A-2 English Name:_______________________

Language & Culture: Bilingualism

Sociolinguistics, Chapter 6: “Societal Multilingualism”

1. What is more common—monolingual societies, or multilingual societies? (p. 51)

2. Why (related to question #1)?

3. What are 6-8 reasons that multi-lingual societies have come to exist? (pp. 51-55)

4. What is “the most common result of this language contact”?

5. What is language loyalty? (p. 55)

6. What are some differences between attempts to preserve or revive Irish in Ireland, and attempts to preserve or revive Hebrew, in Israel and among the world’s Jews? (p. 56)

7. What are some other examples of trying to reverse language shift in the world? (Can you think of any others that are not in the book?) (p. 57)

8. There are lots of “markers of ethnic identity,” says the book, “such as food or clothing or religion.” But what is the special role of language? (p. 57)

9. Read the section on “Language and Politics” on page 58. Can you think of any other examples of politicians using language, or language issues? In Venezuela, in the US, or other places you’re familiar with?

10. What are some ways a dying language be saved? (pp. 59-60)

11. What’s the difference between a pidgin language and creole language? (pp. 61-62)

12. What is the controversy over Black English that has raged for over 30 years in the US? (pp. 62-63)

13. What are some cases of diglossia, and what does the term mean? (pp. 63-65)