狾耐汁敢瑲畇-Bilingualism.pptVIP

Bilingualism Everybody knows what bilingual means; yet…as soon as we start trying to define the concept precisely, things get very complicated. This is not just hair splitting: if bilingualism is complex, it is because it is directly related to complex issues (Riley, 1986: 31). Four Questions What is a bilingual society? Where can they be found? What are the functions of and attitudes toward languages in bilingual societies? What is bilingualism? No one speaks the whole of a language ‘Stubs to can wall penetration welds’ are? ‘Injury and tort’ A ‘treble top’ Recognizing languages as different tools There are many definitions None is satisfactory One The mastery of two or more languages—bilingualism or multilingualism—is a special skill. Bilingualism and multilingualism are relative terms since individuals vary greatly in types and degrees of language proficiency (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1965). Two Bilingualism is native-like control of two languages…Of course, one cannot define a degree of perfection at which a good foreign speaker becomes a bilingual: the distinction is relative (L. Bloomfield, 1933). Three Bilingualism is understood…to begin at the point where the speaker of one language can produce complete, meaningful utterances in the other language (E. Haugen, 1953) Two Issues Bilingual individuals are part of a society --contact between speakers The relative nature of bilingualism --degrees of bilingualism Relative competence versus relative use. He speaks Swedish and Italian equally well. Versus He speaks Swedish and Italian everyday. Where can we find bilingual societies? Where there is contact between linguistic groups: ---political, economic (Examples: Mexico, USA) Historical and political changes: ---changing borders, (example: Alsace, France) Widespread bilingualism: Swahili, Tanzania Monolingual and bilingual countries Half the population Contradicts unilingualism absolute link to