Cambridge Multilingualism and Language in Education - The Cambridge Education Research Series

Multilingualism and Language in Education: Sociolinguistic and Pedagogical Perspectives

Author: Androula Yiakoumetti

In today’s world – one characterised by globalisation, transnationalism, transmigration and super-diversity – there exists an urgent need to critically examine language in education, language policies, the role of English and linguistic diversity.

This explores language issues in the linguistically-diverse settings of Commonwealth countries, alongside supporting reports into the way these issues have been addressed in the United States. Countries within the Commonwealth provide some of the most instructive instances of language use as instruments of empowerment and oppression, cultural liberation, religious evangelism, and as a tool to unify, isolate and/or separate ethnic groups.

The volume argues in favour of multilingualism and multiculturalism. The authors argue that, in order to optimise language education in linguistically-diverse settings often characterised by language power relations, both low-status and traditionally-prestigious languages should be used concurrently in education. 

Features:

• Brings together numerous unique studies from around the world that evaluate the effects of incorporating linguistic diversity into formal education
• Identifies common findings as well as a meta-analytical overview.