Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Mountains of Babel – the Opportunities for Building Human and Economic Capital with Heritage Languages in Northern Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
A century ago, cities and towns in Northern Appalachia were polyglot communities with strong transatlantic linkages forged through chain migration and ethnic social organizations. Following the usual pattern of ethnic assimilation in America, the descendants of these first and second-generation immigrants no longer speak the languages of their ancestors. Some scholars have discussed European ethnicities in an Appalachian context (Fones-Wolf & Lewis 2002, Lewis 2008), but this present study focuses specifically on the linguistic heritage of Northern Appalachia. The political and educational actors in much of this region seem willing to let this rich inheritance fall by the wayside. Meanwhile, organizations as diverse as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Committee for Economic Development, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs have issued reports highlighting the economic development potential for the U.S. in promoting world language competencies. Using the data from the Library of Congress, the U.S. Census, and the Modern Language Association, this study takes an analytical look at the history of world languages in Northern Appalachia, the strategic and economic importance of these languages today, and the use of language education as a potential social and economic development tool in the region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Richard A. Russo is Associate Professor of Geography at Frostburg State University (MD).
Mountains of Babel – the Opportunities for Building Human and Economic Capital with Heritage Languages in Northern Appalachia
A century ago, cities and towns in Northern Appalachia were polyglot communities with strong transatlantic linkages forged through chain migration and ethnic social organizations. Following the usual pattern of ethnic assimilation in America, the descendants of these first and second-generation immigrants no longer speak the languages of their ancestors. Some scholars have discussed European ethnicities in an Appalachian context (Fones-Wolf & Lewis 2002, Lewis 2008), but this present study focuses specifically on the linguistic heritage of Northern Appalachia. The political and educational actors in much of this region seem willing to let this rich inheritance fall by the wayside. Meanwhile, organizations as diverse as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Committee for Economic Development, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs have issued reports highlighting the economic development potential for the U.S. in promoting world language competencies. Using the data from the Library of Congress, the U.S. Census, and the Modern Language Association, this study takes an analytical look at the history of world languages in Northern Appalachia, the strategic and economic importance of these languages today, and the use of language education as a potential social and economic development tool in the region.
