The role of language policy in the revitalizaton of Occitan : a comparative analysis of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées

Abstract

This thesis aims to investigate language revitalization in terms of policy and planning in Occitan France. It comprises three main research questions. The first of these questions addresses the effectiveness of regional and municipal level language policy in the revitalization of an endangered language. The policies of the neighbouring regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrenees in France are analysed using a number of theoretical frameworks (Cooper, 1989; Ager, 2001; Spolsky, 2004: Shohamy, 2006). The second research question focuses on the use of endangered languages in the public space and seeks to analyse to what extent this domain can be used as a mechanism for language revitalization. The third, and final, research question concerns the revitalization goals of the Occitan-speaking community in both regions. It is indicated in the literature that speakers of an endangered language community tend to aim too high in their revitalization goals (i.e. official status, legal protection, language in education) before first ensuring the language is stable in lower domains (Fishman, 1991) such as in the family home with continued intergenerational transmission.