Mehrsprachigkeit in Europa: Plurilinguismo in Europa ... - EURAC

Language Bridges: Language
prestige and representations:
Draft observations from interviews collected in
the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
N. I. Xirotiris, K. Simitopoulou and E. Styliara, Laboratory of Anthropology D.U.TH.,
xirot@he.duth.gr, simit@he.duth.gr, estoliar@he.duth.gr
Abstract
In the framework of the project Language Bridges (LABS) 48 interviews of young Muslim students living in
the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace have been performed under the supervision of the Laboratory
of Anthropology of D.U.TH. Two target groups were selected: one from the prefecture of Rhodopi, including
the town Komotini and several surrounding villages, where the mother tongue is Turkish and another from
the area of Xanthi and the mountainous villages of Rhodopi, where the mother tongue is Pomak. This is
a fi rst screening of the attitudes of young Muslims towards the various languages present in the area, in
relation to their cultural, linguistic and educational background. Draft observations deriving from the data
collection are given.
1.1. Introduction:
Language Bridges was one of the projects within the framework of the INTERREG IIIC/RFO
“Change on Borders”, under the Coordination of the European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen
(EURAC).
Within this project the Border Region Delta-Rhodopi (http://www.nestos.gr) dealt with
the multilingual situation of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in order to achieve
several objectives, which were agreed in common with the partners from other multilingual
regions of the European Union. In particular, the following objectives have been pursued:
• To promote multilingualism in the area as a European value per se and as a part of our
common cultural heritage;
• To advertise the knowledge of languages as a factor of individual as well as collective
development in an increasingly global labour market;
• To establish stable links of friendship and collaboration with other border regions of similar
profi le;
• To encourage language learning, transferring and disseminating information on relevant
good practices;
• To highlight the issue of the less spoken Pomak language, which, being unwritten and under
Turkish pressure, requires support, if it is to be preserved.
The particular linguistic landscape of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, its
historical and political parameters, are described in detail in the Regional Report produced
through the LABS project. (at: http://www.eurac.edu). Owing to historical reasons several
languages co-exist in this multilingual region, that has been a crossroad of people and cultures
for centuries.
Multilingualism.indb 435 4-12-2006 12:29:32
435