From Language Continuum to Linguistic Mosaic: European Language Communities from the Feudal Period to the Age of Nationalism

Abstract

This first section of the book examines how the world was constructed linguistically before the era of nationalism and then investigates how patterns of language practice and use altered fundamentally in the Modern era, as those engaged in nation building recognised that altering the language landscape was one of the key elements for the successful accomplishment of their ambitions. The focus in this and the next chapter is Europe, because this is the continent where the concept of the nation state first took root. In Chapter 4 there is a consideration of how language has contributed to nation building on other continents.