santiago presentation june 2012

7/31/2019 Santiago Presentation June 2012

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A badge of Europeanness if you like:

Shaping European Identity through the

Institutional Discourse on Multilingualism

Franco Zappettini

Department of Applied Linguistics and Communication

Birkbeck, University of London

[email protected]

The Discourse of Identity

University of Santiago de Compostela

June 13th-15th, 2012


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THE RELATION BETEWEEN LANGUAGE AND IDENTITIES

Language a natural element in defining (ethnic) groups vis--vis others and

providing group members with a sense of groupness (Edwards, 2009)

but also a naturalised way of constructing in and out groups which hasoften been appropriated by political discourses.

Monolingual ideologies at the heart of nation-state construction and national

identities (Anderson 1991; Wright 1996)


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LANGUAGE IN THE NATIONAL IDENTITY MODEL

Ethnic nations(Kulturnation) : a common language the basis for claiming

legitimacy as a nation e.g. German volksgeist(the national spirit) (Smith,

1991)

Civic nations(Staatnation):a common language imposed by the centraladministration for functional reasons and civic participation e.g. French

under Richelieu (Spolsky, 2004)

These are not necessarily linear/distinct processes and indeed one ideology

may reinforce the other


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EUS MULTILINGUALISM

Since the beginning the EU adopted the official languages of individualMember States as its own on the basis that All languages are equal

Ad hoc policies introduced and developed since late 90sFrom 2007 to 2010 a stand-alone Commission portfolio under L. Orban

Policies aimed at preserving and cherishing Europes existing linguisticdiversity whilst encouraging European citizens to learn more languages.

Critical approaches: hegemonic multilingualismmismatch between outside(EU member states) and inside (EU institutions) visions ( Krzyanowski and

Wodak, 2010)

Semantic shift to fit Eus economic agenda: from protection and promotion

of linguistic diversity to a skill necessary for competitiveness (Wodak andKrzyzanowski, 2010)

ML as gate-keeper of Fortress Europe (Wodak, 2010)


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Objectives:

investigate discursive processes of European identity(ies) construction

at institutional level in relation to multilingual ideologies/practices

Research questions:

How have European identity and language played out in the discourses

of the EU?

How has the EUs discourse on multilingualism contributed to the

construction of Europeanness?

What are the linguistic and discursive strategies deployed to construct

Europeanness in the EUs discourse on multilingualism?


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WHO NEEDS (EUROPEAN) IDENTITY? SOCIO-HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Europe appropriated in political discourses by national agendas because of

the interpretive power contained in the concept (Malmborg and Strth,2002)

Historically moving from a cultural definition to a sociological and politicalconstruction of a European identity (Ifversen 2002)

LEGITIMISATION: the EU needs to be more than a trading association andaddress the democratic deficit (Majone, 1998)

DEMOCRATISATION PROCESSES: The EU needs to communicateEurope to its citizens after Constitutional failure

ENLARGEMENT: More diversified Europeans and renegotiation of

identities since 2004

UNITY IN DIVERSITY: New cultural and post-national narratives ofEuropeanness(Kraus, 2010, Eder, 2009)


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HOW DO WE CONCEPTUALISE IDENTITY?

Focus on the (discursive) processrather than the reified product

Avoid social/individual dichotomy

Emergence of hybrid, fragmented, liquid identities

EUROPEAN IDENTITY

Increasing Discursive convergence EU-rope (Krzyanowski, 2010)

EU as an active identity builder defining who belongs to Europe (Laffan,2004)

EU discourses on European Identity have accommodated and have been

accommodated by discourses on national identity in a Russian doll model(Herman et al, 2004) or the marble cake model (Risse, 2010)


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DATA

21 official speeches given by the EU Commissioner for Multilingualism (2007-

2010) available at the Commission website.

The Commission as the supranational organ.

Internal (e.g. the European Parliament) and external (academic and

business) audiences

Core (Brussels) and periphery locations

(Semi) institutional events (meetings, conferences and public lectures) somehighly formal (50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the European Day of

Languages)

Available in few selected languages!


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THEORETICAL APPROACH

Identities are socially constructed (reproduced, negotiated/contested) through

and indiscourse (Bucholtz and Hall, 2005)

CDA - Discourse is a form of social practice (Fairclough, 2003). It assumes a

dialectical relationship between discursive acts and situations, institutional

frames and social structures (Wodak and Meyer, 2001)

DHA Text in context - Every text is embedded in a specific social-historical and

political contexts (Wodak, 2001)

Official speeches : A subgenre of political speech which pertains to the field of

action concerned with forming public attitudes, opinions and will (Reisigl, 2008)and which addresses identified audiences for persuasive, rhetorical and

legitimation purposes (Chilton, 2004)


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DATA ANALYSIS : Analytical frameworkLINKING MACRO AND MICRO


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FINDINGS Macro Discursive Representations of Europeanness


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Brought along dimension

I won't surprise you when I insist that [multilingualism] isan essential featurewe must hold on to at all costs.(Warsaw, 6/3/2008)

Our main strength is our diversity. Crystallisedin different forms, from cultural,to linguistic and social diversity, it representsthe very core of the Europeanidentity, which combines the different pieces of specificity in the well-joinedEuropean puzzle(Rome, 24/3/2007)

Brought along dimension

I am convinced linguistic diversity will help us developing [sic] a Europeanidentity(Brussels, 3/10/2007).

I strongly believe that multilingualism will be instrumental in supporting theshaping of the EU citizenship, the building of a truly European political spaceand help fill in the alleged gap between citizens and the EU(07/173)

Shifting causality: linguistic diversity is the very core of European identity (itsnatural expression) in brought along representations to become a tooltodevelop a European identity in brought about representations


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MAIN STRATEGIES TOPOI

ASSIMILATION

EMPHASIZING

INTERNAL SAMENESS

Diversity asheritage/kinship

History Asset/WealthCONVERGING EU-ROPE

(EU-rope) Politicalcontinuity

DISSIMILATION

EMPHASIZINGEXTERNAL

DIFFERENTIATION

Lessons from history Normative Uniqueness of

EU Melting pot vs. MosaicACCOMMODATION MAKING

EUROPEANNESS

COMPATIBLE WITHOTHER IDENTITIES

Non-zero sum

LEGITIMATION Democracy/Equality EU as civic nationTRANSFORMATION Unity in Diversity


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ASSIMILATION STRATEGIES

Strategy of emphasizing thein-group sameness

- topoi of heritage, kinship

[Days of Language] celebrate our linguistic diversity, one of the greatest assetsofthe European heritage.(Brussels, 26/9/2007)

- Topos of asset/wealth

I am convinced that Europe's abundance of mother tongues isa source ofwealth(Brussels, 10/9/2008)

- Topos of history (emphasis on the temporal dimension)

The existence side by side of many different languageshas been a constantfeatureof our European continent(Brussels, 23/10/2009)


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ASSIMILATION STRATEGIES

Strategy of cultural/political continuity

Today I would like to talk to you about multilingualism inthis new Europe ofours. As Commissionerwith responsibility for this portfolio, I won't surprise youwhen I insist that this is an essential featurewemust hold on to at all costs. Wemay sometimes have the impression that one common language would help us

understand each other better. But the very notion of a common language iscontradicted by our history. Europehas always beenmultilingual(Brussels,23/10/2009)

Convergence EU=Europe and Ambivalent inclusiveness/exclusiviness ofwe

Is the Commissioner claiming the historical dimension of multilingual practises in

the EU or in the European society at large?


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DISSIMILATION STRATEGIES

Strategy of spatial and temporal differentiation from monolingualideologies

- topos of lessons from history

In Europe we have learnt that the complexity of differences can lead tomisunderstanding and even conflict (Brussels, 6/11/2008)

- Topos ofMosaicvs. Meltingpotmetaphors (US vs. Europe)

Ourdeepest aspirations [are] not to make a monolith or a melting pot,where our differences our rendered down but rather, to create a mosaic ofdifference, where difference is celebrated(ibid)


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DISSIMILATION STRATEGIES

Strategy of singularisation

- topos of uniqueness of EU-rope

We were able to more than double the language coverage over the pastthree years from 11 to the present 23. We are probably the only part of

the worldthat ensures such diversity in unity(Brussels, 27/2/2007)

I am well aware, of course, that linguistic diversity is not unique toEurope[]what makes the European Union special is its explicit decision torecognise that all the languages of its Member States have equal dignity incommunication between the European institutions and citizens. (Rome,16/3/2007)

De facto /de jure dimensions


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Accommodation Strategies

Accommodating Europeanness vis--vis national and other identities

-topos of non zero-sum (one does not take away from the other)

Russiandoll model recontextualizes Art. 8 Lisbon Treaty

The role of European languages in shaping the identity of our nations is

commonly discussed. What could be their role in shaping the Europeanidentity an identity that should not replace, but rather complementourpre-existing national ones? (Brussels, 26/9/2007).

[learning languages helps] consolidate a sense of European identity, aEuropean citizenship, alongside our other identities self, regional,national(Brussels, 29/6/2007)

Marble cake model?


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STRATEGIES OF TRANSFORMATION:

- Topos ofUnity in Diversity

Iwant to turn this linguistic diversity, this richness, into something that

unites us in Europe as members of a large community, a badge of

Europeanness, if you like(Brussels, 29/6/2007)

- Constructing an identity marker for the new in-group (the badge)

- Constructing cohesion (unite, members of a large community)

- Agentiveness (I want)

- Inclusiveness of we dependent on conceptualisations of Europe in theintegration project


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LEGITIMATION STRATEGIES

- Topoi of democracy and communication

multilingualism strengthens the democracy, transparency andlegitimacyof the EU institutions(Warsaw, 6/3/2008)

Languages are also crucial in how the European Union relates to itscitizens. The European Union was not created as a superpower, but as anadditional layer of governance whose legitimacy, democracy andefficiencydepends on its ability to communicate with European citizens in

their own languages [] (Gorizia, 14/9/2007)

The fact that it was felt necessary to create a separate portfolio dedicatedto multilingualism shows that multilingualism, part of the EuropeanUnion's DNA, has not only reached maturity but has also acquired apolitical weighthitherto undreamed of.(Sibiu, 1/6/2007)

EU as a living body metaphorcoming of age gives it legitimacy


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LEGITIMATION STRATEGIES

- Topoi of democracy and equality

The principle of linguistic equalityisa principle of democracy the costsof internal multilingualismarethe price of democracy(Rennes,7/12/2009)

Languages are a fundamental part of our identity. By communicating in

the languages of their choice, the Unionproves that all citizens are equalin dignity, independently of the number of speakers or of the status of thatlanguage.(07/173)

The founders of our Union knew the value of linguistic diversity. Theydemonstratedthis by putting the official languages of the six foundingmembers on an equal footing.(08/414)

Factual statements/verbs


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Conclusions

Discourses on multilingualism have been instrumental in constructingEuropeanness along brought along and brought about dimensions

Some antinomies in the representations of linguistic diversity(heritage/tool) contribute to sui generisrepresentations of Europeanness

Constructive strategies have mainly been predicated on emphasizing(internal) sameness and (external) differences, legitimising processes andaccomodating Europeanness within other identities

Evidence of transformation strategies and convergence EU-rope

Linguistic realisation has occurred through a variety of elementsincluding: metaphors, temporal/spatial/personal deixis, and lexical choices


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Next : look at contextual variables (audience, purpose, etc.) in more detail

Thank you!

Questions?

santiago presentation june 2012

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