MACMILLAN The Sociolinguistics of Iran’s Languages at Home and Abroad: The Case of Persian, Azerbaijani, and Kurdish

This book examines the sociolinguistics of some of Iran’s languages at home and in the diaspora. The first part of the book examines the politics of minority languages and the presence of hegemonic discourses which favour Persian (Farsi) in Iran, exploring issues such as language maintenance and shift, linguistic ideologies and practices among Azerbaijani and Kurdish-speaking communities. The authors then go on to examine Iranians’ linguistic ideologies, practices and (trans)national identity construction in the diaspora, investigating both the challenges of maintaining a home language and the strategies and linguistic repertoires employed when constructing a diasporic identity away from home. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of minority languages and communities, diaspora and migration studies, and language policy and planning. Review “This scholarly book provides unique insights into the language situation in Iran. The coverage is impressive ranging from language policy through heritage language maintenance patterns to issues of ethnic identity and ideology in new countries.  While the material is written in a style accessible to undergraduate students, the book also provides a rich resource for researchers interested in the multiplex influences on different languages of the Iranian language family.” (Janet Holmes, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand)  “This collection offers an intriguing kaleidoscope of sociolinguistic studies in multilingual Iran and in the Iranian diaspora. Addressing perennial problems such as medium of instruction in minority education or home language maintenance in migration contexts, the book extends our knowledge of the complex languages and identities of an under-researched population.” (Ingrid Piller, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Macquarie University, Australia)   From the Back Cover This book examines the sociolinguistics of some of Iran’s languages at home and in the diaspora. The first part of the book examines the politics of minority languages and the presence of hegemonic discourses which favour Persian (Farsi) in Iran, exploring issues such as language maintenance and shift, linguistic ideologies and practices among Azerbaijani and Kurdish-speaking communities. The authors then go on to examine Iranians’ linguistic ideologies, practices and (trans)national identity construction in the diaspora, investigating both the challenges of maintaining a home language and the strategies and linguistic repertoires employed when constructing a diasporic identity away from home. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of minority languages and communities, diaspora and migration studies, and language policy and planning. Seyed Hadi Mirvahedi is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Prior to taking up his fellowship at Nanyang Technological University, he completed his PhD at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. About the Author Seyed Hadi Mirvahedi is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Prior to taking up his fellowship at Nanyang Technological University, he completed his PhD at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.