Activating new speakers: research among Spain's historic linguistic minorities

Abstract

[Inicio] When, why, and how do people who regularly speak a majority language decide to become speakers of the minority language where they live? How do we understand their motivations, challenges, and behaviors? And how do these experiences vary across diverse sociolinguistic and political contexts? In the last two decades, the phenomenon of ‘new speakers’ of minority languages has achieved greater visibility and prominence in Europe, prompted in part by the avid interest of minority language advocates who see the growth of new speakers as necessary to ensuring the continuity of their languages. Research on new speakers has been unfolding at a fast pace with the support of a variety of local, regional and European research grants1 which has spurred international conferences, intensified documentation, comparative studies, theoretical exploration and a relevant number of key publications. [...]