Cover not available

Article published In: Multilingualism and Mobility in the Twenty-First Century: New Trajectories and Possibilities in Migration Linguistics
Edited by Ariane Macalinga Borlongan and Lisa Lim
[AILA Review 37:1] 2024
► pp. 35–53

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required
Concept

Multilingual mindset

A necessary concept for fostering inclusive multilingualism in migrant societies

ORCiD logo with link | Macquarie University
Published online: 7 June 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.23023.lis
Abstract
In this paper, I examine the changing currency of languages in the context of migration and mobility based on case studies of Filipino migrants in Australia. Drawing on two sociolinguistic studies conducted with and for Filipino migrants, I highlight how the “monolingual mindset” (Clyne, M. (2008). The monolingual mindset as an impediment to the development of plurilingual potential in Australia. Sociolinguistic Studies, 2(3). 347–366. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) reinforced by the “White-English complex” (Piller, I., Torsh, H., & Smith-Khan, L. (2023). Securing the borders of English and Whiteness. Ethnicities, 23(5), 706–725. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) negatively impact on the value and currency of Philippine languages. As an alternative, I offer the concept multilingual mindset as an inclusive framework for valuing multilingual migrants in the diaspora.
I first introduce the linguistic ecology and national language policies of both the Philippines and Australia to set the scene for my argument. I then map out the migration trends in both countries and the simultaneous socio-political events that have driven the growth of Filipino migration in Australia and introduce the two sociolinguistic studies with and for (Blackledge, A. (2006). The Magical Frontier between the Dominant and the Dominated: Sociolinguistics and Social Justice in a Multilingual World. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 27(1), 22–41. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Tetteh, V. W. (2015). Language, education, and settlement: A sociolinguistic ethnography on, with, and for Africans in Australia. (PhD). Macquarie University, Sydney. Retrieved from [URL]) Filipino migrants. This is followed by the presentation and critical discussion of three key conceptual arguments of this paper derived from these studies. Employing the “monolingual mindset” (Clyne, M. (2008). The monolingual mindset as an impediment to the development of plurilingual potential in Australia. Sociolinguistic Studies, 2(3). 347–366. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) and “White-English complex” (Piller, I., Torsh, H., & Smith-Khan, L. (2023). Securing the borders of English and Whiteness. Ethnicities, 23(5), 706–725. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) as lenses, I then critically discuss how these concepts are detrimental to heritage language maintenance and inclusive multilingualism and argue that the maintenance of migrant languages in the diaspora would best be facilitated by an adoption of a multilingual mindset. The paper concludes with a discussion on the significance of the multilingual mindset to sociolinguistic studies and migration linguistics (Borlongan, A. M. (2023). Migration linguistics. AILA Review, 36(1). 38–63. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar), in general, and to language attitudes, language practices, and language policies across different sectors, in particular.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Migration trends and two sociolinguistic studies in the Australian diaspora
  • 3.Three monolingual phenomena
    • Other-silencing of LOTEs
    • Self-silencing of LOTEs
    • Erasure of LOTEs
  • 4.Discussion: Through the lenses of “monolingual mindset” versus “the multilingual mindset”
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (44)
References
Asis, M. M. B. (2006). ‘The Philippines’ culture of migration’. Migratio11 Policy fostit11te Blog. Retrieved from [URL]
Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS]. (2023). Permanent migrants in Australia. Retrieved from [URL]
Barratt, L. (2018). “Monolingual Bias.” In The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching: Vol. NNESTs, edited by J. I. Liontas. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [URL].
Bautista, M. L. (1996). An outline: The national language and the language of instruction. In M. L. S. Bautista (Ed.), Readings in Philippine Sociolinguistics (pp. 223–227). Manila: De La Salle University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Blackledge, A. (2006). The Magical Frontier between the Dominant and the Dominated: Sociolinguistics and Social Justice in a Multilingual World. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 27(1), 22–41. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bernardo, A. B. I. (2004). McKinley’s questionable bequest: Over 100 years of English in Philippine education. World Englishes, 23(1). 17–31. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Borlongan, A. M. (2023). Migration linguistics. AILA Review, 36(1). 38–63. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2103). Translingual Practice: Global Englishes and Cosmopolitan Relations. Oxon: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Clyne, M. (2008). The monolingual mindset as an impediment to the development of plurilingual potential in Australia. Sociolinguistic Studies, 2(3). 347–366. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2005). Australia’s Language Potential. Sydney: UNSW Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cruickshank, K., Lo Bianco, J. & Wahlin, M. (Eds.) (2024). Community and heritage Languages schools transforming education: research, challenges, and teaching practices. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ethnologue: Languages of the World. (2023). Philippines. Retrieved from [URL]
Fukui, M. & S. N. Pham. (Producers) (2019 November 9). Is Australia ready for the multilingual mindset? [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from [URL]
Gonzalez, A. (1998). The language planning situation in the Philippines. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 19 (5): 487–525. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(1996). Philippine English. In M. L. S. Bautista (Ed.), Readings in Philippine Sociolinguistics (pp. 88–92). Manila: De La Salle University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Grover, V. L. (2023). From monolingual mindset to plurilingual ethos: challenging perspectives on language(s). Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 44:8, 751–764. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kanaki, A. (2017). ‘Multilingual Mindset’: A New Perspective for Student Transition in Higher Education. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 5(2), 109–111. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kohler, M. (2017). Review of language education policies in Australia. Multicultural Education and Languages Committee: Government of South Australia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lising, L. (In press). Global English in multilingual Philippines: language practices in government communications. In P. Siemund, G. Stein, G. and M. Vida-Mannl (Eds.), Global English in its multilingual ecologies. John Benjamins.
(2022). “I want her to be able to think in English”: challenges to heritage language Maintenance in a monolingual society. Multilingua, 41(5), 549–569. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2021a). Speak English!: Social acceleration and language learning in the workplace. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 26(10), 1183–1196. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2021b). Susmaryosep!: Lexical evidence of cultural influence in Philippine English. In K. Burridge & P. Peters (Eds.), Exploring the ecology of world Englishes: language, society, and culture. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2019). Philippine languages in multilingual Sydney. In A. Chik, P. Benson & R. Moloney (Eds.), Multilingual Sydney (pp. 205–211). Oxon: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lising, L., and Bautista, M. L. (2022). A tale of language ownership and identity in a multilingual society: Revisiting functional nativeness. Journal of English and Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1–14. [URL].
Lo Bianco, J. (2010). The importance of language policies and multilingualism for Cultural diversity. International Social Science Journal, 61(199), 37–67. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(1990). Making language policy: Australia’s experience. In R. B. Baldauf Jr. & A. Luke (Eds.), Language Planning and Education in Australasia and the South Pacific (pp. 1–22). Philadelphia: Clevedon.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(1987). National Policy on Languages. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Makoni, S., and A. Pennycook (Eds). (2007). Disinventing and Reconstituting Languages. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Martin, I. P. (Ed.). (2018). Reconceptualizing English Education in a Multilingual Society: English in the Philippines. Singapore: Springer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Martin-Jones, M., A. Blackledge, and A. Creese. (2012). “Introduction: A Sociolinguistics of Multilingualism for Our Times.” In M. Martin-Jones, A. Blackledge, & A. Creese (Eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Multilingualism (pp. 1–26). Oxon: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mence, V., Gangell, S., & Tebb, R. (2017). A History of the Department of Immigration: Managing Migration to Australia. Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Motaghi-Tabari, S. (2016). Bidirectional language learning in migrant families. Sydney, Australia: Macquarie University.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Native Archives of Australia (NSA). (2023). Dispossession and revival of Indigenous languages. Retrieved from [URL]
Norton, M. (2018). Five on 5: Constructing the multilingual mindset. Retrieved from [URL]
Pedersen, R. (2023 July 14). Monolingual vs multilingual: The key to communications that will resonate with Australians today. [Blog post]. Retrieved from [URL]
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). (2022). Ethnicity, language/Dialect Generally spoken at home. Retrieved from [URL]
Piller, I., Torsh, H., & Smith-Khan, L. (2023). Securing the borders of English and Whiteness. Ethnicities, 23(5), 706–725. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Piller, I. (2016). Linguistic diversity and social justice: An introduction to applied sociolinguistics. New York: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Piller, I. & Lising, L. (2014). Language, employment, and settlement: Temporary meat workers in Australia. Multilingua 33 (1–2). 35–39. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Scarino, A. (2014). Situating the challenges in current languages education policy in Australia – unlearning monolingualism. International Journal of Multilingualism 11(3). 289–306. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Scott, W. H. (1984). Prehistoric Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History. Quezon City: New Day Publishers.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tetteh, V. W. (2015). Language, education, and settlement: A sociolinguistic ethnography on, with, and for Africans in Australia. (PhD). Macquarie University, Sydney. Retrieved from [URL]
Tupas, Ruanni. 2015. Inequalities of multilingualism: challenges to mother tongue-based multilingual education. Language and Education 29 (2): 112–124. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Tankosić, Ana, Eldin Milak, Carly Steele & Toni Dobinson
2024. Meeting standards: (Re)colonial and subversive potential of AI modification. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 47:3 ► pp. 366 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 30 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue