Media/Communication studies

Open Access

Abstract

Grounded in media studies, this chapter discusses how different minority languages are served by the media in various contexts. It specifically addresses how the needs of minority language speakers are fulfilled by the media in different languages. A pertinent issue in this context is how users of minority languages consume media in various languages in the emerging digital media ecosystem. Our focus on minority languages can contribute to many aspects of research on language contact, such as issues of language conflict, ethodologies useful for studying language contact, language standardization, language shift, and language planning, policy, and politics. This focus is particularly interesting, as minority language speakers often have more varied language skills and needs (which they fulfill through their daily media habits) than the 'average' mainstream media consumer. Furthermore, minority languages tend to be more threatened than nurtured by the media, as a result of varied and asymmetric language contacts. ; Peer reviewed