Is Ebonics really a dialect or simply bad English? Do women and men speak differently? Will computers ever really learn human language? Does offensive language harm children? These are only a few of the issues surrounding language that crop up every day. Most of us have very definite opinions on these questions one way or another. Yet as linguist Donna Jo Napoli points out in this short and highly entertaining volume, many of our most deeply held ideas about the nature of language and its role in our lives are either misconceived or influenced by myths and stereotypes.
The necessity to learn multiple languages to function in one's society is, in fact, nearly universal, and Edwards presents the polemic that ensues. The book is written in a very accessible tone and assumes little formal knowledge of linguistics.
Edwards begins by explaining the gradual change of a single language into a whole family of multually unintelligible tongues, the process that gives us multiple languages. He then explains how bilingualism works, how one learns a second language whether as a child or as an adult learner. Code-switching, borrowing, and interference are some important themes here.
The meat of the book is how multiple languages interact not just in the brain of the individual, but among the greater society. Language spread and, closely related, language decline is depressingly reported, while the difficulties of language revival are presented. For Edwards, multilingualism is not just the co-existence of multiple languages within a given society, but even the presence of multiple forms of speech. Very fascinating is his description of prescriptivism, which in seeking to uphold "pure" language asserts that other variants are necessarily impure. And even within a single-language group, men may speak strikingly different than women, as among the Gros Ventre of Montana where men say "jatsa" for bread while women say "kjatsa".
Multilingualism in the English-Speaking World is the winner of the BAAL Book Prize 2005. Multilingualism in the English-Speaking World: Pedigree of Nations explores the consequences of English as a global language and multilingualism as a social phenomenon. Written accessibly, it explores the extent of diversity in 'inner circle' English speaking countries (the UK, the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand) and examines language in the home, school, and the wider community.
-Considers the perspectives of English as a global language as well as multilingualism as a social phenomenon. -Written in an accessible style that draws on contemporary real life examples. -Examines the everyday realities of people living in 'inner circle' English-speaking countries, such as the UK, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. -Discusses the theoretical issues that underpin current debates, drawing on research literature on societal multilingualism, language maintenance and shift, language policy, language and power, and language and identity.
This series brings together titles dealing with a variety of aspects of languageacquisition and processing in situations where a language or languages other than thenative language is involved. Second language is thus interpreted in its broadestpossible sense. The volumes included in the series all offer in their different ways, onthe one hand, exposition and discussion of empirical findings and, on the other, somedegree of theoretical reflection. In this latter connection, no particular theoreticalstance is privileged in the series; nor is any relevant perspective – sociolinguistic,psycholinguistic, neurolinguistic, etc. – deemed out of place. The intended readershipof the series includes final-year undergraduates working on second languageacquisition projects, postgraduate students involved in second language acquisitionresearch, and researchers and teachers in general whose interests include a secondlanguage acquisition component.
This series brings together titles dealing with a variety of aspects of languageacquisition and processing in situations where a language or languages other than thenative language is involved. Second language is thus interpreted in its broadestpossible sense. The volumes included in the series all offer in their different ways, onthe one hand, exposition and discussion of empirical findings and, on the other, somedegree of theoretical reflection.
