Diglossia and Power

Diglossia and Power Synopsis

This book is about the struggle for social power in the interethnic context of the Austrian part of the 19th century Austro-Hungarian Empire. It explores how the struggle for power is reflected in attempts to control language use at different levels of discursive interaction, and how, in a context of intricate and multiple language contact, language became a prominent site for interethnic controversies and conflict. The book shows how, in the wake of ongoing democratization, in particular in 1848-1849 and after 1860, the non-German speaking nationalities of the Empire attempted to redefine their status by demanding recognition of their languages and cultures while German-dominated state nationalism tried to reestablish its endangered hegemony by granting linguistic and cultural autonomy to the various ethnic groups.