1. Transnationalism and Minority Languages in Globalized Communication Josu Amezaga-Albizu (josu.amezaga@ehu.es ) Edorta Arana-Arrieta (edorta.arana@ehu.es ) NOR Research Group (nortaldea.com) EMAN Research Unity University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU

2. Aim and methodology Aim To present some of the ideas we are working with in MULTILINGUAL TV project -specially those related to the changes in the relationship between communication and territory. Methodology  To bring some of the outcome from IML research into the approach towards RML.  Case study: Basque newspaper Berria.

3. Communication and territory The nation state has been a major agent of minoritization. The nation state has been based on the control over the territory. The nation can be considered a space of communication (Deutsch, Anderson, Habermas). National spaces have been privileged places for rising and declining of languages -thus for language conflict.

4. Changes in the national spaces of communication  Geolinguistic regions (J. Sinclair, 1996).  Transnational Communities (S. Vertovec, 1997).  Public sphericules (Giltin, 1998).  Global private spaces (Slade, 2006).  Transculturalism (K. Robins, 2007). New spaces of communication beyond the nation state

5. What is being highlighted about these new spaces:  New spaces are based on media rather than on territory -thus not so dependent on nation state: media-centric spaces.  They do not replace the national space; they add a new reality to the previous one -the metaphor of layers.  They are inclusive rather than exclusive.  They are affecting growing populations.  They question the paradigm of the national space of communication.

6. Some questions for the re- thinking of RML  To what extent have discourses about RML been based in the exclusive national paradigm?  What do we nowadays mean by linguistic 'normalization'?  How can linguistic policy be implemented when communication is not so dependent on state- controlled policy?  Can communication spaces be built apart from the state?

7. A micro-example of media-centric space: Basque newspaper Berria  Scattering of speakers as a major challenge for minority languages.  Basque speakers scattered among Spanish and French speakers.  60 % living in minority contexts.  Basque newspaper as a basis for a communication space not based on territory.

8. Basque speakers (percentage)

9. Basque speakers (absloute)

10. Circulation rate of Berria

11. Some conclusions  Research on IML can help us to better understand RML.  Changes on communication are changing the conditions in which RML have been minoritized.  We need to re-think some key concepts about reality and politics of RML.  Importance of the media as the basis for new spaces of communication.