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SOCIOLINGUISTICS

The National Language in a Multilingual Society Abolaji S. Mustapha (ed.) Lagos State University This book attempts to answer one of the germane language questions that many multilingual societies struggle to answer. For example, does a multilingual society require a national language to develop? If yes, the question of language choice from their myriad of language pool that will serve as a symbol of unity and sovereign entity together with the criteria for selecting a national language will arise. Tied to these questions is the need to consider the advantages and disadvantages in choosing a former colonial master’s language, a local language (whether minority or majority), a Pidgin, one or more than one language. The next challenge would be how to contain the problems and constraints for selecting a national language. Finding answers to these questions with its attendant consequences is the main preoccupation of this volume. Some local and international researchers have provided answers to some of these questions. Part of what this book has done is to collate some of these scattered submissions and present them in a very lucid, concise and scholarly manner that will serve as a must read for linguists and stakeholders in language policy and planning in multilingual societies not only in Nigeria but also in Africa and in other parts of the world. In addition, there are new contributions in this book who have injected fresh insights into what has been submitted earlier. It is anticipated that students, researchers and policy makers on language matters with particular reference to the national language question in multilingual societies would find this volume a rich resource and a reference book on linguistic happenings in multilingual societies, with particular focus on Nigeria. ISBN 9783969390146. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 18. 192pp. 2020. Language Attitudes and Lambada Youth in a Multilingual Domain Upender Maloth & Hemanga Dutta The English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) Attitude is an integral component of human behaviour in Psychology and Sociolinguistics. The current study endeavours to explore the language usage patterns and language attitudes of educated Lambada youth towards their mother tongue and two dominant languages of Telengana namely Telugu and English. This study tries to find out whether there is any significant correlation between language attitudes and social variables such as geographical area, medium of instruction and gender. As per the findings of this study the informants seemed to have consistent positive attitudes towards the dominant languages Telugu and English although there is a significant difference observed in the responses of the informants towards Lambada language pertaining to geographical area and medium of instruction. The informants belonging to the urban area and English medium background had negative attitudes towards their mother tongue whereas their rural counterparts had highly positive attitude towards the same. Most of the informants from the rural pockets of Telengana who took their primary education in Telugu medium expressed their urge to protect their mother tongue Lambada along with the ethnic identity and indigenous culture associated with it. Lambada linguistic and cultural identity is still intact in the dwellings of the Lambada hamlets which are situated far away from the main stream Telugu society. ISBN 9783862888917. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 17. 268pp. 2018. The Impact of the English Language in Italy Linguistic Outcomes and Political Implications Alessandro Carlucci University of Oxford This book offers a detailed account of the impact that contact with the English language has had on Italian language and society. The first chapter places the Italian case within the current sociolinguistic and language policy debates on the spread of English as a global language. The following chapters focus on how English influences have contributed to the historical development of certain grammatical structures of the Italian language, from phonology to word-formation and syntax. Finally, Chapter 5 turns to lexical influence in order to assess the specific contribution of American English, as opposed to other varieties of English. The book as a whole shows how the impact of English on the history of the Italian language is linked to the social stratifications and hierarchies of prestige and power within the community that uses Italian, and how these hierarchies and stratifications are in turn affected by the spread of English. ISBN 9783862888795 (Hardbound). LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 16. 136pp. 2018.