Some interesting facts and comments here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europ ... languages/
E.g.
Since being established in Friesland in 2002, Liet International has become a hub of the minority language music scene. If that sounds niche, it's worth noting that there are estimated to be almost 50 million minority or regional language speakers in Europe. Liet International casts its net for contestants across the entire continent.
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Yet the main purpose of Liet International is to promote linguistic diversity. In Friesland, regional officials say the local language is thriving: around 90 percent of the province's 640,000 population understands Frisian and the language is taught in schools alongside Dutch and English.
"In Friesland we are aware of our own richness," Culture Minister Jannewietske De Vries told CNN. "We have a language of the heart, Frisian. We have a language of the nation which is Dutch. And we have a world language which is English."
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"The situation of our language is very delicate," says Ruben Bada, who performs with Alfredo Gonzalez, a finalist from Spain's northern Asturias region. "At the moment it's at serious risk of dying. So the fact we can come here to sing in our language and be recognized outside our borders is very important."
At a parallel academic conference taking place in Leeuwarden, there is a sense of growing confidence that lesser-used languages are finally being taken seriously.
A European charter promoting and stimulating regional and minority languages came into force in 1998 and has now been ratified by 24 European countries.
etc etc
