Multilingual Societies
Course code
KOI7055.FK
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Mitmekeelsed ühiskonnad
Course title in English
Multilingual Societies
ECTS credits
3.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2023/2024 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
The purpose of this course is to explore theories and practices of multilingualism at the broadest levels of society. Themes to be covered include discourses and ideologies about multilingualism across societies; the relationship between individual and societal multilingualism; multilingualism in particular domains such as government, the media, and the workplace. To the extent possible, students will interact with agents of multilingualism in communities and engage in small-scale empirical research about multilingualism in their own context.
Brief description of the course
After a brief introduction to this intensive course (including overview, requirements and assignments), the following topics will be covered:
1. Historical perspectives of language contact
2. Old and new linguistic minorities
3. Patterns of societal multilingualism
4. Individual multilingualism
5. The interplay between individual and societal multilingualism
6. Revitalisation of endangered languages
7. Flexible vs. fixed multilingualism
8. Mother-tongue education or literacy bridges?
9. Heritage language education
10. Family language policy
1. Historical perspectives of language contact
2. Old and new linguistic minorities
3. Patterns of societal multilingualism
4. Individual multilingualism
5. The interplay between individual and societal multilingualism
6. Revitalisation of endangered languages
7. Flexible vs. fixed multilingualism
8. Mother-tongue education or literacy bridges?
9. Heritage language education
10. Family language policy
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- is able to critically discuss and analyse terms, principles, theories and practices of multilingualism in society as presented in the literature;
- can compare and contrast multilingual language practices in other countries/regions of the world with their own;
- is able to describe a speech community in a multilingual society in a multifaceted, in-depth manner;
- can engage in a small-scale primary research project on multilingualism in the European context.
- is able to critically discuss and analyse terms, principles, theories and practices of multilingualism in society as presented in the literature;
- can compare and contrast multilingual language practices in other countries/regions of the world with their own;
- is able to describe a speech community in a multilingual society in a multifaceted, in-depth manner;
- can engage in a small-scale primary research project on multilingualism in the European context.
Teacher
Piotr Romanowski