VLACH Lectures: Heritage and Resilience IX

Durk Gorter (University of the Basque Country, EHU): Between Visibility and Vulnerability. Minority Languages in the Linguistic Landscape

This lecture first introduces the study of linguistic landscapes, which investigates language as it appears in public spaces, and its relevance for understanding the status and struggles of minority languages. Visibility in the public sphere is not merely symbolic; it plays an important role in shaping perceptions of legitimacy, vitality, and belonging for minority language communities. By examining how different minority languages have a presence in signage, advertising, and other forms of public texts, we can begin to assess their relative presence, visibility, and vulnerability. These factors are not neutral but are influenced by language policies, ideological frameworks, and the broader sociopolitical context. In the lecture a number of minority language groups are compared, situating them along a continuum that reflects their public visibility and vulnerability. Another factor is the degree to which they are exposed to processes of tokenism and commodification, where languages are selectively showcased or marketed, often stripped of their cultural meaning. This analysis is set against the backdrop of globalization, which has disrupted traditional associations between language, ethnolinguistic identity, territoriality, and the state. This calls for a reflection on how visibility in the linguistic landscape can empower vulnerable communities and what it means for the future of minority languages.