Multilingualism: A Critical Perspective - Couverture rigide

Blackledge, Professor Adrian; Creese, Professor Angela

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 082649210X ISBN 13 : 9780826492104

Editeur : Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., 2009

Synopsis

What does it mean to young people to be multilingual? What do multilingual speakers' linguistic resources mean to them? Are they happy to discard their languages, and assimilate to English, or are there other issues at stake? Do communities set out to ensure that their languages are maintained and passed on to the next generation, and if so, how, and why? What if speakers appropriate and make use of linguistic resources not typically associated with their 'ethnic' or 'heritage' group? Is there consensus about the role and value of particular sets of linguistic resources, or is this contested, and negotiated? How do negotiations about linguistic resources and identities play out in institutional contexts, and what language practices are used in these negotiations? Adrian Blackledge and Angela Creese address these questions, taking a critical perspective to examine issues such as nationalism, heritage, culture, identity negotiation, ideology and power. They offer responses from their detailed investigations of the language practices of multilingual young people and their teaching experiences in complementary schools in four cities in England. As a comprehensive examination of the issues surrounding multilingualism, it will be essential reading for advanced students and researchers of sociolinguistics and multilingualism.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

This title examines the role of nationalism, heritage, culture, identity negotiation, ideology and power in multilingualism. What does it mean to young people to be multilingual? What do multilingual speakers' linguistic resources mean to them? Are they happy to discard their languages, and assimilate to English, or are there other issues at stake? Do communities set out to ensure that their languages are maintained and passed on to the next generation, and if so, how, and why? What if speakers appropriate and make use of linguistic resources not typically associated with their 'ethnic' or 'heritage' group? Is there consensus about the role and value of particular sets of linguistic resources, or is this contested, and negotiated? How do negotiations about linguistic resources and identities play out in institutional contexts, and what language practices are used in these negotiations? Adrian Blackledge and Angela Creese address these questions, taking a critical perspective to examine issues such as nationalism, heritage, culture, identity negotiation, ideology and power. They offer responses from their detailed investigations of the language practices of multilingual young people and their teaching experiences in complementary schools in four cities in England. As a comprehensive examination of the issues surrounding multilingualism, it will be essential reading for advanced students and researchers of sociolinguistics and multilingualism. Since the emergence of sociolinguistics as a new field of enquiry in the late 1960s, research into the relationship between language and society has advanced almost beyond recognition. In particular, the past decade has witnessed the considerable influence of theories drawn from outside of sociolinguistics itself. Thus rather than see language as a mere reflection of society, recent work has been increasingly inspired by ideas drawn from social, cultural, and political theory that have emphasised the constitutive role played by language/discourse in all areas of social life. "The Advances in Sociolinguistics" series seeks to provide a snapshot of the current diversity of the field of sociolinguistics and the blurring of the boundaries between sociolinguistics and other domains of study concerned with the role of language in society.

Revue de presse

'The book has a very clear structure that would make the reading accessible even to a reader who does not have a detailed knowledge of this field... I think this book should be of interest to a large group of people interested in the intersection of language, sociology, and culture. It should work for both researchers and advanced students as a way to acquaint oneself with the more recent work in the field. I also think it would probably work in an introductory course to multilingualism for students.' --The Linguist List, 5th Jan 2011

'Explaining complex bilingual phenomena in a pluralistic, multilingual, and fluid modern society is not a simple task. The authors are to be commended for their critical perspective, their ability to crystallize complex processes into coherent and clear prose, and their unending commitment to constantly re-examining the language practices they see unfolding before them.' --Multilingua, March 2011

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
• Date d'édition: 2009
• ISBN 10: 082649210X
• ISBN 13: 9780826492104
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 272