Non-linguistic conflicts - economic, religious, territorial - are often projected on to language differences, and may be played out in the language policies of governments and other holders of power. Jean-Louis Calvet deals broadly, in a non-technical and introductory style, with this interaction of language issues and political process. He examines the fundamental problems arising from language contact, multilingualism, and the conflicts caused by inequalities symbolized in various patterns of language use. The author draws extensively on his own research and uses numerous case studies to illustrate the power-political dimensions of language policies from many parts of the world, such as Africa, China, South America, the former Soviet Union, and Europe. He cites the former Soviet Union as a prime example of an attempt to impose, for ideological reasons, a supra-national vehicular language, in order to supersede the languages of regional nationalism. Professor Calvet offers no simple solutions to the "war of languages" but urges all those involved in language intervention - from the professional "language planners" to school teachers - to combine the need to promote majority languages with respect for the diversity of local languages and language varieties.

Language Wars and Linguistic Politics

Politics & Social Sciences

Calvet, Louis-Jean

Petheram, Michel

Social Sciences

Oxford University Press

Non-linguistic conflicts--economic, religious, territorial--are often projected on to language differences, and may be played out in the language policies of governments and other holders of power. Jean-Louis Calvet deals broadly, in a non-technical and introductory style, with this interaction of language issues and political process. He examines the fundamental problems arising from language contact, multilingualism, and the conflicts caused by inequalities symbolized in various patterns of language use.

This is a biography of Roland Barthes - one of the most important European intellectuals of the post-war years. In a lively account of Barthes's life and work, Calvet follows the brilliant semiotician from his provincial origins to his sudden death in 1980. He describes Barthes's move to Paris as a child, where he lived with his mother in modest surroundings and constant hardship. He argues that the experience of having his academic prospects ruined by his illness at an early age remained a thorn in Barthes's flesh: until the end of his life his relationship with the academic world was never free of bitterness, even resentment. Calvet retraces his years in Paris, Bucharest and Alexandria after the war. During this period Barthes gained access to intellectual circles and experienced his decisive encounter with modern linguistics, particularly with "semiotics", which he helped to establish as a discipline through his work on everyday myths, fashion and literature. Calvet discusses the whole range of Barthes's work as a critic and literary theorist, and demonstrates his tremendous importance and influence in the second half of the 20th century. This book provides a detailed portrait of Barthes's life, and a vivid reconstruction of the intellectual culture of post-war France. It should be of interest to students and researchers in literature, cultural studies, French studies, and anyone interested in the life and work of Roland Barthes.

Roland Barthes: A Biography

Biographies & Memoirs

Indiana University Press

This is a biography of Roland Barthes - one of the most important European intellectuals of the post-war years. In a lively account of Barthes's life and work, Calvet follows the brilliant semiotician from his provincial origins to his sudden death in 1980. He describes Barthes's move to Paris as a child, where he lived with his mother in modest surroundings and constant hardship. He argues that the experience of having his academic prospects ruined by his illness at an early age remained a thorn in Barthes's flesh: until the end of his life his relationship with the academic world was never free of bitterness, even resentment. Calvet retraces his years in Paris, Bucharest and Alexandria after the war. During this period Barthes gained access to intellectual circles and experienced his decisive encounter with modern linguistics, particularly with "semiotics", which he helped to establish as a discipline through his work on everyday myths, fashion and literature. Calvet discusses the whole range of Barthes's work as a critic and literary theorist, and demonstrates his tremendous importance and influence in the second half of the 20th century. This book provides a detailed portrait of Barthes's life, and a vivid reconstruction of the intellectual culture of post-war France. It should be of interest to students and researchers in literature, cultural studies, French studies, and anyone interested in the life and work of Roland Barthes.

Roland Barthes

Blackwell Pub.

Now available in paperback, this is the first biography of Roland Barthes - one of the most important European intellectuals of the postwar years. Calvet provides a lively and engaging account of Barthes's life and work demonstrating his tremendous importance and influence in the second half of the twentieth century.

Reference

Words, Language & Grammar

Polity

There are around 5,000 languages spoken across the world today, but the languages that coexist in our multilingual world have varied functions and fulfil various roles. Some are spoken by small groups, a village or a tribe; others, much less numerous, are spoken by hundreds of millions of speakers. Certain languages, like English, French and Chinese, are highly valued, while others are largely ignored. Even if all languages are equal in the eyes of the linguist, the world’s languages are in fact fundamentally unequal. All languages do not have the same value, and their inequality is at the heart of the way they are organized across the world. 
In this major book Louis-Jean Calvet, one of the foremost sociolinguists working today, develops an ecological approach to language in order to analyse the changing structure of the world language system. The ecological approach to language begins from actual linguistic practices and studies the relations between these practices and their social, political and economic environment. The practices which constitute languages, on the one hand, and their environment, on the other, form a linguistic ecosystem in which languages coexist, multiply and influence one another. Using a rich panoply of examples from across the world, Calvet elaborates the ecological approach and shows how it can shed light on the changing forms of language use in the world today. This path-breaking book will be of great value to students and scholars in linguistics and sociolinguistics and to anyone concerned with the fate of languages in our increasingly globalized world.

Towards an Ecology of World Languages

Foreign Language Study & Reference

Roland barthes 1915 - 1980 (DOCS, TÉMOIGNAGES, ESSAIS)

Flammarion

Roland Barthes: 1915-1980

L'Argot (QUE SAIS-JE ?)

Que sais-je

Presses Universitaires de France (PUF)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Calvet, Louis-Jean. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Calvet, Louis-Jean