Law, Language and the Multilingual State

José Woehrling, Joseph-G. Turi, Theo du Plessis, Claudine Brohy

Description

The theme of the conference, “Language, Law and the Multilingual State”, was determined to investigate the state-juridical challenges facing multilingual societies. Several related issues were addressed, such as minority and indigenous languages, globalisation and diversity, language rights, language ideology and language legislation.

Sujets

• Littérature Sud-Africaine
• Littérature sud-africaine
• Afrique du Sud
• Law
• Legall de Kermeur
• Multilingualism
• Linguistic rights
• South Africa
• Sudáfrica
• Legal

Informations

• Publié par: UJ Press
• Date de parution: 07 mars 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781920382223
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Law, Language and the Multilingual State Proceedings of the 12th International Conference of the International Academy of Linguistic Law

Conference Proceedings

Claudine Brohy Theodorus du Plessis JosephG. Turi José Woehrling

13 November 2010, Black Mountain, Thaba ‘Nchu, South Africa

Department of Language Management and Language Practice

Law, Language and the Multilingual State Proceedings of the 12th International Conference of the International Academy of Linguistic Law

Claudine Brohy Theodorus du Plessis JosephG. Turi José Woehrling E DITORS

Conference Proceedings of the 12th International Conference of the International Academy for Linguistic Law

Published by Sun Media Bloemfontein (Pty) Ltd

Imprint: SunBonani Conference

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Copyright © 2012 Sun Media Bloemfontein and University of the Free State

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, photographic or mechanical means, including photocopying and recording on record, tape or laser disk, on microfilm, via the Internet, by e-mail, or by any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission by the publisher.

Views reLected in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

First edition 2012

ISBN 978-1-920382-21-6 (Print) ISBN 978-1-920382-22-3 (Online) DOI: https://doi.org/10.18820/9781920382223

Set in Cambria 9/10 pt Cover design, typesetting and production by Sun Media Bloemfontein

This printed copy can be ordered directly from: [e-mail] The e-book is available at the following link: https://doi.org/10.18820/9781920382223

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ........................................................................................................... i Theodorus du Plessis & ChrismiRinda Kotze

Foreword ............................................................................................................... iii JosephG.Turi

Overview of the conference .................................................................................. vii Claudine Brohy

Programme ......................................................................................................... xiii

Message from the Dean | Boodskap van die Dekaan ............................................ xix Lucius Botes

Opening address ............................................................................................... xxiii Louis Harms

Towards a legal framework for language charters in Africa ................................... 1 Beban Sammy Chumbow

Obstacles in the way of a multilingual South African state .................................... 31 Hennie Strydom

In defence of language rights: language commissioners in Canada, Ireland and Wales ................................................................................ 45 Colin H. Williams

Law, language and the multilingual state ............................................................. 71 JosephG. Turi

Italie, pays multilingue: de la protection des minorites linguistiques historiques aux enjeux des nouvelles minorites .............................. 85 Giovanni Agresti & Silvia Pallini

Bilingualism and the city: measuring linguistic conviviality with a language barometer ........................................................................................ 103 Claudine Brohy

La corédaction des textes législatifs comme laboratoire des cultures juridiques et linguistiques au Canada ................................................... 125 JeanPaul Chapdelaine

One nation, one language? The response of international law to the multilingual state ..................................................................................... 143 Fernand de Varennes

Language rights in New Brunswick: the pursuit of substantive equality: myth or reality? .................................................................................... 159 Michel Doucet

A language act for South Africa? The role of sociolinguistic principles in the analysis of language legislation ................................................ 195 Theodorus du Plessis

La politique linguistique française: réalités complexes et épaisseur des discours ....................................................................................... 215 JeanMichel Éloy

The right to linguistic autonomy in Canadian constitutional law ............................................................................................... 227 Pierre Foucher

L’introduction des langues africaines dans le système éducatif au Mozambique signale-t-elle le dépassement de l’assimilation? ........................ 249 Michel Lafon

Language rights in the constitution: the “unborn” language legislation of subsection 6(4) and the consequences of the delayed birth ...................................................................................................... 269 Cornelus Lourens

The office of the language commissioner, Ireland. The impact of the commission on Irish language policy and official strategy ................................................................................................... 291 Colin H. Williams & Peadar Ó Flatharta

La cour suprême du Canada et la réflexion sur la nature, les fondements et les caractéristiques desdroitset de la liberté linguistiques ............................................................................................ 313 José Woehrling

INTRODUCTION

1 This publication is a selection of the papers presented at the twelfth international conference of the International Academy of Linguistic Law (IALL) that took place 1-3 November 2010 at Thaba ‘Nchu, South Africa. It was co- presented by the International Academy of Linguistic Law and the Department of Language Practice and Language Management, University of the Free State. The theme of the conference,Language, Law and the Multilingual State, was determined to investigate the state-juridical challenges facing multilingual societies. Several related issues were addressed, such as Minority and indigenous languages, Globalisation and diversity, Language rights, Language ideology and Language legislation.

Given the location of the conference, special attention was paid to the South African context by means of a colloquium. The South African society is in a state of socio-political transformation and faces many challenges on state- juridical level, complicated by the linguistics obligations and rights embedded in the eleven-language policy. The colloquium, entitledLanguage legislation and litigation, was partly sponsored by the Afrikaanse Taalraad (Afrikaans Language Board) and the Vereniging van Regslui vir Afrikaans (Association of Lawyers for Afrikaans). Prominent role-players participated, such as Fernand de Varennes (leading legal expert on language rights), Christo van der Rheede (CEO of the Stigting vir Bemagtiging deur Afrikaans (Foundation for Empowerment through Afrikaans)), Koos Malan (South African expert on constitutional theory), Theodorus du Plessis (professor in Language Management) and Cornelus Lourens (attorney and applicant in the Languages Bill case).

This selection of papers delivered at the conference relects the assortment of challenges facing multilingual states on so many levels, whether in Africa, Europe, the UK or Canada.

Following a survey on language policies and legislation in Africa,Chumbow proposes a comprehensive legal framework to guide member states of the African Union. The main obstacles to the establishment of a truly multilingual South African state are identiied byStrydom.Williamsthe roles compares of the Language Commissioner in Canada, Ireland and Wales, and provides an

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evaluation of the Welsh model.Turiexplores oficial intervention in resolving linguistic problems.

Agresti and Pallinicontribute to the model of protection and promotion of minority languages in Italy. Citizens’ attitudes towards bilingualism are investigated byBrohy, who presents the results of the Language Barometer carried out in Switzerland.Chapdelainethe legislative co-drafting explores practiced in Canada as a new mode of legal communication. An analysis of how the interaction of the state’s language policy as opposed the linguistic reality relates to language rights is provided byDe Varennes.Doucet investigates the possibility of substantive (as opposed to symbolic) linguistic equality in New Brunswick.

In order to provide a critique of French linguistic politics, Éloy performs discourse analysis on language policies.Foucher explores the desirability of autonomy for national minorities, focusing on the Canadian context. The Africanisation of education language policies in Mozambique is relected by Lafon.Lourensconsiders South Africa’s multilingual language dispensation in terms of constitutional and other legislative measures. The role of the Language Commissioner in Ireland is assessed byWilliams and Ó Flatharta. Woehrling explores linguistic freedoms and rights in the case law of the Supreme Court of Canada.

In conclusion, this publication provides a thorough analysis of the legislative and institutional challenges involved in creating a truly multilingual society, including the drafting and implementation of legislation, the degree and forms state intervention and the functioning of support structures. Creating a truly multilingual society seems to be a juggling act of balancing rights and obligations, freedoms and protective measures. The emphasis through this whole publication seems to be that a truly multilingual state requires linguistic equality and substantive language rights.

In keeping with environmental-friendly trends the volume is published in electronic format.

Theodorus du Plessis and Chrismi-Rinda Kotze Department of Language Management and Language Practice (now the Department of Linguistics and Language Practice) University of the Free State Bloemfontein 20 June 2012

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International AcademY of Linguistic Law

FOREWORD

The International Academy of Linguistic Law, theIALL-AIDL, an international multidisciplinary organisation established in Montreal and Paris, in September 1984, by 100 founding members, brings together jurists, linguists, social scientists and all those worldwide who are interested, scientiically or professionally, inphenomena and problems pertaining to the world linguistic diversity as well as to law and language, especially tocomparative linguistic law(orlanguage law). Comparative linguistic lawrefers to the different legal and linguistic norms pertinent to the law of language, the language of law and thelinguistic rights(orlanguage rights) as fundamental rightsall over the world.

Either alone or in collaboration with other organisations, the Academy organises every two years a great International Conference on Law and Language, which takes also place as the General Assembly of the members. The decisions of the Academy are taken on a consensus basis. The working languages of the Academy are English, French and the language(s) of the countries or of the regions where the international conferences take place and any other language proposed by the majority of the participants in the conferences. The Academy promotes pertinent linguistic and legal research, publications of scientiic interest, appropriate academic and professional activities (regional, national and international lectures, seminars, courses and conferences). The Academy gives also legal and linguistic consultations to all concerned persons and organisations.

The Academy includes at present more than 500 members from all over the world.One becomes member of the academy by co-optation, on recommendation of the Secretary-General and of at least ten members of the Academy. Those who presented in one of the International Conferences of the Academy a communication accepted by the Scientiic Committee aremembers ex ofFicioof the Academy.

Members resident in a country or in a region can create national or regional chapters. Chapters are recognised as far as they respect the objects of the Academy and the

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