Abstract
This article discusses the role of English in the European Parliament. The author describes how the more democratic role that Europe has embraced has advanced the role of languages at the national level, but has some trouble balancing all twenty-three official languages at the "supranational" level. The members of parliament must face this difficulty, and the author presents their experiences. The experiences that native English and French speakers have formed into two categories of those that are pedantically monolingual, and those who try to engage with members of other languages. Members from other European Union countries and their competencies in English and other foreign languages are presented.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 151-165 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Sociolinguistica Jahrbuch |
| Volume | 21 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |