John Edwards' book is a short introduction into a wide variety of issues associated with the ever-expanding topic of multilingualism in a highly globalized world. It is suitable for entry-level students of linguistics as well as a general audience interested in the topic. The author succeeds in delivering an easily followed overview and highlighting a number of controversial issues and problems associated with the subject. Well-chosen examples are presented to underline the main points. Most importantly, Edwards points out repeatedly that many compelling aspects and problems of linguistic diversity are associated with much wider symbolic and identity-marking features of language. Additionally, he consistently emphasizes his own critical views on maintenance and revival efforts with regards to linguistic diversity. This is done in the context of treating languages as dynamic and multifacetted entities embedded in a larger-scale picture of culture, society, and human development.
Following a brief prologue in which Edwards states his intentions and provides a short overview of the topics to be discussed, the first two chapters on linguistic diversity set the scene for an introduction to the topic. Prominently, it is pointed out that different language systems reflect different social, geographical, and other circumstances of their speakers without resulting in “superior” and “inferior” varieties but rather in functional equivalents. Edwards deals with some problems in ascertaining how many languages there are by pointing out the difficulties in distinguishing languages and dialects, issues in language naming and group identity, as well as the status of endangered languages.
Ch. 3 considers the extent of multilingualism around the globe. It is emphasized that the kind of monolingualism experienced in the Anglophone world is a relative rarity. For the majority of people, being bi- or multilingual represents a necessity in everyday life that results in varying levels of fluencies and preferences. In Ch. 4 the circumstances in which multilingualism typically arises are discussed, and the author elaborates on problems of assessing multilingualism in census questionnaires.
In Chs. 5 and 6 some consequences of multilingualism are discussed. The emergence of lingua francas is the topic of Ch. 5. These can be existing natural languages such as English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish in many parts of the world, pidgin and creole varieties often in colonial settings, and artificial languages as a slightly more recent phenomenon. In Ch. 6 Edwards elaborates on the difficulties and challenges of translation as a tool for conversing across languages.
Ch. 7 is a critical discussion of purism and descriptivism and emphasizes the lack of academic involvement in such efforts. Edwards, however, also calls attention to the need for some prescriptive efforts in the context of the advent of literacy in formerly oral cultures and languages. In Ch. 8 processes of language shift and contact are in focus, highlighting the dynamics of languages within and across cultures. Ch. 9 assesses the state of endangered languages and language revival efforts. The final chapter critically discusses the “ecology of languages” as an effort to preserve diversity and understanding of language and conflict. Finally, a short epilogue summarizes the main themes of the book.
