of Language on Cognition 7. Let There be a Nation, and its Consequences 8. Creating Nations and Languages 9. Consequences of National Languages 10. More Consequences of National Languages 11. Language and Nationality, A Hasty Equation Notes References Index
