Language Ethics
An innovative interdisciplinary approach to the political ethics of linguistic diversity.
Description
Language is central to political philosophy, yet until now there has been little in the way of a common framework capable of bridging disciplines that share an interest in language, power, and ethics. Studies are predominantly carried out in isolated disciplinary silos - notably linguistics, philosophy, political science, public administration, and education. This volume proposes a new vision for understanding the political ethics of language, particularly in linguistically diverse societies, and it establishes the necessary common framework for this field of inquiry: language ethics. Through creative and constructive thinking, Language Ethics considers how to advance our understanding of the human commonalities of moral and linguistic capacities and the challenge of linguistic difference and societal interdependence. The book embraces the longstanding centrality of language to moral reasoning and reinterprets it in a manner that draws on the social and political life of real-world inter- and intralinguistic issues. Contributors to this collection are leading international experts from different disciplines and approaches whose voices add diverse insight to the discourse on ethics and language justice. Exploring social, political, and economic realities, Language Ethics illuminates the complex nexus between ethics and language and highlights the contemporary challenges facing multilingual societies, including the uncertainties, ambiguities, anxieties, and hopes that accompany them.
Reviews
"Drawing on both normative principles and empirical findings, the various essays in this volume examine the centrality of language to issues of social justice, exploring its role in establishing social equality, status, and solidarity, as well as how individual and group identity and dignity seek verbal expression. Also explored are the expressive and communicative aspects of language as shown through social, economic, and political practices and structures. The essays are rigorous, thorough, and demanding, while also being fair and fecund. Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals." Choice