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Article 1
1. This Declaration considers as a language community
any human society established historically in a particular territorial space,
whether this space be recognized or not, which identifies itself as a people
and has developed a common language as a natural means of communication and
cultural cohesion between its members. The term language specific to a
terrritory refers to the language of the community historically established in
such a space.
2. This
Declaration takes as its point of departure the principle that linguistic
rights are individual and collective at one and the same time. In defining the
full range of linguistic rights, it adopts as its referent the case of a
historical language community within its own territorial space, this space
being understood, not only as the geographical area where the community lives,
but also as the social and functional space vital to the full development of
the language. Only on this basis is it possible to define the rights of the
language groups mentioned in point 5
of the present article, and those of individuals living outside the territory
of their community, in terms of a gradation or continuum.
3. For
the purpose of this Declaration, groups are also deemed to be in their own
territory and to belong to a language community in the following circumstances:
i. when they are separated from the main body of their community by political
or administrative boundaries;
ii. when they have been historically established in a small area
surrounded by members of other language communities; or
iii. when they are established in an area which they share with the
members of other language communities with similar historical antecedents.
4.
This Declaration also considers nomad peoples within their historical areas of
migration and peoples historically established in geographically dispersed
locations as language communities in their own territory.
5. This
Declaration considers as a language group any group of persons sharing the same
language which is established in the territorial space of another language community
but which does not possess historical antecedents equivalent to those of that
community. Examples of such groups are immigrants, refugees, deported persons
and members of diasporas.
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