28. Bilingualism and Multilingualism in North America
- Tej K. Bhatia,
- William C. Ritchie
Published Online: 3 OCT 2012
DOI: 10.1002/9781118332382.ch28
Copyright © 2013 Blackwell Publishing, Ltd
Book Title
The Handbook of Bilingualism and Multilingualism, Second Edition
Additional Information
How to Cite
MacKey, W. F. (2012) Bilingualism and Multilingualism in North America, in The Handbook of Bilingualism and Multilingualism, Second Edition (eds T. K. Bhatia and W. C. Ritchie), John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, UK. doi: 10.1002/9781118332382.ch28
Editor Information
Syracuse University, USA
Publication History
- Published Online: 3 OCT 2012
- Published Print: 7 NOV 2012
Book Series:
ISBN Information
Print ISBN: 9781444334906
Online ISBN: 9781118332382
- Summary
- Chapter
- References
Keywords:
- American plurilingualism;
- bilingual communities;
- language contact;
- multilingualism;
- North American bilingualism
Summary
This chapter begins by establishing its terms of reference, followed by an overview of the nature of language contact and plurilingualism in North America. It then describes its borderlands, its people and the languages spoken, their bilingual communities, trends and prospects for the future, and finally a brief guide to research on bilingualism in North America. Basic to the study of bilingualism in any area are the identification and location of its languages. The variables of bilingualism are equally applicable to the use of three or more languages, that is, to cases of multilingualism. Although North Americans have had a worldwide reputation as English-speaking monolinguals, the incidence of plurilingualism in North America is generally high.