Multilingualism: A Very Short Introduction

John C. Maher explains why societies everywhere have become more multilingual, despite the disappearance of hundreds of the world languages. He considers our notion of language as national or cultural identities, and discusses why nations cluster and survive around particular languages even as some territories pursue autonomy or nationhood.

John C. Maher is Professor of Linguistics at the International Christian University, Tokyo. He was Lecturer in Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh, British Council lecturer in the Philippines, and Senior Academic Member at St. Antony's College, Oxford University. He is the author of English as an International Language of Medical Communication (University of Michigan Press, 1992), co-editor of Multilingual Japan (Multilingual Matters, 1995), with Kyoko Yashiro, and co-author of Introducing Chomsky (ICON, 2005), with Judy Groves. He is Editor of Educational Studies and Program Director of Linguapax Asia.