Multilingualism

Penguin Language & Linguistics

by John R. Edwards

Multilingualism, both in individuals and in societies, is interesting both from a linguistic and psychological viewpoint and of ever-present political importance. The extent of migration and immigration in the modern world is making multilingualism, both individual and social, increasingly common and of major impact, in politics and particularly in education, all over the world. This book covers all aspects of the subject, from the psychological impact on a child of being raised bilingual, to the political struggles to preserve - or suppress - minority languages and the relationship between nationalistic feeling and language.

Genres: Language, Linguistics, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

John Edwards teaches in the Department of Psychology at St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

   The idea, however, that expansion of the linguistic repertoire is unnecessary remains common among speakers of ‘large’ languages. Equally uncommon is ignorance of the scope of multilingualism, past and present, and of the powerful relationships between languages and all aspects of social and psychological life. – page 204

   But language is not nuclear physics and one could make a case – perhaps I have made one in some sections of this book – that it touches more lives more immediately. Even those linguists working in the most mysterious recesses of grammar and morphology have a potentially closer connection to the public than do latter-day Einsteins. – page 207

   Those pretty much sum up the heart of this book, I’d say. I’ve had this on my to-read list for quite some time (the physical one, on my bookshelf, where it stares at me and makes me feel guilty about having taken… several years to getting around to it – made all the worse by the fact that this was one of the few books I placed a sticker on the inside cover noting that this book belongs to “The miniature library of Stephanie Kuersten” before even reading it.). I brought it to France with me, thinking it could be useful for one of my classes, and yes it is – I’m using it as a basis to write my paper for my linguistic theory class. Which topic exactly I will pull out of it to discuss is still up in the air – this book covers so much material, and there are so many possible avenues to explore. I’m thinking I’ll do some additional research on some of the areas it brings up to see what I can supplement and therefore make a fuller paper on.

   One potential area would be how translation is treated in this book, in the context of multilingualism:
   On a more terrestrial plane, however, translation – with all its difficulties – is a fact of multilingual life. It is not, however, a simple or technical one. Apart from an almost useless word-for-word exercise, every act of translation involves interpretation and judgement [sic]. For this reason, it has sometimes been supposed that ‘true’ translation is impossible; however, although a perfect version which captures every nuance and allusion is rather unlikely – and becomes more so as the material to be translated becomes less prosaic – we have none the less translated, for practical purposes, throughout history. – page 48

   The essential question remains the same, from Cicero’s day to our own: does the literal version or the literary one come first, and how much freedom should the translator exercise? – page 51

   All of the above is very relevant to what I want to do in life as my career (translate novels, ideally), thus reassuring me that my struggle when I translate to find the mot juste is not unique to me, but rather innate in the very act of translating. How do you decide which nuances are present in the original, and which one or ones can you portray accurately in the translation? Is a translation something that merely echoes the original, or does the translator endeavor to make the sounds/mood/flavor of the original come through in the translation? How much of translation is/should be technical, and how much is/should be artful? Where does the balance lie?

   The fifth ‘clock’ -- frozen style – is used for declamation and, most commonly, is the form enshrined in print. It lacks participation and intonational clues and requires no social exchange between speaker (or writer) and listener (or reader). It necessitates care and planning, for one of its great advantages is that, when written, it can be reconsulted at will. A good frozen style lures us on, and this reminds us that not all written language has the same force, not every attempt to transmit formal knowledge is equally successful. The best frozen language can be thus equated with timeless literature. – page 80

   The above, by the way, I find Mr. Edwards accomplishes rather well throughout the book. Not only does he manage to impart information in an accessible and interesting manner, but he also sprinkles historic and humorous references throughout the book (select ones in below quote section). Therefore, though I do not have much background in reading linguistic texts excepting what I have been exposed to primarily in this linguistic theory course, I found it easy to read and follow, well-annotated with references at the back, and balanced with just enough information versus enough open-endedness to keep me reading and curious to know what else Mr. Edwards would have to say. It provides a good overview of multilingualism as well as its many different facets and forms, and makes for a good introduction not only into the study of multilingualism, but also into some of the many areas of linguistic theory by itself and how intertwined language is with culture, to the point of being inseparable:

   It is not only history that is written by the winners. It is not difficult to see that current unease in the literary world is but one manifestation of a more general desire to redress perceived social imbalances and inequities. Fueling this further is the apprehension that we have missed a great deal historically, that many writers and many works have been irretrievably lost through ignorance, neglect, and prejudice. – page 171

   Similarly, this is why I want to translate: I want to spread the information – the stories – of one language, one culture, one multitudinous society – to as many people as possible. It is but one of the many ways we can learn more about the lives and societies of others, whether real, fictional, or even fantastic, and expand our own understanding even if we do not have an interest in learning the language behind it. At the very least, some of the influence of that language, that culture, can come through in translations, and even a passive comprehension of an “other” can greatly increase our ability to empathize with others and find ways we are similar and can unite while still maintaining what makes us, well, us.

Additional Quotes:
    [Usage of not only language census, but also specialized studies:] However, it cannot be assumed that, even in the scholarly literature, one will always find disinterested assessment, for even scholars (should one say, especially scholars?) have esoteric axes to grind. – page 39

   When the space probe Voyager One was launched in 1977 it carried brief recorded greetings in fifty-five languages – but the chief message was from the Secretary-General of the United Nations (Kurt Waldheim), speaking for all the countries of the world, in English. It is a sobering thought that if intelligent beings were to listen to this, their conception of the global lingua franca would be based upon Austrian-accented British English. – page 41

    [Roughly from 1900 to 1920.] The story of the intelligence-testing movement itself, which flourished at this time, is a fascinating and detailed one, as well as an example of the misuse of ‘science’ allied to ignorance and prejudice. Suffice it to say here that the ‘objective’ intelligence tests of the time reflected a very culture-bound ideal and, consequently, immigrants – especially those who were non-white, non-English-speaking, non-northern European, non-educated and so on – did not fare well. […]One well-known studied concluded, for example, that ‘the use of a foreign language in the home is one of the chief factors in producing mental retardation.’ Incredible assertions like this are understandable only in their context but […]it is still chastening to think that such comments could appear in respected academic journals. This is not just a new-world disease either: recall that, at about the same time, famous scientists in the old world were gearing up for a full-scale denunciation of ‘Jewish science.’ – page 68

   Languages may die: are they murdered, or do they commit suicide? Writers have discussed linguistic demise in these very emotional terms and, one would expect, varying conclusions have been reached. – page 103

    [The English Plus movement] had its genesis in statements by the Spanish-American League Against Discrimination (SALAD – so now we have a salad-bowl to counter the melting pot) … -- page 168

   They struggled, as liberals often do, with the competing attractions of past and present, rural and urban, diversity and unity. – page 178

   While I believe that many of the generalities have a broad applicability I have, in making the selection just referred to [with a western bias and sometimes an anglophone one], naturally emphasized those settings, those examples which I am most familiar. I will no doubt hear about my limitations in this regard. – page 206 – I’d like to see the information expanded on, for sure – including more diverse world languages.

Typos:
The major features of language planing… -- page 173 – Should be language planning

Sasannach -- page 106 – But in Outlander, it’s spelled Sassenach…after a brief Google search, I’m seeing several different ways to spell the term anyways (Sassenach, Sasanach, etc.)

‘What will Mrs Grundy Say? What will Mrs Grundy think?’ – page 190 – “Say” should be lowercase: “say”

The intent of this book… -- page 209 – Given where on the previous page the previous sentence ends, this looks like it should be indented to its own new paragraph.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2012 version. Smug, but balanced in my opinion and an enjoyable read.

[lizeindisney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a set text on my university course, and provided an easy-to-read overview of the topic. Although I read it week-by-week, according to teaching weeks, I believe that it has been written simply enough to be read in a single sitting. It definitely helped me with my assignments and for getting a good and well-explained overview of the topic for my module.

[Mills College Library]

306.446 E2649 2012