26.2474, Review: Applied Ling; Socioling: Slaughter, Hajek (eds.)

[The LINGUIST List via LINGUIST]

LINGUIST List: Vol-26-2474. Wed May 13 2015. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 26.2474, Review: Applied Ling; Socioling: Slaughter, Hajek (eds.)

Moderators: linguist at linguistlist.org (Damir Cavar, Malgorzata E. Cavar)
Reviews: reviews at linguistlist.org (Anthony Aristar, Helen Aristar-Dry, Sara Couture)
Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

*************    LINGUIST List 2015 Fund Drive    *************
Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at:

              http://funddrive.linguistlist.org/

Editor for this issue: Sara  Couture <sara at linguistlist.org>
================================================================


Date: Wed, 13 May 2015 22:03:47
From: Heather Smyser [heathersmyser at email.arizona.edu]
Subject: Challenging the Monolingual Mindset

 
Discuss this message:
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=35998557


Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/25/25-3876.html

EDITOR: John  Hajek
EDITOR: Yvette  Slaughter
TITLE: Challenging the Monolingual Mindset
SERIES TITLE: Multilingual Matters
PUBLISHER: Multilingual Matters
YEAR: 2014

REVIEWER: Heather Smyser, University of Arizona

Review's Editor: Helen Aristar-Dry

SUMMARY

Challenging the Monolingual Mindset, edited by John Hajek and Yvette
Slaughter, follows Michael Clyne’s broad views on language and
multilingualism. It brings “language issues to a wider audience” (p. 3),  and
its aims are threefold: to inform readers of language issues, “to challenge
the monolingual mindset” (p.3), and finally to “benefit both multilinguals and
monolinguals in understanding and fostering the linguistic potential of
[their] communities – in Australia and around the world” (p. 12). While the
introduction cites Clyne’s work on the monolingual mindset and provides the
origin of the term, it does not explicitly define what this term encompasses;
instead, it references Clyne’s work on the development of forced
monolingualism within the Australian context and leaves readers unfamiliar
with Clyne’s work uncertain about the scope of the term. Each of the three
parts of the book investigates language use and policy. Part One identifies
global issues, Part Two investigates immigration-related challenges in
Australia, and Part Three concludes with language (non-)maintenance in
Australia. In totality these three sections demonstrate the presence of a
monolingual mindset in both the international and Australian contexts, and the
volume documents efforts underway to challenge this mindset.  
 
True to Clyne’s approach, Part One does not focus on one particular geographic
region and instead discusses global issues of language use, policy, and
maintenance. Chapter One, “English in Scandinavia: Monster or Mate? Sweden as
a Case Study” by Catrin Norrby first explores positive language attitudes
towards English in Sweden among youth and those in higher education, which are
reflected in the growth of English-language programs in higher education and
in the number of dissertations written in English.  Norby then briefly
explores official language policy and studies the linguistic landscapes of
businesses to contrast their language use with official policy. She finds this
policy to be at odds with the linguistic landscape. Chapter Two “Language in
Singapore: From Multilingualism to English Plus” by Francesco Cavallaro and Ng
Bee Chin overviews the linguistic changes Singapore has undergone in the past
60 years before reviewing the effects of language policy on the members of
these communities. It finds decreasing use of all migrant vernaculars in favor
of languages with more global significance, like Mandarin and English. Part
One continues with Chapter Three, “English as an International Language: A
Multilingual and Pluricentric Perspective” by Farzad Sharifian, which focuses
on English in multilingual settings and as a pluricentric language. Sharifan
defines a pluricentric language as a language that has “multiple centres which
interact with each other, serving as a national variety with its own norms”
(p. 54). The author establishes the global significance of English and
contends that its spread as a global language fosters a growing multilingual
context. In this context English becomes a lingua franca, and the L1 serves as
an identity marker. Concomitant with this, the rise of World Englishes creates
a need for all to be informed of different varieties of English and obfuscates
the notion of who qualifies as a native speaker. Chapter Four, “German or
Swiss? Address and Other Routinised Formulas in German-speaking Switzerland”
by Doris Schüpbach furthers research on pluricentric languages by comparing
politeness in German-speaking Switzerland with what is known on politeness in
Germany. Schüpbach finds more informal “you” use in Switzerland than in
Germany, continued use of the formal “Ihr” form in Switzerland, the use of
names when greeting, and extensive formulaic routines when taking leave. Part
One concludes with “Meet and Greet: Nominal Address and Introductions in
Intercultural Communication at International Conferences” by Heinz
Kretzenbacher, Michael Clyne, John Hajek, Catrin Norrby, and Jane Warren. This
chapter finds differences when respondents introduce themselves self and
others, age differences in introductions, and macrocultural differences in
introductions at international conferences. They find that being introduced by
others is the most formal means of introduction, with Northern Europeans and
older individuals resorting to more formal means of address. While this
chapter did not provide statistical analyses to indicate if differences are
statistically significant between groups, the results are still compelling. 
 
Part Two shifts from an international focus to Australia and centers on
immigrant languages in the country. Chapter Six “L1 and L2 Chinese, German,
and Spanish Speakers in Action: Stancetaking in Intergenerational and
Intercultural Encounters” by Marisa Cordella and Hui Huang is the weakest
chapter in the collection. Many acronyms, how participants were selected, how
data was elicited, and how data was coded are all rather unclear throughout
the chapter. More detailed turn-by-turn explanations of the dialogues included
would have better elucidated the stances taken in each to better explain the
theoretical approach taken. The inclusion of quantitative data, such as
percentages of who was more likely to use which stance (either older or
younger participants) would have also been beneficial. Part Two continues with
“Linguistic Diversity and Early Language Maintenance Efforts in a Recent
Migrant Community in Australia: Sudanese Languages, their Speakers, and the
Challenge of Engagement” by Simon Musgrave and John Hajek, a chapter which
commences with an overview of the status of Sudanese languages in Australia
and efforts to maintain these. It cites the lack of accepted orthography and
of qualified teachers for Dinka as obstacles to its maintenance. The authors
also cite community efforts that have been met with success to maintain Othuo,
a Sudanese language with relatively few native speakers. Chapter Eight,
“Language Maintenance and Sociolinguistic Continuity among Two Groups of
First-generation Speakers: Macedonians from Aegean Macedonia and the Republic
of Macedonia” by Jim Hlavac continues the discussion of language maintenance
raised in the previous chapter by focusing on how Macedonian speakers from two
different geographic locations sustain their language. Hlavac combines results
from a questionnaire and taped interviews; he finds that while the status of
Macedonian varies tremendously in the country of origin, both groups have high
levels of maintenance. Part Two concludes with Louisa Willoughby’s “The Role
of Professional Advice in Shaping Language Choice in Migrant-background
Families with Deaf Children,” which examines options provided to English L2
families of deaf children by providers, how professionals arrive at these
decisions, and what families choose to do with this advice. Often, families
are not informed of all options available to them. They are often told only
about cochlear implants and the use of speech with the child instead of both
speech and signing. Additionally, the assignment of intervention services was
haphazard, depending largely on the agency that gave the initial diagnosis
with many providers being stuck in a monolingual mindset, encouraging parents
to choose one language to use with their child, normally English. 
 
Part Three, the final section of the volume, concentrates on language policy
in Australia. It opens with Howard Nicholas’ “Losing Bilingualism While
Promoting Second Language Acquisition in Australian Language Policy,” a
chapter on the evolution of Australia’s language policies.  Nicholas shows how
in spite of the fact that Australia is seen to promote bilingualism, more
recent iterations of policy have moved towards viewing bilinguals as those who
come already speaking another language rather than including those who speak
English first and later acquire a second language. This section of the volume
continues with Yvette Slaughter’s and Hajek’s investigation of how Italian has
gone from an immigrant language to a language studied by many in the community
in “Mainstreaming of Italian in Australian Schools: The Paradox of Success?”.
While many students choose to study Italian at the primary and secondary
level, many also discontinue their studies after years nine through eleven at
a much faster rate of decline than for other languages. For the authors, this
indicates the language is not being maintained in younger speakers. They
propose that this non-maintenance is due to a fatigue effect whereby students
are overexposed to the language and do not pursue further study. Chapter 12,
Margaret Gearon’s “Understanding the Role of Professional Development and
Influences on Teacher Practice: An Australian Case Study of Community
Languages Teachers,” shifts focus away from students and moves to better
understand community language teachers and their needs, as these are the
instructors who facilitate language maintenance in their communities. It
indicates that those surveyed had positive views of their certification course
and shows their integration of prior language learning experiences into their
teaching views. Colin Nettelbeck, the author of Chapter 13 “ ‘A Somewhat
Disconcerting Truth’: The Perils of Monolingualism as Seen Through the Early
Years of the RAAF School of Languages”, provides an overview of how Alex
Garrick fought against a dismissive view of bilingualism from policy makers in
order to successfully operate and expand the Royal Australian Air Force School
of Languages. While the chapter seems a bit out of place following the chapter
on the maintenance of Italian, it makes for a compelling read on the
advancement of bilingualism in society. The final chapter of this work, Averil
Grieve’s “ ‘Die Erfüllung eines Traums’: Challenging the Monolingual Mindset
Through the Establishment of an Early Immersion Language Program” first
documents language immersion in Australia. It then discusses the creation,
struggles, and successes of the Deutsche Schule Melbourne, a school which has
expanded to include several community families not of German origin who see
the value in raising bilingual children. The success of this school provides a
fitting conclusion for the book, as it demonstrates one realization of Clyne’s
dream for Australia and also challenges the monolingual mindset.
 
EVALUATION

As a whole, Challenging the Monolingual Mindset serves as a fascinating
exemplification of Clyne’s eclectic philosophy and introduces readers to a
range of issues relating to the topic of multilingualism within international
and Australian contexts. This renders it a compelling read for scholars and
students from a variety of backgrounds including those interested in language
policy, the status of multilingualism in various locales, language
maintenance, and the rise of global English. Each chapter provides enough
information to whet a reader’s desire to learn more about the topic presented,
and while the variety of topics present might prove off-putting to some
readers, it reflects Clyne’s view of the problem of having a monolingual
mindset, a mindset that becomes clearer with each successive chapter even if
not formally articulated in the book. By bringing these topics to light, the
authors and editors bring awareness of the multifaceted nature of
multilingualism to a broader audience and fight against the monolingual
mindset. They do so by expanding contemporary conceptions of multilingualism
away from historic confines that understand it in terms of composite
monolingualisms. The authors of each chapter achieve this move away from
historic conceptions of what it means to be bilingual by taking into account
language maintenance and the effects of policy on non-traditional populations,
such as those in the deaf community or immigrants trying to maintain a
language without an established script. This inclusion of such non-traditional
topics fights against the monolingual mindset that can sometimes be found even
in scholarly conceptions of bi- and multilingualism. Because of this eclectic
approach, the volume achieves its purpose of raising awareness and can be read
as a whole or in individual parts or chapters. The three parts of the volume
might feel disjointed to some readers due to the wide variety of topics
discussed; however if one bears in mind the purpose of the volume, one finds
that chapters within sections speak to and complement each other in rather
unique and unforeseen ways.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Heather Smyser is a graduate student in Second Language Acquisition and
Teaching at the University of Arizona studying how late multilinguals process
and store their languages and how low levels of literacy interact with the
language acquisition process in refugees. She hopes to continue her research
on and with refugees to broaden understandings of language acquisition in this
population and to begin to tease apart potential learning differences in those
with PTSD and a strong oral tradition to better understand bilingualism and
multilingualism in those not coming from Western styles of education.





----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-26-2474	
----------------------------------------------------------