Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Research in Social Sciences
Year: 2025
DOI:
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Framing Modern Challenges for Minority Language Media Distribution in the European Union: A Comparative and Longitudinal Study
Maciej Nowakowski
ABSTRACT:
This article concerns the modern challenges regarding minority language standardisation and sustainability due to the rise of online media. It examines and discusses the landscape and variation of European minority language media systems between 2009 and 2024, a period marked by economic crises and increased digitalisation. The five minority language groups under analysis (Andalusian, Galician, Provençal, Silesian, and Valencian) encompass a diverse array of communities united by the push for increased media standardisation to more evidently confirm their status as a separate language as opposed to a dialect. A range of factors were assessed across all five communities: the structure of media systems and any of its changes over time, considering variables such as media type, ownership, and audience reach; the prominence and significance of major media in each language community; the quantity and diversity of full-time journalists; and the relative density and influence of the media systems concerning the speaking population. The significance of the study thus stems from its direct comparative approach and its comprehensive update of existing academic literature, assessing the changes that took place across the five media systems. The results showed an asymmetrical growth of traditional outlets as opposed to digital ones among all communities, owing largely to a lack of public policy initiatives within the free-market digital space and subsequent algorithmic prioritisation of majority languages. The article thus calls for a synthesis of top-down policy initiatives with bottom-up grassroots movements to enhance and develop new media services in minority languages.
keywords: Language and Communication, Language and Cultural Identity, Language Revitalization, Media ethics, Sociolinguistics