Language Peace: In Belgium and the European Union

By Russell Blair

The European model of "one nation, one state, one language" is not viable for many nation-states nor for efforts at regional governance (EU, etc.). This book shows how a language rationalization policy, called complementary bilingualism, can provide congruence between governments and citizens in a multilingual environment. Complementary bilingualism creates efficient multilingualism. It also preserves linguistic diversity and increases access to that diversity. This essay shows how the application of complementary bilingualism can achieve congruence in multilingual Belgium and in the European Union. It also discusses the broader applicability of complementary bilingualism in the preservation of linguistic diversity across the globe. The 10% of humanity who do not know one of the 500 safe languages are severely marginalized. Their very small languages may not even have a standard dialect or a written form. Without bilingualism, these 700,000,000 people are isolated from the other 90%. Not speaking one of the top 20 languages, a circumstance affecting 3,000,000,000 people, severely limits the ability to participate in and fully benefit from the global exchange of information and ideas. Please pause and reflect on these staggering numbers. About half of the world's population could use complementary bilingualism to fully participate in the modern world, while retaining their birth language and its associated culture. This is one of the largest human development issues of the twenty-first century and it has been ignored. Complementary bilingualism represents a corresponding opportunity to increase human development and reduce both poverty and isolation for billions of people. Six Key Words and Phrases (1) Congruence: the alignment of a linguistic community with the institutions of governance. French citizens speak French. German citi- zens speak German. Spanish citizens speak Spanish. However, with complementary bilingualism, achieving congruence does not suppress diversity. (2) Complementary Bilingualism: a language rationalization policy for both achieving congruence in multilingual jurisdictions and sheltering linguistic diversity. It combines each individual's birth language, thus preserving the linguistic diversity, with a common language for broader congruence. The incomplete form of complementary bilingualism is elite bilingualism and results in elite closure, which uses the privileged language as a barrier to upward mobility, securing and preserving class privileges. Elite bilingualism is all too common but can be converted to complementary bilingualism. (3) Identity Bilingualism: identities are not like hats; you can wear more than one at the same time. If the complementary language of wider communication invokes an additional identity, then the language rationalization policy is the identity bilingualism form of complementary bilingualism. (4) Communication Bilingualism: if the complementary language does not invoke an additional identity, then the policy is the communica- tion form of complementary bilingualism. Generally it will be the use of a large lingua franca, such as English or French, that produces the communication form. (5) Efficient Multilingual Congruence: complementary bilingual- ism produces both efficient multilingualism and congruence. It results in multilingualism because it retains and protects the underlying linguistic diversity. It is efficient because any number of diverse language communi- ties can share a language of wider communication. It achieves congruence because the wider language aligns a unified community of communication with the institutions of governance. (6) Equal Sets Identity Bilingualism: if two or more languages are jointly used to produce a single identity, this is not complementary bilingualism because it does not permit individual choice and, therefore, does not shelter linguistic diversity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1732830630
• ISBN13: 9781732830639
• Release Date: September 2018
• Publisher: CB Publishing
• Length: 104 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"