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The ‘Imperial’ Life of Natural Languages

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Investigations in Teaching and Learning Languages

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Abstract

In the article, a view is proposed that any natural living language participates in the natural language global arena (NaLGA). Moreover, natural languages, viewed as embodied entities, demonstrate varied identities due to the interplay of the parameters of militancy, tradeoffs, utility, and display, being the constituents of the so-called Imperial Tetragon of Embodiment. It is claimed that present-day natural language diversity may be treated as a ‘protective diversity jacket’ which, on the one hand, secures the existing ‘plurilinguistic landscape’ and on the other, also serves as an indicator of humanity’s rich alignment with the world. That is why the advancement of a gross process of natural language sustainability should, in the long run, secure the preservation of humanity’s maximum cognitive-cultural-linguistic resources.

Habent sua fata linguae

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Correspondence to Stanisław Puppel .

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Puppel, S. (2013). The ‘Imperial’ Life of Natural Languages. In: Gabryś-Barker, D., Piechurska-Kuciel, E., Zybert, J. (eds) Investigations in Teaching and Learning Languages. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00044-2_1

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