GLAD

GOVERNANCE OF LANGUAGE DIVERSITY

Gouvernance de la diversité linguistique

THE PROJECT AT A GLANCE

The GLAD project studies the governance of linguistic diversity in democratic societies and is structured around three main objectives:

1. Develop an innovative analytical framework for identifying, in a structured and systematic way, the challenges that this governance poses for contemporary societies. This identification is a prerequisite for elaborating responses with the help of language policy, which GLAD approaches as a form of public policy.
2. Theoretically and empirically examine two crucial questions of language planning: on the one hand, the degree and conditions of “acceptability” of linguistic diversity; on the other hand, the identification and measurement of the advantages and disadvantages associated with the symbolic components of linguistic diversity.
3. Propose a set of principles and tools for the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of effective and equitable language policies for contemporary democratic societies.

The GLAD project is financed by an advanced grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for a period of two years (2025-2027). It is being carried out by a research team affiliated with the Economics, Languages and Education Research Group (Observatoire ÉLF).

PRINCIPLES

The GLAD project is based on the principle that the starting point for democratic management of language diversity in contemporary societies is to overcome certain ideological reflexes that generate an automatically positive or negative view of linguistic diversity. For GLAD, linguistic diversity is neither good nor bad; it simply exists, with all the advantages and disadvantages this entails. The question, then, is how to develop the theoretical and empirical tools that contemporary societies need to ensure effective, efficient, and equitable diversity governance.

Moreover, the GLAD project takes shape in the context of geopolitical tensions that are unprecedented in three-quarters of a century and marked by unique threats on liberal democracies. These threats are notably expressed as tensions and polarization around issues relating to linguistic and cultural diversity. This diversity is often exploited in discourses emanating from both extremes of the political spectrum. To address the threats they face, democratic societies must be equipped with concepts and methods that do justice to the complexity of the linguistic phenomena in question.

ADVISORY GROUP

The GLAD project benefits from an advisory group of five experts in the field, who are in regular contact with the research team.

RESEARCH REPORTS, PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

In its final phase, the GLAD project will culminate in the publication of a dedicated volume. This work will draw on the research carried out in the meantime on various conceptual and methodological aspects, including:

• Articles in academic journals and chapters in edited volumes
  • Civico, Marco (2025). Measuring Linguistic Diversity: Limits and Extensions of the Greenberg Index. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, 1–28.
• Contributions to conferences and seminars
  • Grin, François (2025). "The role of linguistic diversity in world governance", Àgora Cívica, Mondiacult, Barcelona, 26 September 2025.
  • Grin, François (2025). "The conceptualization of linguistic diversity and its implications for policy responses", 23rd Hungarian Sociolinguistics Conference, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, 4 september 2025.
• Relevant commentaries and media contributions

These works are made available in open access as they are released.