What does it mean to be a multilingual? How does multilingualism affect the study of linguistics? This textbook is designed to accompany courses on multilingualism and addresses the key linguistic concerns of this growing field. It provides a foundation for those interested in language acquisition and its use in society, bilingualism and multilingualism. As well as explaining the main concepts of multilingualism, the book covers individual and societal multilingualism in their linguistic and sociolinguistic aspects, and monolingual and multilingual perspectives. It also outlines the main theories of multilingualism and focuses on crucial issues in theory and practice. Key Features - Each chapter includes keywords, key questions and a selected reading section - International examples used throughout - Includes glossary of key terms and concepts Selling Points - Written by founding members of the International Association of Multilingualism

Introduction; 1. Multilingualism as a domain of knowledge; 2. The main terms and concepts of multilingualism; 3. Theoretical underpinnings of multilingualism; 4. Theories of multilingualism; 5. Methods of researching multilingualism; 6. Multilingual societies, countries, communities. Societal multilingualism; 7. Aspects of societal multilingualism; 8. Individual multilingualism; multilinguality; issues in individual multilingualism; 9. Cross-linguistic influences; 10. Issues of multilingualism in applied linguistics; 11. Epilogue; Glossary of terminology; Bibliography.

Larissa Aronin is an Associate Professor of Education in Israel

Muiris Ó Laoire is Professor of Language Revitalisation Studies at the University of Auckland.