The Many Faces of Multilingualism

Multilingualism has become an increasingly common global phenomenon especially in the last two decades. Therefore, multilingual programmes have now been regarded as a cornerstone of education systems in many countries around the world. Learning multiple languages helps us plug into a globalised world and strengthen links with a multitude of speakers from a diversified reality we live in. Thanks to the researched cases described in the chapters, further developments aimed at fostering multilingual practices in the contemporary world will be enhanced. The chapters included in the present volume, provide an overview of current theory, research and practice in the field. They deal with such prominent research topics as multilingual education, language policies, language contact, identity of multilingual speakers, to name only a few. The selected chapters focus on the numerous and heterogeneous relations between languages. They also incorporate a series of contextualized studies with diverse research designs applied in different settings across the globe. This volume constitutes a pivotal reference source for the latest scholarly material on multilingualism from twelve different countries. It is a thought-provoking collection that provides a series of rich insights into the way multilingualism is practised in international contexts. It is ideally designed for academics, upper-level students, educators, professionals and practitioners seeking linguistic and pedagogical guidance on multilingualism.

"The chapters included in this volume describe and analyse visions and realities of multilingual education and explore it as a societal resource. This collection has a multi-level nature that addresses not only a current pedagogical effort to develop multilingualism through schools and in higher education, but also in taking a zoom at multilingual speakers, their identities and their languages in contact and their language maintenance. Last but not least, the book is oriented not only on multilingualism in the Western society but it also sheds a light on its nature in Africa, Asia and South America." Mila Schwartz, Oranim Academic College, Israel

"This book covers a wide range of topics that are attracting substantial attention in the applied linguistics field. There are a number of real-world examples that will add information to the ongoing discussions. Given his experience and large international network, Prof. Romanowski is well placed to bring these topics and authors together, and he will be able to draw general lines of research and applications in education." Kees de Bot, University of Groningen, The Netherlands