La coopération européenne et les langues: retour aux fondements discursifs

The aim of this paper is to examine the basis of the Council of Europe's discourse on "linguistic diversity" as resource for the achievement of the interstate cooperation. The study focuses on the discourse construction and legitimation processes in and by an institution with a specific political agenda of uniting European states and in a specific historical context. It draws on the analysis of the elaboration of the Resolution (69)2 on an intensified modern language teaching programme for Europe, the first one in the series of recommendations adopted by the Council of Europe. The study adopts a critical sociolinguistic perspective and a discourse analysis approach. It shows how the construction of linguistic diversity as a resource is intrinsically linked to the conception of languages as instrument of communication and the fostering of language teaching democratization. At the same time, it unveils to what extent the discursive basis on linguistic diversity is a source of language and social differentiation that are continually reproduced.