Multilingualism, Nationhood, and Cultural Identity: Northern Europe, 16th-19th Centuries [Hardcover]

Before the modern nation-state became a stable, widespread phenomenon throughout northern Europe, multilingualism—the use of multiple languages in one geographical area—was common throughout the region. This book brings together historians and linguists, who apply their respective analytic tools to offer an interdisciplinary interpretation of the functions of multilingualism in identity-building in the period, and, from that, draws valuable lessons for understanding today’s cosmopolitan societies.
 

Willem Frijhoffis professor emeritus of modern history at VU University Amsterdam.Marie-Christine Kok Escalleis a retired associate professor of French culture and intercultural communication at Utrecht University and is senior researcher at the Institute for Cultural Inquiry at Utrecht University.Karène Sanchez-Summereris assistant professor of French language and culture and international studies at Leiden University.