29.4856, Review: Sociolinguistics: Coulmas (2018)
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LINGUIST List: Vol-29-4856. Wed Dec 05 2018. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.
Subject: 29.4856, Review: Sociolinguistics: Coulmas (2018)
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Date: Wed, 05 Dec 2018 16:56:44
From: Yi Wang [yiw at email.arizona.edu]
Subject: An Introduction to Multilingualism
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/29/29-896.html
AUTHOR: Florian Coulmas
TITLE: An Introduction to Multilingualism
PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press
YEAR: 2018
REVIEWER: Yi Wang, University of Arizona
SUMMARY
Multilingualism is not a newly emerging phenomenon. But it has been catapulted
to a new world order in this 21st century due to accelerated globalization,
technologization, and mobility (The Douglas Fir Group, 2016). In the book “An
Introduction to Multilingualism: Language in a Changing World”, Florian
Coulmas points out that “the number of people who live with two or more
languages in their everyday lives is estimated at more than half the world’s
population” (p. xii). While multilingualism and multilinguals are not new
phenomena, there are lots of debates on the concepts, realities, theories, and
methodologies in relation to multilingual studies. The book “An Introduction
to Multilingualism: Language in a Changing World” written by Florian Coulmas
is a valuable introduction to the research body of multilingualism, which
covers the aforementioned topics from various points of view. The author views
multilingualism as a dynamic process, which is subject to sociopolitical
change and ideological construct. The book consists of four main parts, which
aim to define the multiplicity of languages, describe multilingualism across
space, problematize the phenomenon from linguistic and societal aspects, and
provide methodology to research on multilingualism.
The first four chapters provide an overview of multilingualism in terms of the
current situation and facts, the definitions and perspectives, the
theoretically related concepts, and overarching standpoints. It sets the scene
for further discussions in the following sections of the book.
Chapter 1, “The polyphonic world”, provides an overview of language related
facts and discusses the multifaceted nature of the language system. The
chapter first provides statistics from multiple sources on the number and
distribution of languages in the world, discusses the concept of language
family and the origin of language classification, and points out the
connection between richness of languages and the wealth of nations. Based on
these facts, the author suggests that “the languages of the world constitute a
highly complex system” (p.16) and it is permeated by multiple dimensions of
inequality, which results in difficulty in counting the exact number of
languages. Described in more detail in Chapter 4, the author argues that “the
study of polyphonic world in all its facets is above all about inequality” (p.
23).
Chapter 2 is entitled “Multilingualism is …: Twenty definitions and more”; it
provides definitions of the core word “multilingualism”. By looking at the
dictionary entries, the author discusses the lexicalization of multilingualism
using many languages as examples. It then critically reviews the twenty
different definitions discussed in the field, which focuses on multilingualism
as a capacity, a practice, an attitude or ideology, or an object of theorizing
respectively.
In Chapter 3, “Descriptive and theoretical concepts”, discusses and defines a
series of concepts, which are crucial for the study of multilingualism. It is
worthwhile to point out that the author addresses the importance of not
viewing languages as fixed and separate systems when using terminologies
related to linguistic diversity. Instead, multilingualism is fluid, dynamic,
vague, and inconsistent in nature. A couple of technical terms such as
Language, Variety, Diglossia and Heteroglossia, Patois, Pidgin, Code,
Code-switching, Bilingual, Native Speaker, Mother tongue are discussed along a
static and dynamic line to highlight the core characteristic of
multilingualism.
Chapter 4 is named “Power, inequality, and language”. It further illustrates
the relationship among power, inequality, and language using three specific
cases (i.e., Chinese in Indonesia, the disputed status of Catalan in Europe,
and frictions between Ukrainophones and Russophones). By answering the
questions on restricted language choices (i.e., whose language choices are
restricted, who decides the restrictions, how are the restrictions being
justified, who enforces the restrictions, and how are they contested), the
author argues that language choice and the phenomenon of multilingualism is by
no means a socially situated and constructed practice, involving agents from
multiple levels.
Chapters 5 to 9 examine the reality of multilingualism at different levels and
spaces including polyglot individuals, international institutions,
super-diverse cities, and multiethnic countries. The author also includes
cyberspace, which is an important place for use of languages.
In Chapter 5, “The polyglot individual”, the author centers on the polyglot,
referring to “the individual who has command, to various degrees, of two or
more languages” (p.81) and how a polyglot views and uses multiple languages.
By analyzing the autobiographical reports of four famous multilingual writers,
the author seeks information on several controversial topics such as the
critical stage of becoming multilingual, the cognitive process involved in
using multiple languages, the importance of order of acquisition, the dominant
language of bilinguals, and the pros and cons of being a multilingual.
Chapter 6 is entitled “Multilingual (international) institutions”; it moves
the focus from the individual level to the institutional level. It first looks
at the emergence and development of bilingual education in schools and its
driving force behind language management. It then goes on to the use of
languages in international institutes, using European institutes as detailed
examples.Table 6.2 and 6.3 provides an overview of official and working
languages in major international and regional organizations. These facts
highlight the tensions between justice and practicality at both educational
institutes and intergovernmental institutions.
In Chapter 7, “Talk of the town: Language in super-diverse cities”, examines
the multilingual city and factors in city language profiles. More
specifically, this chapter opens with a description of the historical
development and current state in Brussels, as an example to illustrate the
relationship between urbanization and language. Table 7.2 provides social
variables and language variables that are considered in a city language
profile. The interaction among these factors affords the researchers an
opportunity to investigate urban multilingualism and social inequality in a
metropolis.
Chapter 8, entitled “Multilingual (multiethnic) countries”, shifts the focus
from multilingual cities to multiethnic countries. The chapter reviews several
examples and investigates related factors that differentiate various types of
multilingual countries. It also looks at notions including national, official,
and minority languages and provides observations on how language conflicts
between majorities and minorities arise and disappear in various states and
countries.
Chapter 9, named “Diversity in cyberspace: The multilingual internet”,
describes the linguistic diversity on the internet. It presents the relative
prevalence of various languages on the internet, the saliency of literacy
during online communication, and the role the internet may play in relation to
minority languages. The author highlights some consequences of the era of
digital communication in multilingual management and language choice.
After discussing the realities of multilingualism at various space and levels,
Chapters 9 and 10 probe some theoretical issues focusing on the linguistic and
social systems.
In Chapter 10, “Integration and separation: Language”, the author argues that
languages of the world, as ever-changing and complex systems, may integrate
with and separate from each other. The boundaries between languages are rather
vague and the incorporation/segregation process may occur anywhere at any
time.
Chapter 11, “Integration and separation: Society”, discusses how the changes
of languages have mutual impact on the transformation of social systems and
world orders. The chapter covers a wide range of issues that are relevant to
the changing world. The author argues that “the conceptual parallel to society
and language as ever-changing integrative systems, is always subject to the
tension between structure and agency” (p. 244).
Chapter 12, as the final part, concludes the book as “Research Methods for
investigating multilingualism”. It presents the common methods that could be
adopted to investigate multilingualism, including collecting naturalistic
data, conducting experiments, observing societal multilingualism, doing field
work, gathering secondary data, and using written language data. It also
discusses the possibility of incorporating digital technologies in data
collection and analysis and provides future directions.
EVALUATION
This book introduces the concepts, issues, and methodologies of
multilingualism; it serves as a good introductory book for undergraduate
students who are new to world language systems and novice graduate students
who are interested in language use and the multilingual context. It is related
to many fields, including language ideology, language policy and planning,
internationalization, and language education. It provides various perspectives
from the micro individual level to the macro international institute level,
from regional phenomenon to international issues, from offline multilingualism
to online communication. The book also covers examples from various
ethnicities, races, regions, countries, and languages.
Language management starts with the individual (Spolsky, 2009, p.5) and it
shapes and is shaped by the sociopolitical context. This book shows various
relationships, including language and society, individual and community, city
and country, and majority and minority. In addition, the content under each
chapter is well-organized, leading with several overarching questions to be
answered and covered in the chapter. Meanwhile, in each chapter, the author
emphasizes the overarching argument that multilingualism is a dynamic, fluid,
socially-situated process.
Highlighting the vagueness of language boundaries and the role of an
ideological/sociopolitical construct fits well in the current scholarship in
multilingualism. Named languages and languages may be viewed as two different
concepts.
In summary, the book covers a wide range of topics that are important in the
study of multilingualism and provides accounts for this complex process.
REFERENCES
Atkinson, D., Byrnes, H., Doran, M., Duff, P., Ellis, N. C., Hall, J. K., ...
& Norton, B. (2016). A
transdisciplinary framework for SLA in a multilingual world. Modern Language
Journal, 100, 19-47.
Spolsky, B. (2009). Language management. Cambridge University Press.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Yi Wang is a PhD Candidate majoring in Chinese Linguistics and minoring in
Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the University of Arizona. Her
major research interest focuses on the linkage of the macro ideological
constructs with the micro-culture of language interaction in study abroad
context. She is also interested in the process of additional language
acquisition of multilingual individuals. Yi's research interests reflect her
own experience as language educator and program director, whose students are
mostly multilingual and transnational individuals. Her current research
projects intersect with fields of study abroad, multilingualism, language
ideology, sociolinguistics, and linguistic anthropology. She has publications
and conference presentations in major avenues in the field of applied
linguistics.
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