Language and Identity in Europe

This book brings together research perspectives on the theme of European linguistic and cultural identity. Its chapters are the responses of rising European researchers to the challenges of language and identity in the context of a multilingual Europe, particularly in urban settings. The authors explore the extent to which diversity, and in particular linguistic diversity, affects identity formation across the European Union, from Ireland to Bulgaria, and beyond its borders. These chapters illustrate both the importance of the theme and the potential for further development in theory, policy and praxis. Readers will find this volume to be an informative and useful springboard for a deeper understanding of language and identity in complex social contexts within an evolving geopolitical and cultural landscape.

Lorna Carson, FTCD, is Head of the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences at Trinity College Dublin, where she is an Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and Director of the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies. Her recent publications include The Multilingual City: Vitality, Conflict and Change (2016).

Chung Kam Kwok is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow based in the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies at Trinity College Dublin. His research and teaching focus on the intersection of language, identity and motivation.

Caroline Smyth coordinates the university’s institution-wide language programme run by the Centre for Language and Communication Studies at Trinity College Dublin, where she is also a doctoral researcher working on the topic of technology-enhanced language learning.