Introduces this special journal section by celebrating the tenth anniversary of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, enacted in 1998 to protect minority languages through the mechanisms of international treaty law. The charter set in motion an effort to develop a "minimum standard" for national language legislation & laid the groundwork for the development of a new language policy that respects & maintains linguistic diversity in a Europe that is becoming increasingly homogenized both culturally & linguistically. Contributions here focus on the legal aspects of the charter & of national language policy. Implications of the fact that only 14 of the 27 member states of the European Union have ratified the charter are considered. K. Hyatt Stewart