Original scientific paper
Stepping Out of the Linguistic Stalemate: Is the Relationship Between Language and Culture Substantial or Accidental?
Ivo Žanić
; Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Language policy is historically in the domain of the sovereign state, but the European Union, as a historically unique type of supranational integration, puts the state in a new situation and acts retroactively on the internal language development with its regulation on the use and status of language, substantially infl uencing the functional and cultural-identity aspect of national or offi cial languages. Several recent decisions by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) provide an opportunity for fi nding an explicit solution to the long-standing confl ict between the principle of equality of all ‘state’ languages and the need for communicative effi ciency. The article analyses the ‘linguistic’ decisions in question and their consequences with regard to the fi rm attitudes of the European Parliament and European Commission towards the principled equality of all offi cial languages of member countries.
Keywords
European Union; European Court of Justice; language policy; culture; communication; language industries
Hrčak ID:
38270
URI
Publication date:
15.5.2007.
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