Defining and investigating monolingualism

It is frequently observed that bilingualism and multilingualism are more common in the world than monolingualism, and yet, as Romaine (1995) points out, it is rare to find a book with the title 'Monolingualism'. Linguistic theories have often assumed monolingualism to be the norm (Pav l e n ko, 2000), and this view is often held by individual monolinguals who are speakers of a dominant language such as English . This paper will review three representations of monolingualism in the applied linguistics literature. The first is as an unmarked case, against wh i c h bilingualism and multilingualism are set as the exception. The second representation is of monolingualism as a limitation on cog n i t ive, communicative, social and vocational potential . Perspectives from language policy documents in Australia are presented to illustrate the second representation. The third and most critical representation employ s metaphors of disease, sickness and disability to port r ay monolingualism as a p a t h o l ogical state (Skutnabb-Kangas, 2000a; Oller, 1997). This latter strand of literature critiques the influence of the monolingual perspectives held by those who wield authority in language policy and in education. The paper concludes with a call for the development of a framework within which to understand monolingualism and its social and educational effects. Key wo rd s: monolingualism, language ideolog y, language attitudes, English language teaching, hegemony.

2019

Intersections of Faith and Culture: AMERICAN Journal of Religious and Cultural Studies, 2023

This article provides an overview of theoretical studies on monolingualism, bilingualism, and trilingualism, examining their cognitive, linguistic, and sociocultural aspects. The research methodologies employed in these studies are explored, and the contributions of key researchers and their influential works in the field are discussed.

2012

The volume's number is 13 in John Benjamin's reputable series Hamburg Studies on Multilingualism. Defying superstition, the book with its Editors' Foreword, 25 chapters, name and subject indexes is a commendable enterprise. This excellent publication presents a stimulating panorama of research carried out by the Collaborative Research Center on "Multilingualism." The three main areas of investigation: (1) the acquisition of multilingualism, (2) historical aspects of multilinguals and variance, and (3) multilingual communications, are among the main foci of contemporary research on multilingualism. At present, the term multilingualism is a buzzword. A deluge of books, articles, and projects have appeared, and along with positive aspects of this long awaited change, sometimes the word multilingualism is used as an attraction in a book or article title, unsupported by the contents. Unlike those, this volume is really about multilingualism and its treatment of various linguistic phenomena goes beyond the monolingual paradigm.

Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht, 2002

In light of the continuing dichotomization between monolingualism and multilingualism this article looks at current examples of public and scientific discourse. It seeks to provide a critical profile of these debates on the basis of the pressing need to face the new national and global realities of multilingualism! The author, therefore, not only proposes specific areas of improvement in the field of multilingual research but also pushes for a paradigm shift in regard to the overall direction when dealing with issues regarding mono-and multilingualism.

International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2009

We have been taught and have taught for decades, that language is not set in concrete, that it is not immutable, that it is in constant flux and that it changes over time and space. Yet, when it comes to multilingualism, the focus seems to be solely on the threats to its diversity and maintenance, rather than on its ever-changing dynamics. This article aims to o¤er an analytical perspective on multilingualism as an evolving process, with new language combinations within individual language repertoires and the language profiles of speech communities and polities across generations and around the world.

This first chapter explores the shifts that have recently taken place as traditional understandings of language and bilingualism are transformed. After reflecting on views of language, the chapter introduces the concept of languaging, and follows its emergence among scholars and as it has developed in the sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic literature. The chapter then reviews traditional concepts of bilingualism, multilingualism and plurilingualism as they have been studied from monolingual perspectives that view them only as doubleor many-monolingualisms. It then reviews more dynamic views of these phenomena, arguing that to capture this complexity more is needed than the term languaging. It proposes translanguaging as a way to capture the fluid language practices of bilinguals without giving up the social construction of language and bilingualism under which speakers operate.