Multilingual Nations
Chapter 11
Bonvillain
India
• Enormous linguistic diversity
• History- Independence in 1947
– English importance
– Country’s official language
– Constitution protects the right to linguistic choice
• Standardization
– Effects of ‘modernization’
• Linguistic Minorities
– Mass communication promotes marginalization of minority
linguistic communities
– Circumstances favoring linguistic diversity include:
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Little to no job contacts with dominant language speakers
Low levels of formal education
Tendency for endogamous marriages
Lack of migration to other areas
Canada
• English and French are the official languages
(p.314)
• Situational Use
– By choosing one language over another, speakers
assert their identity and show their sensitivity to
their linguistic rights of others (p.317)
• Attitudes toward languages and speakers
– Speech accommodation theory (p.320)
The United States
• Language in the U.S.
• History
– 18thto mid 19th centuries- encouraged but not forced to
speak English by political leaders
– Later part of 19th cent. Attitudes changed
• Why? Effects of WWII
• Percentage of diversity (Figure 11.2, p.325)
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Spanish 28.1 million
Chinese 2million
Freench 1.6 million
German 1.4 million
Tagalo 1.2 million
Vientamese & Italian 1 million
Asian Pacific Isalnd 7 million
Native American 332,000 people
The United States (cont.)
• Puerto Rican Speakers in New York City
– Young males may also speak AAVE
– Women are more likely to retain Spanish
• Bilingual Education
– Transitional- model oriented toward assimilation
– 1974 U.S. Supreme Court landmark decision in Lau vs.
Nichols
• 20 +children would require bilingual program
• Controversy of bilingual education?
• Test & Results
Native American Languages
• Native Americans have resided in this nation for
centuries- True “Nativism”
• Indigenous languages represent diversity
• 1990 U.S. Census reported 332,000 speakers (at
home)
• The Native American Language Act (p.335)
– Encourage Native American language as mediums
for instruction…(p.335)
• 1887 Indian Schools- purpose and effects?
• Continuity and perseverance of Native
Americans
Key Points
Immigration & the Latino Threat lecture
• Anchor babies
• Latino Quebec- (sleeping giant analogy)
• Media’s biased representations
• No historical context
• Hate Speech
– i.e. American History X
• Multiculturalism