Critical Inquiries In The Sociolinguistics Of Globalization

The studies in this collection seek to examine the notions of ‘linguistic diversity’ and ‘hybridity’ through the lenses of new critical theories and theoretical frameworks embedded within the broader discussion of the sociolinguistics of globalization. The chapters include critical inquiries into online/offline languages in society, language users, language learners and language teachers who may operate ‘between’ languages and are faced with decisions to navigate, negotiate and invent or re-invent languages, local and global and virtual spaces. The research took place in contexts that include linguistic landscapes, schools, classrooms, neighborhoods and virtual spaces of Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, South Korea and the USA.

The volume explores the social, cultural, and historical forms of “language” that have come to be associated with “Asia” as a global phenomenon and their implications for better understanding the contemporary linguistic and political landscape in Asias. The book examines the flows of migration, people, cultures, and language resources within, across, through, to, and from Asias in tandem with social, political, and ideological factors, drawing on case studies of global iterations of a wide range of Asian national and cultural imaginaries. In so doing, the volume builds on the growing body of scholarship on the sociolinguistics of globalization in its critical inquiries into the linguistic and cultural practices that have come to be constitutive of national or supranational localities toward unpacking the forces of globalization more broadly. This book will be of particular interest to students and scholars interested in sociolinguistics, multilingualism, linguistic anthropology, Asian Studies, and Asian American studies.

Human language has changed in the age of globalization: no longer tied to stable and resident communities, it moves across the globe, and it changes in the process. The world has become a complex 'web' of villages, towns, neighbourhoods and settlements connected by material and symbolic ties in often unpredictable ways. This phenomenon requires us to revise our understanding of linguistic communication. In The Sociolinguistics of Globalization Jan Blommaert constructs a theory of changing language in a changing society, reconsidering locality, repertoires, competence, history and sociolinguistic inequality.

The Handbook of Language and Globalization brings together important new studies of language and discourse in the global era, consolidating a vibrant new field of sociolinguistic research. The first volume to assemble leading scholarship in this rapidly developing field Features new contributions from 36 internationally-known scholars, bringing together key research in the field and establishing a benchmark for future research Comprehensive coverage is divided into four sections: global multilingualism, world languages and language systems; global discourse in key domains and genres; language, values and markets under globalization; and language, distance and identities Covers an impressive breadth of topics including tourism, language teaching, social networking, terrorism, and religion, among many others Winner of the British Association for Applied Linguistics book prize 2011

This book questions what culture is and what it is assumed to 'look like' in the context of globalization.

This book seeks to contribute to the critical applied linguistics by investigating the dynamic role of English on social media, focusing on EFL university students in East Asia – Mongolia and Japan. Drawing on sets of Facebook data, the book primarily emphasizes that the presence of English on social media should be understood as ‘translingual’ not only due to its multiple recombinations of resources, genres, modes, styles, and repertories but also due to its direct connections with a broader socio-cultural, historical and ideological meanings. Secondly, EFL university students metalinguistically claim multiple ideologies of linguistic authenticities in terms of their usage of ‘translingual Englishes’ on social media as opposed to other colliding language ideologies such as linguistic purity and linguistic dystopia. The question of how they reclaim the notion of linguistic authenticity, however, profoundly differs, depending on their own often-diverse criteria, identities, beliefs, and ideas. This shows that mixing and mingling at its very core, the existence of ‘translingual Englishes’ on social media provides us with a significant view to accommodate the multiple co-existence and multiple origins of authenticity in the increasingly interconnected world. The book concludes the possibility of applying the ideas of ‘translingual Englishes’ on social media in critical EFL classroom settings, in their careful re-assessment of the complexity of contemporary linguistic experiences and beliefs of their EFL learners.

Drawing on sociolinguistic approaches, this book presents unique insights into a Japanese ethnic church community in Canada and the ways in which churches mediate issues of linguistic, cultural, and religious hybridity in addressing the needs of their diverse populations. The book integrates discourse analytic methods with ethnographic perspectives to explore the complex dynamics of negotiating their different members’ preferred language practices. The volume outlines the ways in which ethnic churches in this community build themselves around intentionally preferred Japanese language practices but make accommodations for English-language speakers in their own families, in turn making further accommodations for ESL student speakers new to the country. Barrett explores the impact of church members’ transcultural experiences in broader decisions around language planning and policy in these churches, shedding light on the distinct implications of hybrid identities on discourses in localized communities. // The volume will be of interest to scholars in sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and religious studies.