Multilingualism is a natural phenomenon which has existed for centuries in all parts of the world where people and languages came in contact with one another. In Europe, however, from the end of the eighteenth century, the construct of the nation state and the principle of ‘one language, one state, one people’ brought with it Europe’s struggle with multilingualism and the pursuit of linguistic (and cultural) homogeneity, which has been the European doctrine in the last two centuries and has impelled a view of multilingualism as undesirable, as abnormal. However, in the latter part of the twentieth century and most certainly in the 21st monlingual ideology, its complex relationship with ethnicity, territorial and social unity have been questioned in view of the “new multilingualisms” which are emerging among people, in the city landscape, across countries, in education and the workplace.
Multilingualism has ideological, political and economic dimensions, as well as several institutional and scientific aspects. No single scientific field has the privilege of being the most appropriate for the study of multilingualism since sociology, psychology, the neurosciences, education, pedagogy and other fields of study have been contributing significantly to our understanding of multilingualism and there is no single method of research which is especially suitable to the nature of the phenomenon.
Recent research into issues regarding multilingualism is quite rich because it touches on a wide variety of diverse phenomena, which are linked to one another but which are distinct because they occur on three different levels, i.e., the individual, the social and the institutional, as defined below:
- Individual multilingualism refers to the ability of a person to use more than two languages rather fluently—though most persons are not equally proficient in the languages they use in their private, academic and professional lives. Individual multilingualism involves people who are able to make themselves understood in more than two languages, whether they are young people or adults who have learnt two or more foreign languages in addition to their mother tongue (in which case they are referred to as polyglots); or, they may be children who live in bilingual homes or communities. Often this is the case of youngsters from immigrant families who speak one language at home or their community, use the official language at school, and are also learning an additional foreign language there.
- Societal (or social) multilingualism refers to the official or unofficial linguistic diversity in a country, a region or a particular community. Societal (or social) multilingualism refers to countries or communities where languages have different functions and often a different status. It also refers to the languages of civil society. The social and political relations between groups largely determine how individual bilingualism and/or multilingualism is perceived and treated within the society – if it is viewed as a resource, problem, or as a part of the civil and human rights of individuals or groups.
- Institutional multilingualism refers to countries which recognise their multilingual nature, such as South Africa, India or Belgium in the case of Europe. It also refers to supranational states, such as the European Union and the United Kingdom, as well as organizations or educational institutions that operate in and with different languages. In the European Union the recognition of all member states‘ languages as official are a sine qua non for European integration. Therfore, the monolingualisms of the recent historical past are questioned for political, economic and instrumental reasons. As of 2002 especially, the EU has been promoting favourable attitudes to multilingualism and language learning “for a prosperous and stable Europe”, with an „internationally competitive economy, education and employment“.
A very large percentage of population in the world today learns more than one language in formal and informal edcuation settings, at home, in the community, and has the opportunity to use two or more languages in different communicative settings and contexts, including the world wide web. As such, there is a growing body of research covering early bilingualism, bilingual education, language contact, identity of bilingual speakers, heritage languages speakers and more, all providing an overview of current theory, research and practice in the field of bilingualism. All these topics are of interest to ECSPM – and particularly those which are dealt with in a critical and polilitally-sensitive manner.
In the context of globalization, we have been witnessing new needs for multilingual practices. We see the language practices of young people in cities all over the world, as they create meanings with their different linguistic repertoires. We see the young and those around them using an array of linguistic resources to construct and negotiate their social worlds today. However, being able to communicate effectively as pluralistic communicator – drawing on one‘s varied repertoire of linguistic and cultural knowledge in a flexible and creative manner is something that can be learnt – an ethos that can be acquired, or according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Companion Volume (2020: 30), it is a competence which can be developed – a competence which involves the ability to call flexibly upon an interrelated, uneven, plurilinguistic repertoire to:
- switch from one language or dialect (or variety) to another;
- express oneself in one language (or dialect, or va- riety) and understand a person speaking another;
- call upon the knowledge of a number of lan- guages (or dialects, or varieties) to make sense of a text;
- recognise words from a common international store in a new guise;
- mediate between individuals with no common language (or dialect, or variety), even if posses- sing only a slight knowledge oneself;
- bring the whole of one’s linguistic equipment into play, experimenting with alternative forms of expression;
- exploit paralinguistics (mime, gesture, facial ex- pression, etc.)
It becomes evident from the above that plurilingualism and multilingulism are not at all the same, though sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably.
The CURUM comprises of dynamic research units at universities and academies in Europe and beyond which carry out research projects and various type of exciting endeavors. Under the aegis of ECSPM, which aims to provide support to the activities each unit performs on its own, these units can collaborate to investigate issues of common concern, share research methodologies and outcomes, organize common events, and to take joint action.
In the last decade, more projects than ever before have received European funding, turning the attention of academics, educators, languages professionals to issues of multilingualism and linguistic diversity. The outcomes of these projects create a framework for further research and various type of exciting endeavors. We have selected to present those projects which we believe can have the greatest impact on the basis of their results.
As multilingualism research is growing, so are the academic programmes which provide relevant courses to humanities and social sciences undergraduates, while postgraduate studies in the field lead to specialisation degrees and noteworthy multilingualism interdisciplinary research. In Europe, MA programmes in different countries offer a variety of opportunities to students wishing to develop multilingualism related expertise.