Reviews for Australia's Language Potential

The average rating for Australia's Language Potential based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-06-18 00:00:00 enrico ghelli Clyne's main argument is one I already agreed with - that Australia needs to support migrant community languages through schools, media and government policy - but it goes into a lot of depth while remaining accessible for someone who isn't well-versed in this area. I have only a basic knowledge of linguistics based on personal interest and a little study (high school and first year uni) but none of it went beyond my grasp as Clyne uses few technical terms and the ones that are used are well explained and grounded in examples. I found the section on bilingual code-switching particularly interesting (looking at how bilinguals switch between languages and then how the Vietnamese or Dutch of Australian speakers in second and subsequent migrant generations differs from the Standard form because they begin to mix in English grammar). Clyne's analysis of the "monolingual mindset" (smug complacency and superiority about English and many myths and misunderstandings about bilingualism, prejudice and intolerance against other languages) in Australia and other anglophone countries was comprehensive and convincing. It resonated with me as someone who grew up in a non-English speaking home but ended up without a functional grasp of my community languages. I found his take on the globalisation of English refreshing - rather than justifying a monolingual mindset, Clyne argues that as English becomes spoken in more and more of the world, its centre shifts and traditional English-speaking countries can no longer claim ownership of it but have to adapt to its global uses and come to understand its varied meanings. The author was himself raised in Australia as a bilingual in English and German. The book includes a lot of data on the distribution of community languages in Australia, number of speakers, decline in generations of migration and all the factors that affect this, as well as theories and studies around language acquisition, different strategies for raising bilingual children, etc. Really fascinating stuff. Wish the census captured a little more detail. Wish there was more structural support for multilingualism in Australia!

Review # 2 was written on 2011-03-21 00:00:00 Edward Fields This book was mentioned in an article on how the Australian school system teaches languages very badly. I completely agree.