Multilingualisms vary

Given such variation, how can those from essentially mono-chromatic, monolingual backgrounds begin to appreciate the colorful multilingual realities of the majority world? This question led to the symposium Language and Identity in a Multilingual, Migrating World, May 10–15, 2018, in Penang, Malaysia. This resulting four-part collection of papers:

• focuses on different models for understanding the dynamics of multiples—multiple languages, multiple identities, and the relationship between the two;
• looks at varying social and geographic contexts of multilingualism, including urban, diaspora, refugee, and cross-border settings;
• examines the history and adequacy of the term “heart language” as it has come to be used especially by organizations and practitioners of Bible translation in the West;
• describes a range of multilingual situations in South Asia, Central Asia, Europe, Madagascar, and Africa.

The concluding chapter seeks to build on the contributions of the overall symposium by suggesting a research agenda for furthering our understanding of language and identity in our multilingual, migrating world.