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Linguistic Intermarriage in Australia pp 1–15Cite as

Introduction: Linguistic Intermarriage in Australia

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Abstract

In the past fifty years, migration to Australia from countries outside the Anglosphere has increased, leading to a rise in rates of linguistic intermarriage. Yet support for societal multilingualism has declined, including a drop in institutional support for second language learning. This chapter outlines the historical and ongoing subordination of linguistic diversity in Australia. It argues that, in linguistically intermarried couples, this subordination has implications for the majority-language (English) speakers’ perspectives on languages other than English (LOTEs). Of particular relevance here are monolingual approaches to LOTES which frame them as problematic. The chapter concludes by previewing the arguments made; that linguistic intermarriage is potentially a site where celebratory discourses of multilingualism meet exclusionary approaches to linguistic diversity.

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  1. Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Hanna Irving Torsh

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  1. Hanna Irving Torsh
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Correspondence to Hanna Irving Torsh .

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Irving Torsh, H. (2020). Introduction: Linguistic Intermarriage in Australia. In: Linguistic Intermarriage in Australia. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27512-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27512-9_1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-27511-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-27512-9

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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