Planning policies for language diversity: The weight of national realities in applying international conventions

The term ‘language diversity’ is subjected to many contradictory and paradoxical discourses. Facing the effects of economic and cultural globalization, the variety of the languages spoken in the world is on the decline, despite a keen awareness it is a precious universal heritage. Besides, many countries, included those signing the international conventions promoted by the ILO (International Labour organization), the UNESCO or the European Union, are reluctant to plan linguistic policies for minorities. On the basis of enquiries and critical survey of legal texts, the comparative survey between Europe and some Latin American countries, shows how national realities are still shaped by the balance of powers inherited from domination and colonialism. Special attention will be paid to media; in this particular field, what linguistic minorities need to exist within the democratic public sphere is the right to communication: such challenge is presently becoming a reality in some Latin American countries like Argentina.