The Role of Unique Minority Language Media in Language Maintenance: A Comparative Study of Basque, Ladin, and Upper Sorbian Media

Abstract

This article examines how unique minority language media perceive and approach their role in language maintenance, and how they try to contribute to it. Television, radio, and newspapers in the Basque, Ladin, and Upper Sorbian contexts were used as examples of unique minority language media. Through interviews with seven media professionals from these three language contexts, the article reveals different ways in which these media support their languages. The findings show that the media can contribute primarily by providing a framework for the use and development of their languages. However, when it comes to the direct and active promotion of their languages, the role of the media seems to be more limited, as their main target group is not new speakers, but rather the existing language community.