UNDERSTANDING
MULTILINGUALISM
Lesson 1
Globalization has immensely bolstered
interconnectedness between and among
nations, people and cultures. As a result
communities come in contact more often,
which makes multilingualism as the norm
of the present world
In a biblical literature, it is said that
the world originally had ‘one shared
language’ until the “Tower of Babel”.
The story (from Genesis) began with
the people of Babel attempting to build
a tower that would reach heaven to
prove that they can reach it on their
own, Such arrogance greatly
displeased God that He deliberately
created multiple languages so that the
people building the tower will not
understand one another and it will be
impossible to finish the tower.
QUESTIONS:
Imagine that you live in a world where
there is only one language. What do
you think will happen?
How will our world be different from
what it is now?
Whether the story of the Tower of Babel is true or
not, the multiplicity of languages in the world is
definitely real. Also known as “linguistic
diversity”, the multitude of language that exist at
present approximately at 6,000-7,000 language
worldwide (UNESCO, Education in a Multilingual
World, 2003). With the exception of Iceland – the
only country that is legitimately identified as
linguistically homogenous or monolingual –
multilingual is a rule.
Multilingualism is a natural phenomenon. Cenoz
(2013), on her article on “Defining Multilingualism”
clearly presented the concept of multilingualism and
its inevitability as a phenomenon.
WHY IS MULTILINGUALISM A
COMMON PHENOMENON?
Because there are more languages in the world (almost 7000) than
countries. It follows that a significant number of speakers have more than
one language;
b. Because languages are :unevenly distributed’; speakers of the minority
language groups need to learn and use the language of the majority groups;
c. Because we have immigrants who speak their first language and who
need to acquire and speak that language of the host (or new) country; and
d. Because we learn additional languages, like English, for better social
and economic opportunities
In the article, Cenoz (2013) also identified three
major factors that have contributed to the “visibility of
multilingualism”;
1. Globalization - the word used to describe the
growing interdependence of the world's economies,
cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-
border trade in goods and services, technology, and
flows of investment, people, and information.
2. Transitional mobility of the population, and
3. The spread of new technologies
Phillipson and Skutnabb-Kangas, they
comprehensively explained the need for
linguistic diversity on their book chapter,
“Politics and Policies of Language and
Language Teaching” here are some of the key
points they presented on why linguistic
diversity is needed:
a. Languages are “libraries of the intangible heritage of
humankind”. Human knowledge, history, and experiences
are encoded and stored in languages.
b. Languages reflect an individual and a community’s
culture, tradition and heredity.
c. Diversity in languages and cultures results in more ideas
and creativity for communities to collectively adapt to the
changing world and find solutions to new issues that arise.
d. The significance of linguistic diversity was compared with
ecological diversity where diversity is directly related to
stability, which is important for long0term survival.
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!
ASSIGNMENT
Browse the internet
[Link] .com/
How multilingual is the Philippines?
ASSIGNMENT: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
QUESTIONS.
What is the final count of established languages in the
Philippines, as of date?
Browse through the listed Philippine languages. Identify
at least five languages that are unfamiliar to you.
As a person, what language do you wish more to learn
and speak here in the Philippines. Why do you choose that
language?
