RISE UP at the “Language in Society” Seminar in Dubrovnik
In May, RISE UP members Stefanie Cajka and Katharina Strasser, who are both based at the University of Vienna, travelled to Dubrovnik, Croatia, to participate in the ‘Language in Society’ seminar. The seminar’s focus was on “Minoritized and Marginalized Language Varieties in the Digital Sphere”. The seminar took place at the IUC (Inter-University Centre) in Dubrovnik from 12 to 16 May 2025. The seminar’s interdisciplinary papers focused on the complex relationship between digital communication and offline linguistic and social practices.
Stefanie Cajka and Katharina Strasser, whose work focuses on promoting minoritised languages, presented innovative digital and non-digital methods to support both language learning and everyday use.
Drawing on findings from ethnographic research and a survey distributed among the five RISE UP case study communities (Aranese, Aromanian, Burgenland Croatian, Cornish and Seto), they identified three methods that could enhance language learning and use within the RISE UP digital toolkit, which is currently under development.
These three methods are grounded in the “usage-based approach” to language learning, which emphasizes language learning as a social process, driven by authentic language use in real-life everyday situations and various contexts:
Linguistic Risk-Taking is a pedagogical initiative that considers everyday language use in the target language to be a ‘risk’, since learners expose themselves to the possibility of being misunderstood or not understood at all. These risks are collected in a checklist found in the digital toolkit, which learners can work through step by step. This gamified approach is designed to motivate learners and encourage them to actively use the language in real-life situations.
Furthermore, the collected data revealed a desire for direction and guidance in the target language. The RISE UP team identified the potential of a mentoring program that would connect motivated speakers with new speakers of the target language via the digital toolkit. Through dialogue, participants could practice speaking and discuss language-related topics. Such a program would also help to foster connections between community members and new speakers.
A third strategy explored and presented is “The Icelandic Village”, developed in Reykjavik to support Icelandic language students. This concept involves training employees of stores, cafés, and other public spaces to support language learners in everyday interactions, such as ordering a coffee or borrowing a book. The RISE UP team at the University of Vienna investigated how this “language village” model could be adapted to the Burgenland Croatian context with the help of a map in which the places of language use can be collaboratively added. The Icelandic Village component of the RISE UP digital toolkit helps to navigate offline communication with digital tools, establishing connections between speakers and learners. Future research should explore the implementation within other RISE UP case study communities.
These three initiatives will be included in the RISE UP digital toolkit, and we are eager to see how the communities and learners will make use of these resources. It is important to note that not all methods will be equally available or suitable for every community.
Some language communities, namely the Aranese, Aromanian and Cornish communities, have already developed language learning applications. On the other hand, methods such as “The Icelandic Village” need to be adapted carefully to the specific language ecological context in which the community lives.
Author: Katharina Strasser
Links
“Language in Society” at IUC: https://iuc.hr/programme/2042
Keywords
Language in Society Seminar, minoritized languages, digital sphere, RISE UP digital toolkit, language learning, Linguistic Risk-Taking, Mentoring, The Icelandic Village
