Regional and minority languages in diaspora communities

On behalf of the Lia Rumantscha (umbrella organisation of all Rhaeto-Romanic associations), the Institute reviewed and assessed sociolinguistic literature to identify potential measures to foster Rhaeto-Romanic or other (autochthonous) minority languages in diaspora communities. The motivation for the project is the increase in globalisation and human mobility that has resulted in ever greater numbers of people who no longer live in their region/country of origin but who nevertheless continue to identify with their first language or their heritage culture and region in the host region/country. The goal was to identify concrete areas of action – in addition to schooling and education – that have been thematised or analysed in order to promote and retain small and minority languages spoken outside the actual language region. This mainly concerns the areas: new media/the Internet/mass media; culture; associations and social networks; family language planning; institutions, politics, resources, marketing; and personal identification, attitudes or awareness of speakers.