Die nationalen Standardisierungsregime in Europa. Eine Fallstudie zur bunjewatzischen Sprache

Abstract

The paper examines European language policy shaped by its two differing inclinations, that is, standardizing national regimes and language emancipation. The case of the Bunyev language, the most recent offspring of the former Serbo-Croatian, as we argue, may serve as a textbook example of exactly how the current European ideologies and debates develop concerning languages. Initially, the paper discusses the legal framework for minority language protection in Europe and highlights the criticism that European standard language cultures have already received. Then, the quest for the Bunyev language recognition, its emancipation vis-à-vis the previously established kin standards – Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian – and finally its standardization in present-day Serbia are considered. By using the case of the Bunyev language in Serbia, we argue that the path to language emancipation (and recognition) in today’s Europe is still paved and limited by the language’s (national) standardization. At the same time, standardization is often used to justify the power games which take place in the realms of language emancipation and linguistic rights.