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FACTORS
AFFECTING LANGUAGE CHOICE IN A MULTILINGUAL SOCIETY
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Most cultures have stories which seek to
explain the origin of life and to explain why things are as they are in the
world today. The story from Genesis would have us believe that linguistic
diversity is the curse of Babel (Genesis 11:1-11).
And the whole earth was of one language, and
of one speech… And they said to one another… Let us build us a city and a
tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to
see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord
said, behold, the people is one, and they have all one language,… Let us go
down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one
another’s speech. So, the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face
of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore, is the name of
it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the
earth.
In primordial time, people spoke the same
language. God, however, decided to punish them for their presumptuousness in
erecting the tower by making them speak different languages. Thus,
multilingualism became an obstacle to further co-operation and placed limits on
human worldly achievements.
Most communities in the world are
multilingual. In these communities, there is more than one language that plays
an important role, and many or all of the individuals in such communities are
at least bilingual. Here, the context you find yourself determines the kind of
language you use.
When you talk of language choice in any
country, one bears in mind the multilingual societies. In monolingual
countries, there is no worry about choice of language to use, they only have to
use the language available to them.
One of the most obvious problems associated
with newly formed multilingual communities, for example, in countries such as
Australia and Canada which have seen considerable immigration from different
parts of the world, is that of cross-cultural communication. Sociolinguistic
research has made it clear that to communicate successfully in a language other
than your own, it is not enough to learn the phonology, grammar and vocabulary
of that language. You also have to learn how to use it appropriately in
particular social situations according to the norms employed and accepted by
its native speakers.
Potential multilingual speakers are people
with a strong interest in a foreign language, people who find it necessary to
acquire second or third language for practical purposes, such as business,
information gathering or entertainment.
Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual
speakers in the world’s population. In a multilingual society, not all speakers
need to be multilingual. When all speakers are multilingual, linguists classify
the community according to the functional distribution of the languages
involved.
The researcher observed that before an
individual thinks of language choice, there must be some motivational factors.
Motivation and investment in this process, by the individual, will depend on
the value attached to prospective gains accompanying proficiency in the
relevant language. He also observed that language choice is affected by
utilitarian considerations. A speaker may feel that the use of a particular
language will place him in an advantageous position either within a group or
within a wider social context. If his antagonists in a discussion or argument
are less fluent than he is, this will clearly serve to give him a valuable
edge. The perceived advantage does not have to be in relation to other
individuals. It may be for purely personal considerations that a person chooses
to speak a particular language. A student of a foreign language may prefer to
use that language whenever possible, with the sole intention of improving his
ability.
Acquiring an additional language, second,
third or fourth, will be greatly affected by the social, political and economic
environment within which the acquisition process takes place. Learners of
additional languages are either born into or transferred to (as a result of
migration) a multilingual context. Those born into such a situation usually accept
the need for multilingualism as a natural phenomenon and hence can easily see
the importance and the gains of achieving a high level of proficiency in the
various relevant languages. Those transferred to a multilingual context as a
result of immigration, have some difficult choices to make:
1. Maintenance of the heritage language in
order to preserve the culture and ethnic identity.
2. Acquisition of the new national language in
order to gain equitable access to the new country’s resources.
3. Acquisition of a language of wider
communication, such as English for academic and professional purposes.
4. Finally, acquisition of another local
language, which is needed for interaction with neighbours or fellow workers at
the workplace. In this kind of situation, language choices may require certain
“prices” to be paid by the learner.
Communication is only possible if both
speakers share the same language, and there is little to gain from addressing
someone in a language which they do not understand. There is an almost
universal taboo upon the use of a language which might exclude one or more
members of a group from a discussion, even if the subject of that discussion
has no direct relevance to that person or persons. For example, a group of Igbo
speakers may be discussing plans for a farewell party for one of their
work-mates who is about to retire. Another person, one who does not work at the
same company, who does not know the gentleman in question, and who will not be
invited to the party, joins the group. This new comer, moreover, does not speak
Igbo. It is now incumbent upon the group to continue their discussion in a
language which that person can understand. Having to change the language of the
discussion to one which may be a second or third language for a majority of the
members can, of course, have a stultifying effect upon the course of the
discussion, making it more difficult to express thoughts and ideas. In this
case, however, the exclusion constraint takes precedence over the language
preference of the group majority. In extreme cases, the requirement for a
common language might force all of the speakers to adopt second or third
languages. The search for a common language may sometimes prove unsuccessful,
and a group will have to choose the language which allows participation of the
greatest number of people.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The focus of this research work is on those
factors that affect language choice in a multilingual community or society.
Keen observation and study have shown that
there are many things that make people to think of language choice.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
These questions have been posed to guide this
study:
1. What are the problems facing individuals
when trying to make language choice in a multilingual society?
2. What do we mean by language choice?
3. What are the factors that affect language
choice?
4. To what extent do these factors affect
language choice?
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this research work is to
identify those things that affect people’s language choice in a multilingual
society. To examine the problems individuals encounter when trying to choose a
particular language.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The importance of this study is to reveal
those factors that affects language choice in a multilingual society or setting.
LIMITATION OF STUDY
This research work is limited to a
multilingual society. It is restricted to factors that affect language choice
in this kind of society mentioned above. The constraints associated with time
shall not allow the researcher to stretch his hands to evaluate all the
factors.
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