Linguistic Diversity in European Schools

Language diversity is a reality in Europe, and different concepts of European language diversity influence public life as well as education. In this entry, two main concepts of European languages are presented. The first encompasses the “languages of Europe,” understood as languages of the European states and their historically recognized linguistic minorities. The second can be read as “languages in Europe,” in the sense of languages that are actually spoken by people living on European soil. This entry discusses both, and also presents the consequences of language diversity for the education systems. Finally, the international significance of the European experience with languages is discussed.

Geohistorical and Geopolitical Definitions of Europe

The term Europe is not clearly defined. Three definitions are primarily used. The first—and oldest—one is a ...

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