ERIC Number: EJ1143919
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2203-4714
EISSN: N/A
Digital Divide: Low German and Other Minority Languages
Wiggers, Heiko
Advances in Language and Literary Studies, v8 n2 p130-142 Apr 2017
This paper investigates the online presence of Low German, a minority language spoken in northern Germany, as well as several other European regional and minority languages. In particular, this article presents the results of two experiments, one involving "Wikipedia" and one involving "Twitter," that assess whether and to which extent minority languages are used on these websites. The article argues that minority and regional languages are not only underrepresented online due to a combination of historical, linguistic, sociological, and demographic reasons, but that the overall architecture of the World Wide Web and its most visited websites is such that smaller languages do not stand a chance to gain a meaningful online presence.
Descriptors: German, Language Variation, Language Minorities, Foreign Countries, Web Sites, Electronic Publishing, Internet, Language Usage, Diachronic Linguistics, Statistical Analysis, Disproportionate Representation, Language Research
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
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