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Arisen like phoenix: revitalisation of the Manx language

https://doi.org/10.18384/2310-712X-2023-3-18-26

Abstract

Aim. To analyse the sociolinguistic characteristics of the Manx language in the 21st century and reveal the factors ensuring the success of its revitalization.
Methodology. The article focuses on the revitalization practices leading to the revival of the Manx language in the 21st century and includes an overview of its functions and domains of use, a characteristic of its sociodemographic potential and a description of the language policy carried out on the island. The article is based on the method of sociolinguistic reinterpretation of sociological and statistic data.
Results. The article demonstrates that the progress in the revitalization of the Manx language can be attributed, to a great extent, to a high level of motivation of the islanders, for whom the language has become a marker of in-group solidarity and a symbol of the island identity.
Research implications. Based on the concept of island identity, the research brings out the role of subjective factors in the revitalization of minority languages, which makes a contribution into the theory of ethnolinguistic vitality. The research results can be used in courses of sociolinguistics and taken into consideration in language planning practice.

About the Author

N. Guermanova
Moscow State Linguistic University
Russian Federation

Natalia N. Guermanova – Dr. Sci. (Philology), Prof., Department of General and Comparative Linguistics

ulitsa Ostozhenka 38 build. 1, Moscow 119034



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ISSN 2949-5075 (Online)