Multilingualism

Abstract

Multilingualism is not the aberration or minority phenomenon supposed by many English speakers. Psychologists have investigated the effects of bilingualism on mental processes, while sociologists have treated bilingualism as an element in culture conflict and have looked at some of the consequences of linguistic heterogeneity as a societal phenomenon. This chapter discusses research based on the origins of multilingualism: causes and consequences; individual vs. societal bilingualism; language choice; language shift and death. The chapter concludes with observations about the changing character of multilingualism in the world today. Because languages and dialects are often potent symbols of class, gender, ethnic, and other kinds of differentiation, it is easy to think that language underlies conflict in multilingual societies. The study of the behavior of multilingual individuals and societies thus requires people to go beyond many of the concepts and analytical techniques presently used within linguistic theory designed for the description of monolinguals.

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