ABSTRACT
In this article we aimed to promote the theoretical debate on language rights and, at the same time, to question the place of the linguist in the processes of struggle carried out by the subjects who historically speaks minority languages. For this, we present the arguments from authors who defend the language rights of linguistic minorities and their theoretical assumptions, as well as recent criticisms that have been made to such a paradigm, in order to incite a reflection on our practices and positions as language theorists who speak from a privileged place. We concluded that, with regard to language rights and the language policies implied, the very subjects who speak the minority languages should be the protagonists of such debates, and it is up to us, academic intellectuals, the role of ensuring spaces and conditions for the voice of these subjects to be heard.
KEYWORDS:
language rights; language minorities; protagonism