The rise of global mobility has had a deep impact on the study of urban multilingualism. Once associated with research on minority speech communities and inner-city ethnolinguistic enclaves (Chinatowns, Little Italies, etc), it is now concerned much more with the use of multiple languages in diverse neighbourhoods across the city. In this book the authors take an innovative approach that builds on previously published work in two ways. First, it focuses on a single city and, second, it adopts a multidisciplinary approach to multilingualism. By examining the phenomenon of multilingualism in a single city from a range of perspectives this book paints a more comprehensive picture of the current dimensions of urban multilingualism. A unique feature of this book is the inclusion of contributions from scholars with expertise in education, geography, media, health communication and international studies, in addition to community practitioners. Sydney is the largest city in Australia and, on most counts, it is also among the most linguistically diverse cities in the world. As such it is an ideal site for a multidisciplinary study of urban multilingualism. The selection of 18 multidisciplinary case studies on multilingualism in Sydney, Australia represents some of the strongest and most innovative research on urban multilingualism in the world today. This book examines how multilingualism permeates institutional and everyday practice in the city, raising important questions about what a 'multilingual city' can and should be.

About the Author

Alice Chik is Senior Lecturer in Educational Studies and co-ordinator of the Macquarie University Multilingualism Research Group. Her research examines languages learning in digital environments. She is especially interested in exploring how language learners construct and direct their autonomous learning in informal contexts.

Phil Benson is Professor of Applied Linguistics at Macquarie University. His main research interests in multilingualism are in language learning environments, language experiences of migrants and international students, and linguistic landscapes.

Robyn Moloney is Senior Lecturer in Educational Studies at Macquarie University. Her teaching and research interests include language teacher education and pedagogy, the language issues within multiculturalism, teachers' narratives, intercultural competences in teacher education and Chinese language education.

Reviews

'This volume dedicated to Sydney as a multilingual city is long overdue and very welcome. It brings together local experts and a range of thoughtfully organized contributions that cover wide but always relevant territory. This highly accessible book is a valuable contribution to our understanding not only of language diversity in Sydney but also of the diversity of multilingualism itself.' - Professor John Hajek, Research Unit for Multilingualism and Cross-cultural Communication (RUMACCC), University of Melbourne, Australia

'Today there is growing attention to the role of global cities in chains and networks of multilingual communication. Relative to their hinterlands urban conglomerations have always been characterized by dense professional and commercial differentiation but today the ethnic and linguistic complexity of great cities has expanded dramatically under the conditions of contemporary globalization. Global cities are much more than their links to immediate hinterland and surrounding nation; instead they are veritable containers of the social futures of humanity. Increasingly cities are tied together beyond their geography, by instantaneous communication technologies, into bonds of emotion, family diasporas, commercial networks and financial chains. Sydney is one such great metropolis. It is present everywhere through its people's dense links of talk and writing all across the globe. This excellent volume puts Sydney on the map of the networked, multilingual cosmopolitan space, a unique container of the languages, cultures and identities of humanity.' - Joseph Lo Bianco, Professor of Language and Literacy Education, University of Melbourne

'Chik, Benson and Moloney have put together a fascinating account of the linguistic diversity in the cosmopolitan centre of Sydney. Topics covered in the volume include linguistic landscape, popular music and media, language learning, language ideologies, and models of bilingual practices in speech and language pathology. The theoretical and methodological implications of the studies in this volume are far reaching and go well beyond the shores of Australia.' - Li Wei, Chair of Applied Linguistics, University College London

'This volume dedicated to Sydney as a multilingual city is long overdue and very welcome. It brings together local experts and a range of thoughtfully organized contributions that cover wide but always relevant territory. This highly accessible book is a valuable contribution to our understanding not only of language diversity in Sydney but also of the diversity of multilingualism itself.' - Professor John Hajek, Research Unit for Multilingualism and Cross-cultural Communication (RUMACCC), University of Melbourne

'Today there is growing attention to the role of global cities in chains and networks of multilingual communication. Relative to their hinterlands urban conglomerations have always been characterized by dense professional and commercial differentiation but today the ethnic and linguistic complexity of great cities has expanded dramatically under the conditions of contemporary globalization. Global cities are much more than their links to immediate hinterland and surrounding nation; instead they are veritable containers of the social futures of humanity. Increasingly cities are tied together beyond their geography, by instantaneous communication technologies, into bonds of emotion, family diasporas, commercial networks and financial chains. Sydney is one such great metropolis. It is present everywhere through its people's dense links of talk and writing all across the globe. This excellent volume puts Sydney on the map of the networked, multilingual cosmopolitan space, a unique container of the languages, cultures and identities of humanity.' - Joseph Lo Bianco, Professor of Language and Literacy Education, University of Melbourne

'Chik, Benson and Moloney have put together a fascinating account of the linguistic diversity in the cosmopolitan centre of Sydney. Topics covered in the volume include linguistic landscape, popular music and media, language learning, language ideologies, and models of bilingual practices in speech and language pathology. The theoretical and methodological implications of the studies in this volume are far reaching and go well beyond the shores of Australia.' - Li Wei, Chair of Applied Linguistics, University College London

Book Information
ISBN 9781138592667
Author Alice Chik
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 385g