Safeguarding linguistic diversity in Europe

Expected Outcome:

Projects should contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• Enhanced understanding, accompanied by documented good practices, showing what works to encourage multilingualism in society and what type of practices have led to safeguarding linguistic heritage, including lesser used, endangered and historically marginalised languages.
• Rigorous policy-relevant evidence, strategies and policy recommendations for promoting multilingualism and safeguarding linguistic diversity are available to policy makers, and users are involved in their development, especially the younger generation. Non-linguistic benefits of language maintenance and revitalisation are well documented, communicated and understood by different stakeholders.
• Citizens are empowered and engaged in the sustainable management of their own linguistic heritage and resources, with a focus on intergenerational dialogue and education activities, with particular attention to communities where oral transmission is the primary mode of language preservation.
• Maps and visual presentations showing the linguistic diversity in Europe are available, including a variety of existing languages (regional and minority languages, indigenous languages, low resources languages etc.) and offering suited terminology and explanations.

Scope:

Linguistic diversity is a fundamental part of Europe’s cultural heritage. When languages disappear, a whole knowledge system disappears, and cultural diversity is impoverished. Linguistic diversity plays a key role in safeguarding cultural diversity. Languages are the expression of the identity, culture and the way peoples perceive their world. Knowledge and culture are lost when languages are lost.

The EU has 24 official languages and some estimated 60 other languages spoken in particular regions or by specific groups. They are an essential part of the rich fabric of European culture. The proposals would document and map the situation of linguistic diversity in Europe, taking into consideration existing frameworks, initiatives and working terminology established by the Council of Europe and UNESCO.

The proposals should identify examples of good practice that have resulted in richer use of languages in society, thus promoting multilingualism, and would support sharing of knowledge and good practices.

Moreover, in recent decades, multilingual regions have been affected by a confluence of demographic, socio-economic, and sociocultural challenges. An aging population coupled with lower birthrates has strained these communities, leading to a decrease in the number of native speakers who can transmit their linguistic heritage to younger generations. The housing crisis affecting several of these regions, also driven by tourism, exacerbates this dilemma, as economic pressures force long-time residents to leave their ancestral homes. Migration, while enriching in diversity, often further dilutes the linguistic fabric as newcomers bring different linguistic traditions and younger generations gravitate toward globally dominant languages. The sociocultural landscape is equally challenging, with the loss of monolingual minority speakers and community life and the media environments that increasingly prioritize universal appeal and dominant languages over local authenticity. This is particularly acute for itinerant or dispersed communities, e.g. Roma communities, whose linguistic heritage is often overlooked in mainstream narratives.

The proposals should explore how these elements have changed the language situation in those areas and how the different regions have adapted to the new linguistic environment, and what are the effects on the local economy. Particular attention should be given to languages with limited institutional support to explore how better visibility and accurate representation could be achieved.

Another element changing the game for language learning and safeguarding heritage are digital technologies. The projects should address the online presence of different languages and explore how language technologies could overcome the deepening linguistic divide in the digital domain^[1], while also documenting the availability of language data. Proposals should also look at the presence of different languages in different forms of media, arts and wider forms of cultural expressions. Projects could also explore how digital platforms and AI tools can aid in language preservation, especially for endangered regional languages.

The projects should explore the non-linguistic benefits of language maintenance, regeneration and learning. They could also look at how multilingualism and maintaining and learning heritage languages affects people’s wellbeing, self-respect and health due to the comfort, lower stress and sense of security at being able to speak their first language and not have their identity challenged. The actions should propose ways to encourage and support multilingual education and intergenerational transmission, including formal and non-formal learning settings. Particular consideration should be given to communities where formal education in the heritage language has historically been absent or discouraged.

The proposals should comprise transdisciplinary collaborations (including SSH disciplines) in resolving this issue involving, for instance and not exhaustive, linguistics, heritage and museum studies, media studies, theatre studies, literary studies, socio-economic, socio-cultural and migration studies etc. Available results of existing research on safeguarding linguistic diversity and multilingualism should be taken into consideration, while identification of needs for further research in the field should be promoted. Research could explore, among others, the role of oral transmission and its gendered component, in safeguarding languages at risk and methods to ensure its conservation. This is particularly relevant for languages where oral storytelling, music, and intergenerational dialogue play a central role in cultural transmission.

The projects should have a dedicated place for linguistic cartography (meaningful representations of linguistic diversity) and explore what are the challenges of assigning language to space; current language mapping projects, and what are the opportunities for improving language mapping with current technology.

The projects could explore how language maps could serve as educational or research tools, to provide illustrations of linguistic and cultural diversity. Pursuing cultural awareness and cultural diversity understanding makes language mapping a significant research objective.

Proposals should develop recommendations for promoting multilingualism in our societies and safeguarding of linguistic diversity, empowering citizens to take ownership for safeguarding their linguistic heritage. These recommendations should also aim at combating marginalisation of disadvantaged linguistic communities, including itinerant and stateless groups.

Proposals should build on existing knowledge, activities, networks and platforms, notably the ones funded by the EU. For example, they could include past initiatives such as the 1996 Euromosaic study. The study documented the linguistic diversity of the 12 original EC countries and later of newer members which joined the EU. The Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism also carried out many regional EU-funded dossiers, which would benefit from updating.

Synergies could also be created with the European Data Space for Languages and the ALT-EDIC initiative. ^[2]

Furthermore, links should be established and synergies sought with closely related actions, such as relevant R&I actions funded by Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020. In particular, proposals should establish links to, and where appropriate build on findings from, projects funded under the topics HORIZON-CL2-2022-HERITAGE-01-01: Safeguarding endangered languages in Europe and ‘HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-01-05: Strategies to strengthen the European linguistic capital in a globalised world.

Proposals should engage local communities, citizens and civil society organisations, in the development of their actions, using participatory approaches.

[1] Building i.a. on the European Language Equality (ELE) project reports analysing the linguistic landscape of Europe, providing insights into the availability and quality of digital tools and resources for various European languages.

[2] ALT-EDIC - European Commission