Review article

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22210/jezik.2024.71.06

Defense Mechanisms of Language Communities

Marko Kovačić

Abstract

Nations whose identity is based on their language have various strategies to defend their
language from external influence. Their speakers are aware of the importance of that preservation
to different degrees. Some societies implement this preservation through institutions
or leave it to individuals, while in others there is linguistic anarchy. In the field, there are
no obvious parallels between social and linguistic structures. Extreme anarchy is opposed
by extreme purism, and the article highlights some positive examples of possible solutions
applicable to other nations, not only for the sake of preserving unthreatened languages from
barbarisms but ultimately for the survival of languages and nations in general.

Keywords

descriptivism and prescriptivism; purism; barbarisms; institutionalized language maintenance

Hrčak ID:

320993

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/320993

Publication date:

1.4.2024.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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