The collective work French in a Minority Milieu: Obstacles and Challenges. The Situation of the French Language in the Acadie of New Brunswick encompasses nine contributions by Canadian and international scholars proposing a historical and social analysis of the different aspects of the issue (historiography of Acadian linguistics; lexicographical activities; history of ideologies; linguistic representations and practices; challenges and issues related to language contacts, namely in Greater Moncton).

Publication of a special issue in the Minorités linguistiques et société/Linguistic Minorities and Society on the situation of French in Acadian regions of New Brunswick falls within the context of a community that is rethinking its identity in light of the recent changes that make it unique:  significant demographic inflow of French-speakers from various Francophone regions, numerous demands related to language issues, and debates on the heterogenous linguistic practices of its speakers. 

The study of the language situation of Francophones in New Brunswick is interesting to the extent that in most countries where French is spoken, speakers of that language are rarely a social minority. In North America, and more specifically in Acadia, French speakers are a minority in numbers and also on the social front, despite the co-officiality of French in institutions.

The Acadian context thus provides a unique opportunity to reflect on what it means to speak French in a minority setting in North America and re(think) the situation of French-speakers, while taking into account the political, social, and economic conditions that govern their practices and build their representations. The language realities of French-speakers are not universal: they do not speak French whenever they want and anywhere they want. On one hand, language use in social settings is often governed by power relationships established over a century ago between speakers of different languages and between speakers speaking different varieties of French, while on the other hand, the language resources promoted are not equally distributed and vary depending on different social and economic factors. The Acadian context allows for better understanding of the language processes at the root where social differences and inequalities are formed.

Questions raised in this issue are all related in one way or another to the question of legitimacy: What is a legitimate voice, whether individual or collective? How does this voice obtain political and social recognition? In minority language situations, what strategies are put in place by institutions and speakers to ensure linguistic and cultural equality between the different minority groups present? 

An off-topic article on the participation of Acadians in the creation of a collective economic governance area in New Brunswick’s “Greater Southeast” and six reviews of recently published works are also included in this fourth issue.

Enjoy your reading.

To read the issue, click on the link below:
http://www.erudit.org/revue/minling/2014/v/n4/index.html?lang=en 

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