Language Planning: The Importance of Statehood and Public Engagement in the Revivals of Irish, Catalan, and Sámi

Résumé

In contact situations, when a minority language is falling into disuse in favour of the dominant language, parties seeking to reverse this shift may implement language planning strategies. Language planning consists of policies and campaigns intended to sustain or revive a language by targeting multiple aspects of its structure and usage. This paper investigates how the efficacy of such action is impacted by two contextual factors: the political autonomy of the interested parties and the engagement of its general population with revitalization measures. It analyzes historical accounts of three minority language situations — Irish in the Republic of Ireland, Catalan in Catalonia, Spain and Sámi in Norway — and compares their sociopolitical features and policy outcomes. From this analysis, the paper concludes that each factor has a unique impact on the results of language planning: the political autonomy of the linguistic group delimits what level of revitalization is possible, while the commitment of the general public determines to what extent, within this boundary, revitalization is ultimately achieved.