Linguanomics: What is the Market Potential of Multilingualism?

by Gabrielle Hogan-Brun

Globalization, the Internet and an era of mass travel have combined to produce a world with a language mix on a huge scale. Linguanomics explains this multilingualism in a material, economic and cultural sense. What is the effect of this multilingualism on society, organizations and individuals? What are the economic benefits and drawbacks? Should we invest in language skills? Should there be interventionist policies, and if so, at what level? Should there be a global lingua mundi? The debate surrounding multilingualism is often clouded by emotion and misconception. With an analysis devoid of rhetoric, Gabrielle Hogan-Brun takes an objective look at this charged area. The result is Linguanomics : a major step towards a clearer understanding of the market potential of multilingualism, its benefits, costs and points of contention. Asking significant questions of profound concern to the future of global collaboration, Linguanomics is an essential guide to students, teachers, policy makers and politicians and anyone who cares about the role of language in the modern world.

Genres: Nonfiction

184 pages, Paperback

Published February 9, 2017

Reviews

[Mehrsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really like the book
I recommend it to everyone who wants to learn a new language to understand the applications of multi languages in ancient and modern world

[Hamzeh Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful analysis of the benefits of multilingualism. In today's ever more nationalistic and xenophobic times, the benefits of multiculturalism and language diversity seem lost to Trumpian introspection. This book offers an alternative viewpoint, with multiple examples of why we should embrace other languages instead of reject them. It is well written although a bit too academic in style - I imagine a more prosaic style would help this book get a wider reading as the content is by nature very academic already!

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had potential; I kept feeling the urge to write, "expand!" in the margins (like I was grading an essay). As is, this book lacks depth of thought. I did write down a few quotations, though, e.g. "Languages have come to figure as commodities, whether as conveyors of localization in niche markets or as technical skills in translation, as well as in merchandising their study abroad. As a tradable item, they have economic exchange value much like any other goods on the market" (124-125).

[Conor Joesph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting read with some useful insights, but it seemed to talk around a lot of the topics rather than go into the 'nitty-gritty'. This left me feeling I didn't have as much of an insight into the different topics discussed in each chapter than the author could have given. At times I also felt that some clear arguments were left out, or not given sufficient discussion. The style of writing made it difficult to read at times, it is very much written in an academic textbooks style.

[Martin Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Linguanomics offers a fresh insight into the economics of multilingualism, written by a linguist. Hogan-Brun guides us through the history of language and trade, language policy, and the importance of multilingualism for culture, business, and access to critical services (e.g. healthcare or legal advice).

This area is (unfortunately) critically understudied. However, Hogan-Brun brings us up to date with what we do know. Because of the relative lack of research on this topic (and perhaps also because of the author's own background in linguistics), the economics part of this book feels underdeveloped. Going forward, it would be great to see how linguistics and economics could be better integrated.

Nonetheless, I thought this book brought attention to key issues surrounding multilingualism and society's (often misguided) attitudes towards it. It highlights how multilingualism will continue to play a vital role in our globalising world. Importantly, it makes a convincing case for why we should continue to prioritise language education in the face of recent attacks.