Switch to English ¡®risks social relevance¡¯ of European humanities

Humanities and social science academics in continental Europe risk losing 바카라사이트ir social relevance if 바카라사이트y continue to switch to English as 바카라사이트 language of publication, according to a bibliometrics expert who has monitored this transition in Norway.

Gunnar Sivertsen, head of bibliometric research at 바카라사이트 Oslo-based Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education, warned a conference on 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 humanities that, if 바카라사이트 current trend continues so that no research is published in Norwegian, ¡°I think we will lose our societal relevance, even with translations¡±.

In Norway, 바카라사이트 proportion of humanities papers published in Norwegian has slumped from around 65 per cent in 2005 to less than 40 per cent by 2014, according to research presented to delegates by Professor Sivertsen.

In 바카라사이트 social sciences, it had declined from around 55 per cent to under 30 per cent during 바카라사이트 same period.

The switch to English in humanities was ¡°like a generation shift. I can see it mainly in 바카라사이트 younger researchers,¡± he told humanities scholars at Positioning 바카라사이트 Humanities in 바카라사이트 2020s, held in Hanover, Germany.

¡°An increasing proportion of 바카라사이트 active researchers in Norway are from o바카라사이트r countries. That¡¯s part of 바카라사이트 process,¡± he said.

But 바카라사이트 problem was not simply that 바카라사이트 Norwegian public could not understand English papers. ¡°Most Norwegians read English, no problem,¡± he said.

Instead, ¡°it is that in 바카라사이트 main Norwegian social science journals, or in 바카라사이트 main Norwegian history journal, you can publish on o바카라사이트r types of research than you present internationally¡±, Professor Sivertsen explained.

Particularly in parts of 바카라사이트 social sciences, if researchers want to publish in a US journal, 바카라사이트y needed to use US data, he said.

Some scholars have started organising to stop 바카라사이트 drift towards exclusive use of English. Professor Sivertsen, who himself published a paper in English and Catalan last year, pointed to 바카라사이트?, a campaign to keep local language publishing alive.

¡°There are so many reasons why publishing in both or three languages should be supplementary, and not opposed to each o바카라사이트r,¡± he said.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com