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This book is an authoritative account of multilingualism in the present era, a phenomenon affecting a vast number of communities, thousands of languages and millions of language users. The book's focus is specifically on the knowledge and use of multiple languages, but its treatment of the topic is very wide-ranging. It deals with both bilingualism and polyglottism, at the level of the individual speaker as well as at the societal level. The volume addresses not only linguistic facets of multilingualism but also multilingualism's cultural, sociological, educational, and psychological dimension

How do children and adults become multilingual? How do they use their languages? What influence does being multilingual have on their identities? What is the social impact of multilingualism today and how do societies accommodate it? These are among the fascinating questions examined by this book. Exploring multilingualism in individuals and in society at large, Stavans and Hoffmann argue that it evolves not from one factor in particular, but from a vast range of environmental and personal influences and circumstances: from migration to globalisation, from the spread of English to a revived interest in minority languages, from social mobility to intermarriage. The book shows the important role of education in helping to promote or maintain pupils' multilingual language competence and multilingual literacy, and in helping to challenge traditional monolingual attitudes. A clear and incisive account of this growing phenomenon, it is essential reading for students, teachers and policy-makers alike

This thesis is a qualitative sociolinguistic study of multilingualism and multilingual practices in the country of Luxembourg. Multilingualism is studied as a natural human state or phenomenon, which allows for a deeper understanding of underlying social structures in a given society. The research is based on five approximately one-hour long sociolinguistic interviews with respondents of different nationalities who are long-term residents in Luxembourg, which means that they have been living there for more than six months. The respondents include a Luxembourgish high-school student, a Kuwaiti student at university, a Portuguese official at the European Parliament, a Hungarian head of service at the European Parliament and a Danish translator at the European Parliament. The diversity of the respondents is meant to represent the diversity of the Luxembourgish society and their answers highlight and expose experiences, practices and conflicts which are not visible from the dominant perspective of the idealistic trilingualism. This view focuses on French, German and Luxembourgish and on the portion of the population which speaks these three languages, while marginalizing many recent and historical changes in population structure and the organization of the professional and public sphere in Luxembourg. The aim of this thesis is to expand the observation of multilingualism in Luxembourg to the relevant social aspects, i.e. to question the apparent highly functional multilingualism and analyze its challenges, as well as its positive features. The results are divided into several categories based on how they reflect the various aspects of the dynamics of multilingualism in Luxembourg. These are the demographics and the history of Luxembourg, multilingual education, the presence of EU institutions, the international linguae francae (such as English associated with large international companies and French associated with border workers), the expat environment and minorities and finally, language conflict and ...

This resource book for students introduces the main concepts of multilingualism and provides a wide range of definitions revealing the complex nature of the phenomenon. It also provides knowledge on historical developments, linguistic and cultural changes and emphasizes the historical relevance to the present situation in Europe. The documentation on the EU policy on multilingualism is critically evaluated while placing policy issues in the context of national and institutional perspectives. The resource book for students explores the economic value of languages and the impact of global English as well as the role of other "big" languages in Europe and the world. The case studies of different European countries/ cities provide deeper knowledge and develop understanding of political, educational, economic and socio-cultural aspects of multilingualism. These aspects are highlighted by examining cultural and socio-political factors that may influence or even determine minority/ migrant language loss, their development or maintenance. Finally, it provides an analysis of challenges for the educational sector and the schooling of multilingual children.

This resource book for students introduces the main concepts of multilingualism and provides a wide range of definitions revealing the complex nature of the phenomenon. It also provides knowledge on historical developments, linguistic and cultural changes and emphasizes the historical relevance to the present situation in Europe. The documentation on the EU policy on multilingualism is critically evaluated while placing policy issues in the context of national and institutional perspectives. The resource book for students explores the economic value of languages and the impact of global English as well as the role of other "big" languages in Europe and the world. The case studies of different European countries/ cities provide deeper knowledge and develop understanding of political, educational, economic and socio-cultural aspects of multilingualism. These aspects are highlighted by examining cultural and socio-political factors that may influence or even determine minority/ migrant language loss, their development or maintenance. Finally, it provides an analysis of challenges for the educational sector and the schooling of multilingual children.

This resource book for students introduces the main concepts of multilingualism and provides a wide range of definitions revealing the complex nature of the phenomenon. It also provides knowledge on historical developments, linguistic and cultural changes and emphasizes the historical relevance to the present situation in Europe. The documentation on the EU policy on multilingualism is critically evaluated while placing policy issues in the context of national and institutional perspectives. The resource book for students explores the economic value of languages and the impact of global English as well as the role of other "big" languages in Europe and the world. The case studies of different European countries/ cities provide deeper knowledge and develop understanding of political, educational, economic and socio-cultural aspects of multilingualism. These aspects are highlighted by examining cultural and socio-political factors that may influence or even determine minority/ migrant language loss, their development or maintenance. Finally, it provides an analysis of challenges for the educational sector and the schooling of multilingual children.

"This innovative collection explores critical issues in understanding multilingualism as a defining dimension of identity creation and negotiation in contemporary social life. Reinforcing interdisciplinary conversations on these themes, each chapter is co-authored by two different researchers, often those who have not written together before. The combined effect is a volume showcasing unique and dynamic perspectives on such topics as rethinking of language policy, testing of language rights, language pedagogy, meaning-making, and activism in the linguistic landscape. The book explores multilingualism through the lenses of spaces and policies as embodied in Elizabeth Lanza's body of work in the field, with a focus on the latest research on linguistic landscapes in diverse settings. Taken together, the book offers a window into better understanding issues around processes of change in and of languages and societies. This groundbreaking volume will be of particular interest to students and scholars in multilingualism, applied linguistics, and sociolinguistics"--

"This innovative collection explores critical issues in understanding multilingualism as a defining dimension of identity creation and negotiation in contemporary social life. Reinforcing interdisciplinary conversations on these themes, each chapter is co-authored by two different researchers, often those who have not written together before. The combined effect is a volume showcasing unique and dynamic perspectives on such topics as rethinking of language policy, testing of language rights, language pedagogy, meaning-making, and activism in the linguistic landscape. The book explores multilingualism through the lenses of spaces and policies as embodied in Elizabeth Lanza's body of work in the field, with a focus on the latest research on linguistic landscapes in diverse settings. Taken together, the book offers a window into better understanding issues around processes of change in and of languages and societies. This groundbreaking volume will be of particular interest to students and scholars in multilingualism, applied linguistics, and sociolinguistics"--

Institutional multilingualism is most often associated with large intergovernmental institutions such as the European Union and the United Nations. Multilingualism in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), however, has remained invisible to a large extent. Yet these organisations have been identified as very powerful in world politics in the globalised 21st century. Like international governmental organisations (IGOs), they operate across linguistic and language borders. This raises the questions if NGOs actually use language and translation in the same way as IGOs. This article examines Amnesty International as a case study and explores what official multilingualism means for this organisation, how it is reflected in its language policy, and how it is put into practice. By gaining insight into the particular case of Amnesty International, this article aims to make a contribution to institutional translation studies.