A language without a flag and a state is still a language
Suggesting that a regional language is not a “real” one is mistaken
THE EUROVISION Song Contest is often regarded as a kind of mirror for Europe. The grudges, alliances, colour and kitsch—and most of all the peaceful spectacle watched in dozens of countries—represent both the best and sometimes the silliest of the prosperous modern continent. One of the rivalries it captures is among Europe’s languages. A recent heat in Spain, to help choose the song to be sent to the finals in May, exhibited another kind of linguistic squabble: the dominance of national languages over misunderstood regional ones.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Escape from La La land”
Culture February 12th 2022
- The strange tenderness of Michel Houellebecq’s new novel
- To understand China, says Megan Walsh, turn to its literature
- Rachel Jones is an artist of the moment
- How do radicals find each other—and get heard?
- “Columbo” shows the benefits of asking just one more thing
- A language without a flag and a state is still a language
From the February 12th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Culture
Sex, drugs or chastity?
Pope Francis has written the first memoir by a sitting pope. God help us
Backpacks are, surprisingly, in vogue
They are following in sneakers’ path and becoming more fashionable
Spotify’s playlists have altered the music industry in unexpected ways
A critical assessment of the Swedish streaming giant’s musical legacy
Henri Bergson was once the world’s most famous philosopher
He sought to reconcile science and metaphysics
Witty and wise, “A Real Pain” is a masterpiece in a minor key
Jesse Eisenberg’s deceptively slight film asks big moral questions
Now it’s all about TikTok. But Huawei led the way
The Chinese telecoms firm was the first to raise America’s hackles