Takes stock of the experience of the countries concerned in dealing with linguistic diversity. The emphasis is on the interplay between the politics of language and the development of language legislation codifying the respective status of different languages. Nine case studies, ranging from the high-visibility cases of the Baltic States to much less known language policy developments in Armenia or Tatarstan, provide in-depth analyses illustrating the remarkable range of language politics in times of change. The case of a stateless people, the Roma, and the politicization of the debate on the standardization of Romanes are also discussed. Apoint venture with the European Centre for Minority Issues (Flensburg, Germany).