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

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.