The study investigates the interface between the variables - language attitude and language use in a development context, and attempts to determine the contribution of language to Rwanda's post-conflict development, reconstruction and reconciliation. It examines the language attitudes and language use patterns of 53 students from Rwanda's public universities focusing on how students, who are all Rwandan citizens, view the role of Kinyarwanda, French, English and Kiswahili languages in twelve core areas of post-conflict development. Although post-conflict development is socio-economic, previous historical and political factors affecting Rwanda's violent past play a role as new forms of linguistic categorization - Anglophone and Francophone - emerge which may be used to camouflage previous ethnic categorizations that have had disastrous effects in Rwanda. Further, social categorizations laden with salient features of linguistic identity may influence the implementation of the post-conflict development programmes, and also affect the pace and pattern of reconciliation in Rwanda. Conclusions are based on eclectic sources: quantitative, qualitative, historical and participatory, with patterns of analysis established from secondary and historical data. The study is also grounded in the Communication Accommodation Theory that rests on issues of divergence and convergence during interaction where emerging language identities dovetail with language attitudes and language use, resulting in an interface that influences the implementation of Rwanda's post-conflict development programmes. Additionally, it is argued that the African languages such as Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili, should be considered as vehicles for Rwanda's post-conflict development, although Kinyarwanda, the home language, has in the past really not served an intranational unifying function. On the other hand, Kiswahili, unlike Kinyarwanda, has no divisive myths and identities that would inhibit post-conflict development; it is an important language in the East and Central African region where post-conflict Rwanda will play a positive and active role, and would be a language to be positively developed. / African Languages / D.Litt et Phil. (African Languages)

The last two decades have set the global trend of internationalized education on a new course. Besides the usual flow of international students from their home countries to Western universities, an opposite flow emerged. In the Middle East, for instance, the number of international campuses nearly doubled between 2000 and 2009, and Egypt has been no exception. Starting 2003, Egypt has witnessed a remarkable surge of private international universities that use English as a medium of instruction, adopt foreign curricula and have partnerships with universities in Europe, North America, and recently Asia. This trend has raised identity loss concerns among many intellectuals and educational researchers whose worries mainly revolved around national, religious, and linguistic identities. This longitudinal qualitative study, thus, aimed to understand how Egyptian freshman students at an international University in Cairo construct and negotiate their national, religious and linguistic identities. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 12 students at three different points of their first year at the university, and a focus group was organized at the beginning of their second year. Results revealed a more complex picture than the widespread simplistic rhetoric about international universities’ influence on students’ identity construction. The participants’ social and academic backgrounds and unique life experiences were an important factor in their identity construction and negotiation; they seemed to determine the ranking of those identities on their hierarchy of identities, which in turn shaped how they constructed and negotiated them. Moreover, participants realized and used their agency to negotiate their identities and resolve identity crises when these happened. They also resorted to other identity agents, particularly family and students’ clubs. This study contributes to the Egyptian debate on educational reform and adds to the literature on English as a medium of instruction, identity formation, and internationalized education by shedding light on the intricate ways in which students navigate through international education, and by suggesting pedagogical and policy implications applicable not only to liberal-education institutions in the region, but perhaps also to other universities in Europe and North America that attract international students, particularly with the recent waves of refugees from the Middle East.

This thesis is a comparative sociolinguistic study which describes and compares language choice among people with Hungarian background in Sweden and Finland and studies their views on the importance of the Hungarian language and Hungarian cultural heritage for identity. The future prospects of language maintenance and language shift and differences between the Swedish-Hungarians and the Finnish-Hungarians are discussed. A survey was completed among 50 Swedish-Hungarian informants and 38 Finnish-Hungarian informants during 2006. The survey was supplemented by in-depth interviews with 15 informants during 2007. The majority language, either Swedish or Finnish, is much more active in the second-generation Hungarians’ lives than Hungarian is. Hungarian is mostly used in the domain of family relations. The language choices made today are dependent on the informant’s situation during childhood, particularly the parents’ usage of the language and the ability to learn and use Hungarian, chiefly gained through contact with the parents’ mother country and other Hungarian speakers. For some informants, having Hungarian roots forms the sole foundation for belonging, while for others it is this heritage combined with the culture, the ability to use the language or specific character traits. The Hungarian background is most often seen as a treasure offering diversity in life. Finnish-Hungarians are generally more positive about their Hungarian background, have better competence in the language and a greater awareness of the culture than Swedish-Hungarians. The Hungarian language plays a central though often symbolic role. The most important conditions for minority language preservation are language competence together with the desire and opportunity to use it; whereof the largest deficit among second-generation Hungarians is knowledge of the Hungarian language. Only one-fourth of the informants have all of the conditions necessary to be able to maintain the language, which means that Hungarian is an endangered minority language in Sweden and Finland.

This thesis is a comparative sociolinguistic study which describes and compares language choice among people with Hungarian background in Sweden and Finland and studies their views on the importance of the Hungarian language and Hungarian cultural heritage for identity. The future prospects of language maintenance and language shift and differences between the Swedish-Hungarians and the Finnish-Hungarians are discussed. A survey was completed among 50 Swedish-Hungarian informants and 38 Finnish-Hungarian informants during 2006. The survey was supplemented by in-depth interviews with 15 informants during 2007. The majority language, either Swedish or Finnish, is much more active in the second-generation Hungarians’ lives than Hungarian is. Hungarian is mostly used in the domain of family relations. The language choices made today are dependent on the informant’s situation during childhood, particularly the parents’ usage of the language and the ability to learn and use Hungarian, chiefly gained through contact with the parents’ mother country and other Hungarian speakers. For some informants, having Hungarian roots forms the sole foundation for belonging, while for others it is this heritage combined with the culture, the ability to use the language or specific character traits. The Hungarian background is most often seen as a treasure offering diversity in life. Finnish-Hungarians are generally more positive about their Hungarian background, have better competence in the language and a greater awareness of the culture than Swedish-Hungarians. The Hungarian language plays a central though often symbolic role. The most important conditions for minority language preservation are language competence together with the desire and opportunity to use it; whereof the largest deficit among second-generation Hungarians is knowledge of the Hungarian language. Only one-fourth of the informants have all of the conditions necessary to be able to maintain the language, which means that Hungarian is an endangered minority language in Sweden and Finland.

Quand le bilinguisme individuel résout les conflits linguistiques collectifs Frontière linguistique et discours identitaires à Fribourg/Freiburg : la perspective des jeunes adultes bilingues Cette thèse aborde la question linguistique fribourgeoise et l’importance de la langue à Fribourg / Freiburg (Suisse) dans la cohabitation de ses habitants. Elle porte également sur les points de discorde des groupes linguistiques, l’influence de la langue sur la construction des identités (collectives) et son rôle comme marqueur de différenciation entre les Fribourgeois alémaniques et romands. À cette fin, une analyse de discours portant sur un débat mené dans les quotidiens fribourgeois La Liberté et les Freiburger Nachrichten a été réalisée pour établir le contexte du travail. Ce débat, d’une durée de quatre ans, portait sur la nouvelle constitution cantonale. De plus, 17 entrevues furent menées auprès de 18 jeunes adultes bilingues (français et allemand) fribourgeois, afin d’aborder la question linguistique depuis une nouvelle perspective. L’analyse de discours a démontré l’existence de différentes perceptions de l’identité collective fribourgeoise, perceptions souvent liées à l’appartenance à un groupe linguistique : d’une part, la perception d’une ville francophone comptant une minorité germanophone prédomine chez les Fribourgeois romands, alors que, d’autre part, la perception d’une ville traditionnellement bilingue caractérise davantage les Fribourgeois alémaniques, divisant ainsi les Fribourgeois en deux camps. Les uns aspirent à une identité collective (bilingue) qui inclue l’altérité respective, tandis que les autres tentent de renforcer leur propre identité en soulignant l’altérité et en négligeant plutôt les points communs. Les entrevues réalisées ont démontré que la langue est le principal marqueur de différenciation des Fribourgeois alémaniques et romands – bien avant certains paramètres tels que les normes et valeurs, la mentalité, la religion, les habitudes de vie ou la culture. Les informateurs bilingues et la plupart du temps biculturels montrent des attitudes et perceptions particulières : se distinguant de plusieurs argumentaires présents dans l’analyse de discours, ceux-ci s’approprient les deux camps et montrent un sentiment d’appartenance avec le Fribourg romand et alémanique. Ce faisant, ils dénouent la majorité des sources de conflit et des contradictions de la question linguistique fribourgeoise. Leurs attitudes et perceptions spécifiques en font les médiateurs des groupes linguistiques dans le canton-pont et posent des questions potentiellement désagréables aux acteurs sociaux impliqués dans le débat linguistique fribourgeois. / When individual bilingualism solves collective language conflicts Language frontier and identity discourse in Fribourg/Freiburg: the perspective of young bilingual adults This thesis deals with the Fribourg/Freiburg (Switzerland) language question and examines the significance of language for the cohabitation in Fribourg as well as it looks into fields of conflict for the language groups, the influence of language on the construction of a (collective) identity and the role of language as a criterion to make a distinction between German and French Swiss. Therefore, firstly, a discourse analysis was carried out to investigate a debate lasting four years that took place in the local newspapers La Liberté and Freiburger Nachrichten concerning a new cantonal constitution, to find out about the different positions in the Fribourg language question and to set the context and backdrop of this thesis. Secondly, 17 interviews with a total of 18 young bilingual (French/German) Fribourg adults have been executed, to take a new perspective on the Fribourg language question. The discourse analysis made varying perceptions of collective identity in the city apparent that are often language group related. The latter expressed itself in a primarily French Fribourg perception of a francophone city with a German speaking minority and a principally German Fribourg perception of a traditionally bilingual city thus creating two camps: one camp wishes for a (bilingual) collective identity, which includes the respective alterity, whereas the other camp tries to reinforce their identity by stressing the alterity and simultaneously rather excludes common grounds with the other camp. The interviews show that the language is the principal criterion to make a distinction between German and French Fribourg inhabitants – ranging before other criteria such as norms and values, mentalities, religion, ways of living or culture. The bilingual and mostly bicultural interviewees reveal a specific perception and attitude: in contrast to the results of the discourse analysis they integrate both camps in their personality, and also have a feeling of belonging with German and French Fribourg and are thus resolving most of the conflict points and contradictions in the Fribourg language question. This makes them mediators between the language groups in the bridge canton and poses potentially uncomfortable questions to the social actors involved in the Fribourg language debate. / Wenn individuelle Zweisprachigkeit kollektive Sprachkonflikte löst Sprachgrenze und Identitätsdiskurse in Fribourg/Freiburg: Die Sicht junger bilingualer Erwachsener Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Freiburger Sprachenfrage und untersucht die Bedeutung der Sprache in Fribourg/Freiburg (Schweiz) für das Zusammenleben der Einwohner sowie Konfliktfelder der Sprachgruppen, den Einfluss der Sprache auf die Konstruktion von (kollektiver) Identität und die Rolle der Sprache als Differenzierungsmerkmal zwischen Deutsch- und Welschfreiburgern. Dazu wurde einerseits eine Diskursanalyse einer vier Jahre wehrenden Debatte über eine neue Kantonsverfassung in den Freiburger Tageszeitungen La Liberté und den Freiburger Nachrichten unternommen, um Kontext und Hintergrund der Arbeit zu etablieren. Andererseits wurden 17 Interviews mit 18 jungen zweisprachigen (Französisch/Deutsch) Freiburger Erwachsenen geführt, um so eine neue Perspektive auf die Sprachenfrage zu bekommen. Die Diskursanalyse machte unterschiedliche, oft sprachgruppenabhängige Wahrnehmungen kollektiver Identität in der Stadt Freiburg deutlich: Die vornehmlich Welschfreiburger Wahrnehmung einer frankofonen Stadt mit deutschsprachiger Minderheit und die zuvorderst Deutschfreiburger Wahrnehmung einer traditionell zweisprachigen Stadt, so dass es zwei Lager gibt. Dabei wünscht sich ein Lager eine (zweisprachige) kollektive Identität, welche die jeweilige Alterität inkludiert; das andere Lager versucht seine Identität durch eine starke Betonung der Alterität zu bekräftigen, wobei es Gemeinsamkeiten mit dem anderen Lager eher exkludiert. Bei den Interviews zeigt sich, dass die Sprache das Hauptdifferenzierungsmerkmal zwischen Deutsch- und Welschfreiburgern ist – noch vor Parametern wie Normen und Werten, Mentalitäten, Religion, Lebensgewohnheiten oder Kultur. Die zweisprachigen und meist bikulturellen Informanten offenbaren eine spezielle Wahrnehmung und Haltung: In Abweichung zu vielen Argumentationen der Diskursanalyse vereinen sie beide Lager auf sich, haben ein Zugehörigkeitsgefühl zu Deutsch- und Welschfreiburg und lösen so die Konfliktpunkte und Widersprüche der Freiburger Sprachenfrage. Dies macht sie zu Mittlern zwischen den Sprachgruppen im Brückenkanton und stellt die sozialen Aktanten in der Freiburger Sprachendebatte vor potentiell unangenehme Fragen.

of the dissertation Lenka Uličná This study aims to present and interpret the Old Czech (so-called Canaanic) glosses preserved in medieval Hebrew rabbinic writings Arugath ha-bosem by Abraham ben Azriel, Or zarua by Isaac ben Moses and in the commentary to the Mahzor Nuremberg. So far, linguistic analyses of this language material have been based on the editions. The present work analyzes manuscript versions of the glosses and significantly refines the research. We consider the so-called Canaanic glosses primarily as a sociolinguistic subject and this attitude influenced the selection of methods used in this study. Due to the character of the language material, we had to combine the sociolinguistic methods with methods of contrastive linguistics, paleographic methods and analytical methods of diachronic linguistics. The results of this analysis are presented in dictionary entries and they provide a basis for the following characterization of the so-called Canaanic language and its position towards the so-called Jewish languages on the one hand and towards the Czech language of the Christian majority, on the other. The gloss is i.a. a manifestation of bilingualism of the productor of the text. Being aware of the insufficiency of one language he tries to secure the understanding of a certain term in...

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / El propósito del presente estudio es cultivar un entendimiento avanzado de este proceso de construcción identitaria por medio del análisis de un cuestionario diseñado para explorar las relaciones complicadas entre el estudio de lenguas extranjeras, la cultura y la identidad. Específicamente, examinaré los efectos del componente cultural en sus diversas manifestaciones durante el estudio de una lengua extranjera para acertar cómo interactúan varias experiencias culturales en la creación de una identidad L2, qué efectos tienen ciertas experiencias en esta construcción o renegociación identitaria y cuáles son las experiencias culturales que más influyen y contribuyen a la creación de una identidad L2. Además, exploraré las varias combinaciones de tales experiencias culturales para relacionarlas con la fuerza y la profundidad de la identidad L2 construida, estableciendo así patrones preestablecidos si los resultados del cuestionario revelan correlaciones claras. Este proceso de crear, reconstruir y renegociar una identidad L2 por medio de un conjunto de experiencias de exposición cultural es un fenómeno válido con importantes implicaciones pedagógicas tanto para la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras como para el campo de la adquisición de segundas lenguas. Es mi creencia que las conclusiones del presente estudio serán imprescindibles para la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras, puesto que los patrones revelados por el cuestionario podrían influir la formación de nuevos currículos y programas de estudio orientados más a la enseñanza—y exposición—de la cultura de la lengua meta. Con el propósito de ayudar con el proceso de renegociación identitaria ya establecido en la metodología de enseñanza, estos nuevos currículos podrían incorporar los componentes culturales más efectivos en la construcción de una identidad L2. Por extensión, la implementación de estos nuevos programas de estudio quizá cambiará la manera en la que los estudiantes se acerquen al estudio lingüístico y facilitará el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras tanto en el aula como en el extranjero, logrando de este modo mejores resultados y la creación exitosa de más hablantes proficientes.