ABSTRACT
The basic concepts introduced in Chapters 8, 9 and 10 are exemplified in the rest of the book. The discussion in this chapter deals, in the main, with general aspects of the subject of linguistic minorities and issues that are relevant to language use and language maintenance within these groups, as well as the factors which bear upon their continued existence as separate communities. The focus of attention is the linguistic minorities of western Europe (the analysis of the rich linguistic diversity and complex patterns of language use in central and eastern Europe falls outside the scope of these chapters). The case studies that follow later (Chapters 12 to 14) present a more detailed consideration of three very different sets of situations in which linguistic minorities in western Europe today find themselves. It is therefore hoped that the present chapter illustrates the theoretical points made previously and that the case studies will draw together the various strands of political, socio-economic, cultural and educational issues that have been analysed in preceding chapters.
