The tension of unity and conflict in multilingualism

Abstract

In our modern world, multilingualism is a common phenomenon. By broad definition, the term ‘multilingualism’ is the use of two or more languages, either by a person or by a group of speakers. Though there have appeared debates and countless studies along with the dominance of multilingualism in any given society. It is often agreed upon by many scholars that multilingualism can be both a problem and a resource. This research paper aims at illuminating the tension of unity and conflict in multilingualism and linguistic diversity. In doing so, this research focuses on multilingualism in Africa and possible implication for unity and conflict within the continent. This paper discovers that multilingualism can cause a crisis of identity, language loss, the death of a language. It can lead to violence and ethnic clashes. In some cases, it can help foster unity in a country.

Multilingualism, Social Inequality, and the Need for a Universal Language

“…As shown in Figure 1, many countries seem to have different language groups within its borders and the degree of heterogeneity would vary from country to country. Mishina (2020) claims that linguistically homogeneous countries are difficult to encounter and the number of countries where more than 90 percent of the population speak a single language is very few-Japan, South Korea, etc. (Pilipenko 2019, Mishina 2020.…”

“…Mishina (2020) claims that linguistically homogeneous countries are difficult to encounter and the number of countries where more than 90 percent of the population speak a single language is very few-Japan, South Korea, etc. (Pilipenko 2019, Mishina 2020. Thus, multilingualism is a very common phenomenon in the globalized world, and it is imperative to investigate the impact of multilingualism on societies.…”

The Use of Language Style in Dior Beauty’s Social Media Advertisement

“…Language plays a crucial role in communication (Mishina, 2020), which is the process of sending and receiving messages, ideas, or thoughts. This way, promoting can be seen as a type of correspondence.…”

Linguistic Diversity and Justice: The Role of Artificial Languages in Multilingual Societies

“…In essence, it is virtually impossible for a state to be monolingual, as distinctions only arise from the level of linguistic diversity within populations. Furthermore, dynamic socio-political forces such as globalization and Europeanization are playing significant roles in accelerating the transformation of societies into multilingual or linguistically heterogeneous entities (Mishina 2020: 7, Csata & Marácz 2021. This study endeavors to assess the merits and demerits associated with multilingualism while also exploring potential strategies to mitigate the accompanying disadvantages, especially focusing on the role of artificial languages.…”