What Future for Minority Languages in Europe?

On an average, every two weeks, a language spoken somewhere in the world disappears. Some estimate that by the year 2100, almost half of the 7,000 currently spoken languages will have disappeared, as communities abandon their native tongue in favour of more widely used languages such as English, Mandarin and Spanish. Some deplore the loss of linguistic diversity, while others advocate for the emergence of international auxiliary languages such as Esperanto, aimed at fostering harmony and equality between different nations.

In order to explore these issues and attempt at bringing potential solutions to them, on 24 February 2015, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization organized a conference entitled “Language, Identity & Power: What Future for Minority Languages in Europe”, co-hosted by Members of the European Parliament Csaba Sógor and Herbert Dorfmann, from the European People’s Party, and Jill Evans, from the European Free Alliance/Greens. This event was organized in cooperation with the European Free Alliance and the Centre Maurits Coppieters.

The conference explored the different possible arrangements for linguistic minorities in Europe, evaluating their merits and analysing their more controversial aspects. It looked into the use of language as a political tool, but also as a cause and a possible solution to intercultural conflicts and tensions. The conference addressed language as an essential element of cultural identity, and the protection of linguistic minority rights as a human rights obligation.