Multilingualism

Multilingualism – or multilingualism – refers to the ability to speak or understand several (diverse) languages (Duden 2018). „These diverse languages include not only official languages, but also regional, minority, and sign languages, and even language varieties such as dialects“ (Riehl 2014, 9).

A concept of extreme vagueness

The (generic) term multilingualism simultaneously associates diverse forms of language acquisition in a person’s ontogeny as well as use in everyday life, work life, and institutions (cf. ibid., 9). Thus, in the German-speaking world, the terms multilingualism and bilingualism as well as polyglot are often used synonymously. This points to the fluidity and not clearly determined definition of the term (cf. Petersen 2014, 19). Rather, the concept of multilingualism is characterized by its definitional vagueness, as it encompasses „an infinite number of levels of communicative competence“ (Hernig 2005, 163).

Overall, multilingualism is identified by four definitional criteria:

Mode of acquisition.

Here, simultaneous as well as successive acquisition is referred to and differentiated in this way. The phases of life (e.g. childhood or adulthood) play a decisive role (cf. Lüdi/ Py 2017, 7; Riehl 2014, 11 f.).

Social conditions

This definition criterion distinguishes between individual, societal, and institutional multilingualism (cf. Riehl 2014, 12).

Competence

Oksaar’s definition of multilingualism (Oksaar 1980, 43) is often used and described as the level of competence: „I define multilingualism functionally. It presupposes that the multilingual can easily switch from one language to the other in most situations when necessary. The ratio of languages may well be different – in one, depending on the structure of the communicative act, including situations and topics, a less eloquent code may be used, in the other a more eloquent code“ (Lüdi/ Py 2017, 8).

Language constellations

This refers to the status of the languages involved. Multilingualism is characterized either starting from two (or more) fully developed cultural languages of international prestige, e.g. German-Russian, or from a language with a regional, communicative radius, as is the case with a dialect (cf. Lüdi/ Py 2017, 6; Riehl 2014, 16 f.).

From the myth of monolingualism

Multilingualism is often declared as something unique, while the monolingual habitus seems institutionally anchored. Yet in times of a globalizing society, monolingualism is rather to be considered a ‚rarity‘ (cf. Boschung/ Dietrich 2011, III; Riehl 2014, 9 f.). Natarajan even speaks of an invention of monolinguals: „It is evident in consequence until today that multilingualism and multilingualism are emphasized in the context of diversity and variety, but in the framework of the prevailing thinking one nevertheless concedes to each person only one language, that. Thus, the individual is not perceived as differently competent in multiple languages. The multilingual person thus lacks possibilities of identification, naming and description.“ (Ziese/ Gritschke 2016, 261)

Causes for multilingualism are mostly political (such as migration), economic or historical reasons. Furthermore, a distinction is made between natural or didactically mediated multilingualism.

Literature

Boschung, Dietrich/ Riehl, Claudia M. (Eds.) (2011): Historical multilingualism: workshop of the Center for Ancient Mediterranean Cultures (ZaKMiRa) and the Center for Language Diversity and Multilingualism (ZSM) at the University of Cologne, July 2008. Aachen: Shaker.

Duden (2018): Multilingualism | Spelling, Meaning, Definition. https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Mehrsprachigkeit [22.06.2018].

Hernig, Marcus (2005): German as a foreign language. An introduction. Wiesbaden: VS.

Lüdi, Georges/ Py, Bernard (2017): Bilingual through migration: introduction to the study of multilingualism using the example of two immigrant groups in Neuchâtel (Switzerland). Tübingen: Niemeyer.

Oksaar, Eis (1980): Multilingualism, language contact and language conflict. In: Nelde, Peter Hans (ed.): language contact and language conflict. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner.

Petersen, Inger (2014): Writing ability and multilingualism. Berlin: De Gruyter.

Riehl, Claudia M. (2014): Multilingualism: an introduction. Darmstadt: WBG.

Ziese, Maren/ Gritschke, Caroline (2016): Refugees and Arts Education. Formats and concepts for a new field of practice. Bielefeld: Transcript.