Multilingualism and Identity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Description

The analysis and understanding of multilingualism, and its relationship to identity in the face of globalization, migration and the increasing dominance of English as a lingua franca, makes it a complex and challenging problem that requires insights from a range of disciplines. With reference to a variety of languages and contexts, this book offers fascinating insights into multilingual identity from a team of world-renowned scholars, working from a range of different theoretical and methodological perspectives. Three overarching themes are explored - situatedness, identity practices, and investment - and detailed case studies from different linguistic and cultural contexts are included throughout. The chapter authors' consideration of 'multilingualism-as-resource' challenges the conception of 'multilingualism-as-problem', which has dogged so much political thinking in late modernity. The studies offer a critical lens on the types of linguistic repertoire that are celebrated and valued, and introduce the policy implications of their findings for education and wider social issues.

Wendy Ayres-Bennett is Professor of French Philology and Linguistics at the University of Cambridge. She specializes in the history of French, the history of linguistic thought and language policy, and is co-editor of The Cambridge Handbook of Language Standardization (2021). Linda Fisher is Professor of Languages Education at the University of Cambridge. She researches language learning, multilingual identity, teacher education and the academic and social integration of migrant learners.