Defining Multilingualism
Top Cited Papers
- 1 March 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Annual Review of Applied Linguistics
- Vol. 33, 3-18
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s026719051300007x
Abstract
This article looks at the definitions and scope of multilingualism and the different perspectives used in its study. Multilingualism is a very common phenomenon that has received much scholarly attention in recent years. Multilingualism is also an interdisciplinary phenomenon that can be studied from both an individual and a societal perspective. In this article, several dimensions of multilingualism are considered, and different types of multilingualism are discussed. The article summarizes the themes researched in various areas of the study of multilingualism such as neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, linguistics, education, sociolinguistics, and language policy. These areas look at language acquisition and language processing as well as the use of different languages in social contexts and adopt a variety of research methodologies. The last section of the article compares monolingual and holistic perspectives in the study of multilingualism, paying special attention to new approaches developed in the past few years that argue for establishing more fluid boundaries between languages.Keywords
This publication has 45 references indexed in Scilit:
- Metrolingualism: fixity, fluidity and language in fluxInternational Journal of Multilingualism, 2010
- Dual and multilanguage systemsInternational Journal of Multilingualism, 2010
- Translanguaging in the Bilingual Classroom: A Pedagogy for Learning and Teaching?The Modern Language Journal, 2010
- To be or not to be … a plurilingual speakerInternational Journal of Multilingualism, 2009
- Introduction – French voices on plurilingualism and pluriculturalism: theory, significance and perspectivesInternational Journal of Multilingualism, 2009
- A DST Model of Multilingualism and the Role of Metalinguistic AwarenessThe Modern Language Journal, 2008
- Multilingualism as a New Linguistic DispensationInternational Journal of Multilingualism, 2008
- Review article: The imaging of what in the multilingual mind?Second Language Research, 2008
- Bilingualism: Four Assumptions and Four ResponsesInnovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 2007
- Bilingualism, Aging, and Cognitive Control: Evidence From the Simon Task.Psychology and Aging, 2004