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BSE 101 Bilingualism & Multilingualism  Most of the people in the world acquire more than one language. Simultaneous bilingualism occurs when the child acquires two or more language...

BSE 101 Bilingualism & Multilingualism  Most of the people in the world acquire more than one language. Simultaneous bilingualism occurs when the child acquires two or more languages from birth. This occurs when more than one language is spoken in the household.  Sequential bilingualism occurs when the child acquires a second language having begun to acquire the first language. The context of language acquisition that leads naturally to distinguishing between "informal" bilinguals, who acquire their languages outside of formal settings like schools, imitating the natural processes of acquiring the mother tongue, and "formal" bilinguals, who generally learn the language in schools or similar settings. Multilingualism occurs when a child has complete competence and mastery in another language. The speaker would presumably have complete knowledge and control over the language so as to sound native. Diglossia, Code Switching, Calquing When all speakers are multilingual, linguists classify the community according to the functional distribution of the languages involved: DIGLOSSIA, AMBILINGUALISM, and BIPART-LINGUALISM 1. DIGLOSSIA: if there is a structural functional distribution of the languages involved, the society is termed 'diglossic'. Typical diglossic areas are those areas in Europe where a regional language is used in informal, usually oral, contexts, while the state language is used in more formal situations. Frisia (with Frisian and German or Dutch) and Lusatia (with Sorbian and German) are well-known examples. Some writers limit diglossia to situations where the languages are closely related, and could be considered dialects of each other. This can also be observed in Scotland where, in formal situations. 2. AMBILINGUALISM: a region is called ambilingual if this functional distribution is not observed. In a typical ambilingual area it is nearly impossible to predict which language will be used in a given setting. True ambilingualism is rare. Ambilingual tendencies can be found in small states with multiple heritages like Luxembourg, which has a combined Franco-Germanic heritage, or Malaysia and Singapore, which fuses the cultures of Malays, China, and India. Ambilingualism also can manifest in specific regions of larger states that have both a clearly dominant state language and a protected minority language that is limited in terms of distribution of speakers within the country. This tendency is especially pronounced when, even though the local language is widely spoken, there is a reasonable assumption that all citizens speak the predominant state tongue (e.g., English in Quebec vs. Canada; Spanish in Catalonia vs. Spain). This phenomenon can also occur in border regions with many cross-border contacts. 3. BIPART-LINGUALISM: if more than one language can be heard in a small area, but the large majority of speakers are monolinguals, who have little contact with speakers from neighboring ethnic groups, an area is called 'bipart-lingual'. Code-Switching 03 Handout Bilingualism & Multilingualism *Property of STI WNU PAGE 1 OF 2  BSE 101 People often consciously and deliberately consider the social meaning of their speech when they change from one manner of speaking to another in order to give an appropriate expression. Calquing Calque is a word whose meaning has been affected by a foreign word with partly overlapping sense is called Calque. The process of which using the term from these combinations is called calquing. Lingua Franca When people who speak different languages come in contact with each other, they need to find a way to communicate. Contact Languages Lingua Franca. Lingua Franca is a common language used for business and other communication needs by people speaking different first languages. Pidgins. But where there was no common language to rely on, simplified languages developed for use in specific interactions, such as business, service, and trade. These languages are referred to as pidgin languages. First of all, they get a large part of their vocabulary from the dominant or superstrate language. But they get many of their syntactic qualities from the subordinate or substrate language. Creoles. When a pidgin language is passed on to the next generation and becomes the first language of the community, it is then called a creole language. Nativization. When a language that had not been anyone’s native language becomes the native language for a generation of speakers, the process is called nativization. 03 Handout Bilingualism & Multilingualism *Property of STI WNU PAGE 2 OF 2