Language choice

The next question we have to answer is: Who uses what language with whom and for what purposes?

One of the basic assumptions in sociolinguistics involving multilingual speech communities is that in heterogeneous speech community with varying degrees of linguistic diversity and social complexity speakers interact using different speech varieties, which are chosen not at random. These choices are determined by several factors in the social communicative system of the community.

All languages in the repertoire of a multilingual community are not equally distributed in terms of power prestige, vitality, or attitude. This phenomenon is referred to as the ASYMMETRIC PRINCIPLE OF MULTILINGUALISM. The languages in a multilingual community can be viewed as being arranged on a hierarchy. The position of a given language in this hierarchy is determined by pragmatic and political considerations. They depend on language planning and language policy. We’ll discuss these problems in our next lecture.

Language shift

Language shift occurs if increasing numbers of speakers of the less influential language succumb to the pressure of the dominant language. The language that was previously used in their homes and communities is supplanted from these domains by the dominant language.

For instance, younger speakers fail to acquire their parents’ language and instead grow up as monolingual speakers of the dominant language.

Language shift has been studied in many parts of the world. There are groups that have worked actively to stop the inevitable language shift that occurs when small endangered languages come into contact with larger powerful languages used by the dominant groups. Such activities aim at the REVERSING LANGUAGE SHIFT.