Language, land, and languaging in the Atlantic space

Abstract

Abstract This chapter provides an introduction to the Atlantic space, both in terms of sociopolitical aspects of its language ecologies and regarding their impact on ideas of language and multilingual configuration. It sets the scene for the entire volume by exploring the dialectic relationship between language—a reified representation relying on the categorization of linguistic features—and languaging—fluid semiotic practice. The chapter presents the motivations underlying the construction of languages by exploring local naming practices, which connect named languages to places that are often designated by the same lexical stems. It explores how different perspectives result in different scales at which languages can be named, from names for village-based languages to large-scale ethnic denominations, and how the labels and meanings which with they are invested reflect changeable aspects of identity. From language territorialization, i.e. the ways in which languages are associated with places, the chapter moves on to investigate the different sociolinguistic spaces that exist in the Atlantic area, revealing different pragmatic contexts of language use that yield different multilingual modes. The chapter continues with an investigation of the impact of longstanding multilingualism on the categorization of linguistic features before ending with a presentation of the volume and its contributions.

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