Ethnolinguistic Vitality Model. Merging Sociolinguistic Approach with Psychometric Methods

Abstract

The article presents a new ethnolinguistic vitality (ELV) model, combining both quantitative and qualitative research approaches to better understand the dynamics of minority (collateral) language communities. Traditional models of ELV propose one-dimensional, quantitative-only solutions or provide linear scales to assess the degree of language endangerment. The authors argue for a more complex framework integrating the findings of recent qualitative sociolinguistic research on minority and endangered languages with multidimensional factors affecting the vitality of the minority community and its language. This new model, which offers a holistic perspective on the vitality of ethnolinguistic groups, is based on subjective aspects, such as group identity and language ideologies, and objective factors, which serve here as a necessary context for data analysis. Using psychometric methods, the study identifies latent variables that influence ELV, emphasising the dynamic and context-dependent nature of minority language vitality. The application of this model is demonstrated through research on five collateral language communities in Poland, each facing unique challenges related to their socio-political situations. The proposed model of ELV highlights the importance of understanding ethnolinguistic vitality as a multifaceted process rather than a static measure.

Keywords: ethnolinguistic vitality, sociolinguistics, psychometrics, collateral languages, Poland