The talk will explore the extent to which linguistic globalisation and the ever increasing dominance of English shapes the perceptions of linguistic diversity in traditional sociolinguistic milieus. I will report a case study investigating the attitudes of 142 respondents from Vorarlberg, an Austrian province, towards their home dialects, a local standardized variety of High German, and English. While drawing on a verbal guise test (VGT) and a questionnaire as the main methods of study, the study shows that local dialects are viewed as badges of local identities, whereas standard German is appreciated for its utilitarian value. Remarkably, English emerges as a language of enormous social prestige with high levels of social attractiveness. English is further seen as a language allowing the inhabitants of Vorarlberg to connect to the larger world and become part of the global dialogue. The talk will argue that rather than eroding the local cultures, English adds to the sociolinguistic fabric of traditionally diglossic societies, rendering their linguistic texture even more complex and enriched, not impoverished.

In his lecture, Prof. Massimiliano Demata will explore how borders are used as mechanisms of power to invoke different notions of national identity during Trump's presidency and the early stages of Biden's mandate. Borders are considered as discursive constructs and their importance lies in the construction and expression of national identity across different forms of modern political discourse. Employing a framework informed by Ruth Wodak’s Discourse-Historical Approach, Prof. Demata will examine how the analysis of discourse from the Trump and Biden presidencies can reveal unique insights into how politicians use borders to recontextualize historical discourses of national identity and employ discursive strategies of inclusion and exclusion in promoting the idea of the nation. In adopting an approach which situates these discourses within their historical and socio-cultural contexts, the lecture will give insights into a multi-faceted understanding of notions of borders and national identity in contemporary political language.