Mike Cormack and Niamh Hourigan (eds), Minority Language Media.

摘要

A minority language exists because another, proximate language is spoken by far more people and so holds sway in the contexts that count. A majority language constructs other languages as minority by fact of being more pervasive and powerful. At least in Europe, over the past 20 years or so, minority languages have become officially recognized and supported, not least through a specific charter designed to protect and promote them. The question of how various media may be used to help minority languages survive is critical, and unsurprisingly is a pressing concern of those involved in their study. This valuable collection of essays deals with many of the key issues in the field of minority-language media studies. Most of the chapters are devoted to European minority languages. They move from general to more specific issues. Topics covered include the media needs of minority-language users, minority languages and multiculturalism, minority-language television campaigns, digital multimedia and minority languages, the historical development of minority-language broadcasting, the Internet and minority cultures, local television in the Basque Country, media and linguistic policy in Catalonia, translation and minority-language media, sign language and television in the UK, and Welsh television programming. Mike Cormack provides a clear and succinct introduction to the book, and Niamh Hourigan rounds it off with an outline of key themes for future scholarship in minority-language media studies. These two editors have assembled a rewarding set of essays that will not only help to bring greater attention to minority-language media but also to foster their further study.