Bilingually Enriched Learners

The link between language and national identity is important as shown in this article as Europeans believe it is the the number one link and most important.  From an American standpoint this was interesting to read as the trend nowadays, especially in America is to be more open to multiple languages and always viewing Europe as a place where many of the people that would live their would speak multiple languages as well.  How we communicate with people is very important obviously and now it has even become a political issue.  If you tend to lend more left you link national identity and language less and if you lean more right you tend to link national identity and language more. This is something that will continue to play out in the United States over the next decade as the Hispanic community continues to grow in the country and language will come to the forefront. While America has always been a melting pot of people, English has always survived as its dominate language and a way to identify Americans. Twenty or Thirty years from now will that continue? Will Americans lose that as and Identity, how will that effect them? Will this become a major political battle as well, how will this play out in elections in 2020, 2024, 2028, and beyond. Some very interesting trends to look at.  

For most of Europe, but especially older and more conservative Europeans, being able to speak the language of the country you live in is incredibly closely tied to national identity. Therefore, immigrants who arrive and do not speak the language are viewed as "others" and not belonging. This close tie between language and national identity serves as one of the fuels for anti-immigrant sentiments in many European nations. Although this sentiment is not confined to just Europe.

(Europe) Throughout Europe and North America, the majority of citizens believe the national language is essential to the country's identity. For immigrants to be considered a part of these countries, the majority believe proficiency is required. In the United States, age, education, and religion are all factors contributing to this view, however race has little effect on people's view of language. Like America, older and more conservative Europeans place a higher emphasis on language. National identity can be a geopolitical problem for the European Union because some countries believe the 24 official languages subvert autonomy and internal unity. Interestingly Canada, a country with two official languages, places a lessor importance on language, with only a 59% majority believing it is fundamental to identity.

7 activists arrested by Spanish police for insulting king felipe

Prior to Catalon’s attempt to gain independence from Spain last year, I was unaware that there was a region of Spain that was so culturally not Spanish.  This article then introduced me to the Catalonian people living in Italy.  In Italy, the Catalon culture is not even close to as widespread and important as it is in Spain.  The language is scarcely used in the one region (Alghero) where it was most prevalent a century ago— in fact only about 25% of people here speak Catalon as their primary language.  The article explains that the Catalon culture is dying off in Alghero, unlike in Spain where people are so passionate that they want independence.  One of the biggest reasons the article atributes this to is the fact that Italy’s government has not been oppressive of Alghero’s population.  There are signs, menus, and people who have spoken the language with no government opposition, so people do not feel the need to protect the culture.  On the contrary, the Spanish government strongly pushes Spanish culture onto the Catalonians, which is why they fight for independence.  Catalonians feel threatened in Spain and try to defend, whereas in Italy the Catalonians don’t feel threatened and don’t have a reason to cling so strongly to their culture.  Younger people in Alghero speak almost exclusively Italian and education in Catalon is very rare.  This is interesting to me, because unlike the physical connection that Catalonia has with the rest of Spain, Alghero is quite distanced from the rest of Italy.  

The Mediterranean region is a good example of the fact that borders do not always indicate identity, a concept I looked at in a few articles on North America.  Due to trade relationships that date back thousands of years, cultures were dispersed and blended throughout the Mediterranean.  This has led to some interesting things, such as Catalan being spoken in Alghero, on the Italian island of Sardinia.

The link between language and national identity is important as shown in this article as Europeans believe it is the the number one link and most important.  From an American standpoint this was interesting to read as the trend nowadays, especially in America is to be more open to multiple languages and always viewing Europe as a place where many of the people that would live their would speak multiple languages as well.  How we communicate with people is very important obviously and now it has even become a political issue.  If you tend to lend more left you link national identity and language less and if you lean more right you tend to link national identity and language more. This is something that will continue to play out in the United States over the next decade as the Hispanic community continues to grow in the country and language will come to the forefront. While America has always been a melting pot of people, English has always survived as its dominate language and a way to identify Americans. Twenty or Thirty years from now will that continue? Will Americans lose that as and Identity, how will that effect them? Will this become a major political battle as well, how will this play out in elections in 2020, 2024, 2028, and beyond. Some very interesting trends to look at.  

For most of Europe, but especially older and more conservative Europeans, being able to speak the language of the country you live in is incredibly closely tied to national identity. Therefore, immigrants who arrive and do not speak the language are viewed as "others" and not belonging. This close tie between language and national identity serves as one of the fuels for anti-immigrant sentiments in many European nations. Although this sentiment is not confined to just Europe.

(Europe) Throughout Europe and North America, the majority of citizens believe the national language is essential to the country's identity. For immigrants to be considered a part of these countries, the majority believe proficiency is required. In the United States, age, education, and religion are all factors contributing to this view, however race has little effect on people's view of language. Like America, older and more conservative Europeans place a higher emphasis on language. National identity can be a geopolitical problem for the European Union because some countries believe the 24 official languages subvert autonomy and internal unity. Interestingly Canada, a country with two official languages, places a lessor importance on language, with only a 59% majority believing it is fundamental to identity.