| Abstract: | Reviews the book, Language, society and identity by John R. Edwards (1985). This book attempts to bring together the main lines of thought on ethnic identity, nationalism, language maintenance, and bilingualism. The book is divided into seven chapters which discuss: the definitions of such concepts as ethnic identity, ethnicity, nationalism, language, and dialect; consideration of language and nationalism; language maintenance and shift; issues of "ethnic revival" and the "new ethnicity; education; language attitudes, behaviour, and research and; the separation of language maintenance from ethnic maintenance. Despite what seem to be numerous reservations, I find that this book has many good features. It does take us a lot closer to an interdisciplinary view on language and ethnicity; it reminds us about the variety of social settings in which language contact (and conflict) plays a role; it brings out many controversial points and supplies arguments from different perspectives for such controversies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
