Elizabeth M Ellis | University of New England - Australia (original) (raw)
Books by Elizabeth M Ellis
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an international multi-billion dollar ... more TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an international multi-billion dollar industry employing hundreds of thousands of teachers around the globe, and hence the skills, qualities and training required by those teachers poses key questions for educational linguistics. It is now well-recognised that the global TESOL profession has developed historically as a largely English-only enterprise, leading to the accepted view that, as long as the teacher has English proficiency, then her other languages, or lack of them, are irrelevant.
The book challenges this view: and argues that in an era when we recognise the key role played by the learner’s own language(s) in the learning process, it is essential that we examine the significance of the TESOL teacher’s background as a learner and user of additional languages.
This is the first book to examine TESOL teachers’ other language experiences in depth and to provide a robust theoretical argument as to why those languages matter even in the English-medium classroom. It is also the first to provide solid empirical data, drawn from teachers in Australia and seven other countries, that bear out its claims. The author draws on literature in teacher cognition, bilingualism studies, intercultural competence, bilingual lifewriting and linguistic identity to argue that languages play a key part in the development of teachers’ professional beliefs and identity.
it is surprising that there is no focus on the role played by teachers’ other languages. The book proposes a new way of looking at teacher linguistic identity by examining in considerable detail the language biographies of teachers: whether they have grown up plurilingual or learned other languages later in life; and the relevance of this for the teaching of English. Learners are in the process of becoming plurilingual, and this book argues that they are best served by a teacher who has experience of plurilingualism.
The book examines the history of language in education policy which has led to the development of the TESOL profession in Australia and elsewhere as a monolingual enterprise. It goes on to show that teachers’ language backgrounds have been ignored in teacher selection, teacher training and ongoing professional development. The author draws on literature in teacher cognition, bilingualism studies, intercultural competence, bilingual lifewriting and linguistic identity to argue that languages play a key part in the development of teachers’ professional beliefs and identity. She investigates teachers’ rich experiences of growing up with two or more languages; of learning languages through schooling, of migrating to another linguaculture, of living in a plurilingual family and many more.
Drawing on three studies involving 115 teachers from Australia and seven other countries, the author shows conclusively that large numbers of teachers do have plurilingual experiences; that these experiences are ignored in the profession, but that they have powerful effects on the formation of beliefs about language learning and teaching which underpin good practice. Those teachers who identify as monolingual almost invariably have language learning experience, but it was low-level, short-lived and unsuccessful.
How does the experience of successful or unsuccessful language learning and language use affect one’s identity, beliefs and practice as an English language teacher? What kinds of experience are most beneficial?
These concepts and findings have implications for teacher language education, teacher professional development and the current calls for increased plurilingual practices in the TESOL classroom.
Papers by Elizabeth M Ellis
This is a very personal account of a Spanish immigrant, Nerea, achieving bilingualism in Wollongo... more This is a very personal account of a Spanish immigrant, Nerea, achieving bilingualism in Wollongong, NSW. The story raises questions of the complex development of identity, changing awareness of sociocultural practices in each language, and of the role played by attitudes in the surrounding community to a person’s bilingualism. This article is in two parts: in the first part Nerea’s story is told in her own voice, and in the second the authors connect Nerea’s individual experience to wider social patterns concerning bilingualism, identity and aspects of recent immigration to Australia.
This article explores the struggles of a family to pass on the mother’s language to her children;... more This article explores the struggles of a family to pass on the mother’s language to her children; struggles which Li (2007) claims are shared by “souls in exile”. It is one of thousands of stories in Australia and millions worldwide which speak of the importance of bilingualism and biculturalism as gifts to pass down to our children.
Amaya is a Basque-Spanish mother living in Australia and raising two children, Leticia (15) and Javier (11). Both children were born in Australia as was their father, Jason. Amaya has always wanted her children to grow up bilingual, with proficiency in both English and Spanish, as well as wanting them to identify with both the Australian and Spanish cultures.
This paper argues that learners' L1 has been largely marginalised or ignored in the ESL professio... more This paper argues that learners' L1 has been largely marginalised or ignored in the ESL profession, through the selection and training of teachers, the development of curriculum and methodology and a focus on teaching exclusively in the medium of U. It begins with a brief overview of the significance of L1 for "the whole person" and for learning L2, and then gives an historical background to the development of English-only and bilingual teaching in Australian ESOL The theoretical underpinnings of the promotion or banning of L1, and the discourses surrounding bilingual teaching and teachers are examined. Data from interviews with ESOL teachers are presented to suggest that a covert "monolingual discourse" is prevalent in the profession. The paper concludes by suggesting that policy changes are needed in teacher education and teacher employment if our rhetoric about the valuing of L1 and muftilingualism is to become reality.
Learning and Individual Differences, 2015
We examined the association between proficiency in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) ... more We examined the association between proficiency in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) and previous bilingualism, starting age of ISLA, language anxiety and attitude. The analyses were conducted on 564 adolescent Australian twins. Additionally, by examining discrepancies within approximately 100 pairs of monozygotic twins, we sought to specifically identify the environmental effects related to attitude and anxiety on achievement (i.e. with genetic effects removed). We found a clear relationship between attitude towards language learning and proficiency in the second language. Furthermore, the analyses on the monozygotic twins point to the possibility that higher language anxiety is associated with higher proficiency. On the other hand, bilingualism and starting age of ISLA appear to be unrelated to proficiency in the language being learned.
This is a very personal account of a Spanish immigrant, Nerea, achieving bilingualism in Wollongo... more This is a very personal account of a Spanish immigrant, Nerea, achieving bilingualism in Wollongong, NSW. The story raises questions of the complex development of identity, changing awareness of sociocultural practices in each language, and of the role played by attitudes in the surrounding community to a person’s bilingualism. This article is in two parts: in the first part Nerea’s story is told in her own voice, and in the second the authors connect Nerea’s individual experience to wider social patterns concerning bilingualism, identity and aspects of recent immigration to Australia.
Current Issues in Language Planning, 2010
ABSTRACT Germany and Australia are examples of countries characterised by a tension between their... more ABSTRACT Germany and Australia are examples of countries characterised by a tension between their plurilingual populations and their monolingual mindsets. This paper sets out to make a comparison between policy and practice in language and education in Germany and Australia, first outlining the link between the nineteenth-century development of the ideology of the nation-state and beliefs in the importance of a single language as a key feature of a strong nation. We use Gogolin's notion of a language hierarchy to illustrate the status and position of different categories of language in each country. Hence, we begin by interrogating the concept of a national language in each site, and then secondly we look at policy, practices and attitudes to foreign languages, characterised as those taught as subjects in schools. The third and most problematic position on the hierarchy is that of languages of the community. In Germany, these are autochthonous minority languages, immigrant languages and immigrant ethnolects. In Australia, they are Indigenous languages and Kriols, Aboriginal English, immigrant languages and immigrant ethnolects. This paper then discusses the positive and negative aspects of each country's language policy. We argue that by analysing how unexamined monolingual perspectives are played out in very different contexts, we can contribute to more enlightened thinking about the plurilingual potential of nations with multilingual populations.
This paper presents results from a pilot project that sought to establish parental motivations fo... more This paper presents results from a pilot project that sought to establish parental motivations for raising
children bilingually in regional Australia in the absence of a co-located speech community. Cultural and
linguistic diversity outside metropolitan areas is increasing as a result of Commonwealth Government
incentive schemes, and one effect of this is that migrant families must find innovative ways to stem the
shift to English that is virtually inevitable in the absence of a systematic and committed family language
policy. Five families of varied language background were interviewed regarding their motivations for and
challenges in raising their children bilingually. Four key themes emerged, comprising three goals and
one major challenge. The three goals were: to create a sense of belonging to a family, a community and
a culture; to create a competitive advantage for their children’s future; and to improve their children’s
school learning. The major challenge was the difficulty of the task despite their commitment to the
family language plan. Results from this pilot have informed the design of a larger study of regional family
language maintenance.
KEY WORDS
bilingualism, bilingual children, family language policy, regional multilingualism, linguistic identity, language
maintenance
TESOL Quarterly, 2013
This article reports a study on a little-researched area: the linguistic repertoires of teachers ... more This article reports a study on a little-researched area: the linguistic repertoires of teachers of English as a second language (ESL) to adults. It proposes that, to heed recent calls to recognise learners' plurilingualism and to incorporate learners' languages in the ESL classroom, teachers' plurilingualism must be acknowledged and valued. This study investigated the language biographies of plurilingual and monolingual teachers of ESL in Australia and found them to be characterised by a wide range of circumstantial and elective language learning experiences. The effect of different experiences on teachers' knowledge and beliefs about language learning and teaching are presented and discussed, drawing upon literature from language teacher cognition. Plurilingual teachers were found to see language learning as challenging but possible, whereas monolingual teachers associated language learning with their own unsuccessful experiences and saw it as difficult and potentially humiliating. Circumstantial plurilinguals were found to have a wide range of language experiences which contribute to their understanding of familial language use and issues arising from child and adult migration. All the plurilinguals were found to have gained useful insights about language teaching from their own experiences, and the article argues that these should be seen as a resource for systematic reflection in teacher education.
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in English-speaking countries are not u... more Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in English-speaking countries are not usually required to have proficiency in another language. Teacher competency statements frequently require "an understanding of second language development," and it is assumed that a monolingual teacher can attain such understanding without having learned a second language (L2). This paper sets out to challenge such a position by establishing a theoretical framework within which to argue that teacher language learning is an important contributor to professional practice. This framework is based on research into teacher cognition, particularly that which highlights connections between teachers' lived experience and the ways in which they form their beliefs about their profession . Using data from an Australian study, this paper shows that experiential knowledge formed by different kinds of L2 learning (formal, informal, childhood, adult, elective, or circumstantial bilingualism) forms a powerful resource underpinning ESL teachers' professional knowledge and beliefs about language teaching.
International Journal of Multilingualism, 2004
English as a second language (ESL) is taught in Australia to adult learners of mixedlanguage back... more English as a second language (ESL) is taught in Australia to adult learners of mixedlanguage backgrounds through the medium of English, and there is currently no requirement that ESL teachers speak another language. This paper reports on a study which asked what advantages there may be for ESL teachers to have proficiency in two or more languages. Data were gathered from semi-structured interviews and language biographies to explore the connection between the language backgrounds of multilingual and monolingual teachers of ESL, and their knowledge and beliefs about language learning. Theoretical constructs from the field of teacher cognition are used to argue that teachers' own language learning experience is a resource which is a powerful contributor to their conceptions of language, language use and language learning. The more multilingual the teacher, and the more varied his or her learning experiences, the richer this resource appears to be.
Sociolinguistic Studies, 2008
Some may find it strange to see a special journal issue on monolingualism. After all, is it not b... more Some may find it strange to see a special journal issue on monolingualism. After all, is it not bilinguals and multilinguals who present the more interesting questions? It certainly seems so, for research has concentrated on their linguistic, psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic make-up. The implication of this is that monolingualism is the norm, and that bilingualism and multilingualism constitute abnormal states which merit investigation; even though this idea sits oddly with the belief of most linguists that the majority of the world's population is bi-or multilingual, and that therefore monolingualism may be the exception rather than the norm. There is little systematic investigation of monolingualism: Romaine pointed out in 1995 that she would find it strange to see a book with the title 'Monolingualism'. This special issue of Sociolinguistic Studies carries just such a title, and the papers it includes represent an attempt to explore the phenomenon of monolingualism from a number of different perspectives. In this introduction I will outline why a simple definition of monolingualism is neither easy to establish nor useful, and also why it is important to come to an understanding of it as a particular kind of 'lingualism' (Cruz Ferreira p.c.). I then review ways in which monolingualism has been represented thus far in the literature, outline some possible research questions and end by introducing the contributions to this volume.
Current Issues in Language Planning, 2010
It is frequently observed that bilingualism and multilingualism are more common in the world than... more It is frequently observed that bilingualism and multilingualism are more common in the world than monolingualism, and yet, as Romaine (1995) points out, it is rare to find a book with the title 'Monolingualism'. Linguistic theories have often assumed monolingualism to be the norm (Pav l e n ko, 2000), and this view is often held by individual monolinguals who are speakers of a dominant language such as English . This paper will review three representations of monolingualism in the applied linguistics literature. The first is as an unmarked case, against wh i c h bilingualism and multilingualism are set as the exception. The second representation is of monolingualism as a limitation on cog n i t ive, communicative, social and vocational potential . Perspectives from language policy documents in Australia are presented to illustrate the second representation. The third and most critical representation employ s metaphors of disease, sickness and disability to port r ay monolingualism as a p a t h o l ogical state (Skutnabb-Kangas, 2000a; Oller, 1997). This latter strand of literature critiques the influence of the monolingual perspectives held by those who wield authority in language policy and in education. The paper concludes with a call for the development of a framework within which to understand monolingualism and its social and educational effects. Key wo rd s: monolingualism, language ideolog y, language attitudes, English language teaching, hegemony.
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an international multi-billion dollar ... more TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an international multi-billion dollar industry employing hundreds of thousands of teachers around the globe, and hence the skills, qualities and training required by those teachers poses key questions for educational linguistics. It is now well-recognised that the global TESOL profession has developed historically as a largely English-only enterprise, leading to the accepted view that, as long as the teacher has English proficiency, then her other languages, or lack of them, are irrelevant.
The book challenges this view: and argues that in an era when we recognise the key role played by the learner’s own language(s) in the learning process, it is essential that we examine the significance of the TESOL teacher’s background as a learner and user of additional languages.
This is the first book to examine TESOL teachers’ other language experiences in depth and to provide a robust theoretical argument as to why those languages matter even in the English-medium classroom. It is also the first to provide solid empirical data, drawn from teachers in Australia and seven other countries, that bear out its claims. The author draws on literature in teacher cognition, bilingualism studies, intercultural competence, bilingual lifewriting and linguistic identity to argue that languages play a key part in the development of teachers’ professional beliefs and identity.
it is surprising that there is no focus on the role played by teachers’ other languages. The book proposes a new way of looking at teacher linguistic identity by examining in considerable detail the language biographies of teachers: whether they have grown up plurilingual or learned other languages later in life; and the relevance of this for the teaching of English. Learners are in the process of becoming plurilingual, and this book argues that they are best served by a teacher who has experience of plurilingualism.
The book examines the history of language in education policy which has led to the development of the TESOL profession in Australia and elsewhere as a monolingual enterprise. It goes on to show that teachers’ language backgrounds have been ignored in teacher selection, teacher training and ongoing professional development. The author draws on literature in teacher cognition, bilingualism studies, intercultural competence, bilingual lifewriting and linguistic identity to argue that languages play a key part in the development of teachers’ professional beliefs and identity. She investigates teachers’ rich experiences of growing up with two or more languages; of learning languages through schooling, of migrating to another linguaculture, of living in a plurilingual family and many more.
Drawing on three studies involving 115 teachers from Australia and seven other countries, the author shows conclusively that large numbers of teachers do have plurilingual experiences; that these experiences are ignored in the profession, but that they have powerful effects on the formation of beliefs about language learning and teaching which underpin good practice. Those teachers who identify as monolingual almost invariably have language learning experience, but it was low-level, short-lived and unsuccessful.
How does the experience of successful or unsuccessful language learning and language use affect one’s identity, beliefs and practice as an English language teacher? What kinds of experience are most beneficial?
These concepts and findings have implications for teacher language education, teacher professional development and the current calls for increased plurilingual practices in the TESOL classroom.
This is a very personal account of a Spanish immigrant, Nerea, achieving bilingualism in Wollongo... more This is a very personal account of a Spanish immigrant, Nerea, achieving bilingualism in Wollongong, NSW. The story raises questions of the complex development of identity, changing awareness of sociocultural practices in each language, and of the role played by attitudes in the surrounding community to a person’s bilingualism. This article is in two parts: in the first part Nerea’s story is told in her own voice, and in the second the authors connect Nerea’s individual experience to wider social patterns concerning bilingualism, identity and aspects of recent immigration to Australia.
This article explores the struggles of a family to pass on the mother’s language to her children;... more This article explores the struggles of a family to pass on the mother’s language to her children; struggles which Li (2007) claims are shared by “souls in exile”. It is one of thousands of stories in Australia and millions worldwide which speak of the importance of bilingualism and biculturalism as gifts to pass down to our children.
Amaya is a Basque-Spanish mother living in Australia and raising two children, Leticia (15) and Javier (11). Both children were born in Australia as was their father, Jason. Amaya has always wanted her children to grow up bilingual, with proficiency in both English and Spanish, as well as wanting them to identify with both the Australian and Spanish cultures.
This paper argues that learners' L1 has been largely marginalised or ignored in the ESL professio... more This paper argues that learners' L1 has been largely marginalised or ignored in the ESL profession, through the selection and training of teachers, the development of curriculum and methodology and a focus on teaching exclusively in the medium of U. It begins with a brief overview of the significance of L1 for "the whole person" and for learning L2, and then gives an historical background to the development of English-only and bilingual teaching in Australian ESOL The theoretical underpinnings of the promotion or banning of L1, and the discourses surrounding bilingual teaching and teachers are examined. Data from interviews with ESOL teachers are presented to suggest that a covert "monolingual discourse" is prevalent in the profession. The paper concludes by suggesting that policy changes are needed in teacher education and teacher employment if our rhetoric about the valuing of L1 and muftilingualism is to become reality.
Learning and Individual Differences, 2015
We examined the association between proficiency in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) ... more We examined the association between proficiency in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) and previous bilingualism, starting age of ISLA, language anxiety and attitude. The analyses were conducted on 564 adolescent Australian twins. Additionally, by examining discrepancies within approximately 100 pairs of monozygotic twins, we sought to specifically identify the environmental effects related to attitude and anxiety on achievement (i.e. with genetic effects removed). We found a clear relationship between attitude towards language learning and proficiency in the second language. Furthermore, the analyses on the monozygotic twins point to the possibility that higher language anxiety is associated with higher proficiency. On the other hand, bilingualism and starting age of ISLA appear to be unrelated to proficiency in the language being learned.
This is a very personal account of a Spanish immigrant, Nerea, achieving bilingualism in Wollongo... more This is a very personal account of a Spanish immigrant, Nerea, achieving bilingualism in Wollongong, NSW. The story raises questions of the complex development of identity, changing awareness of sociocultural practices in each language, and of the role played by attitudes in the surrounding community to a person’s bilingualism. This article is in two parts: in the first part Nerea’s story is told in her own voice, and in the second the authors connect Nerea’s individual experience to wider social patterns concerning bilingualism, identity and aspects of recent immigration to Australia.
Current Issues in Language Planning, 2010
ABSTRACT Germany and Australia are examples of countries characterised by a tension between their... more ABSTRACT Germany and Australia are examples of countries characterised by a tension between their plurilingual populations and their monolingual mindsets. This paper sets out to make a comparison between policy and practice in language and education in Germany and Australia, first outlining the link between the nineteenth-century development of the ideology of the nation-state and beliefs in the importance of a single language as a key feature of a strong nation. We use Gogolin's notion of a language hierarchy to illustrate the status and position of different categories of language in each country. Hence, we begin by interrogating the concept of a national language in each site, and then secondly we look at policy, practices and attitudes to foreign languages, characterised as those taught as subjects in schools. The third and most problematic position on the hierarchy is that of languages of the community. In Germany, these are autochthonous minority languages, immigrant languages and immigrant ethnolects. In Australia, they are Indigenous languages and Kriols, Aboriginal English, immigrant languages and immigrant ethnolects. This paper then discusses the positive and negative aspects of each country's language policy. We argue that by analysing how unexamined monolingual perspectives are played out in very different contexts, we can contribute to more enlightened thinking about the plurilingual potential of nations with multilingual populations.
This paper presents results from a pilot project that sought to establish parental motivations fo... more This paper presents results from a pilot project that sought to establish parental motivations for raising
children bilingually in regional Australia in the absence of a co-located speech community. Cultural and
linguistic diversity outside metropolitan areas is increasing as a result of Commonwealth Government
incentive schemes, and one effect of this is that migrant families must find innovative ways to stem the
shift to English that is virtually inevitable in the absence of a systematic and committed family language
policy. Five families of varied language background were interviewed regarding their motivations for and
challenges in raising their children bilingually. Four key themes emerged, comprising three goals and
one major challenge. The three goals were: to create a sense of belonging to a family, a community and
a culture; to create a competitive advantage for their children’s future; and to improve their children’s
school learning. The major challenge was the difficulty of the task despite their commitment to the
family language plan. Results from this pilot have informed the design of a larger study of regional family
language maintenance.
KEY WORDS
bilingualism, bilingual children, family language policy, regional multilingualism, linguistic identity, language
maintenance
TESOL Quarterly, 2013
This article reports a study on a little-researched area: the linguistic repertoires of teachers ... more This article reports a study on a little-researched area: the linguistic repertoires of teachers of English as a second language (ESL) to adults. It proposes that, to heed recent calls to recognise learners' plurilingualism and to incorporate learners' languages in the ESL classroom, teachers' plurilingualism must be acknowledged and valued. This study investigated the language biographies of plurilingual and monolingual teachers of ESL in Australia and found them to be characterised by a wide range of circumstantial and elective language learning experiences. The effect of different experiences on teachers' knowledge and beliefs about language learning and teaching are presented and discussed, drawing upon literature from language teacher cognition. Plurilingual teachers were found to see language learning as challenging but possible, whereas monolingual teachers associated language learning with their own unsuccessful experiences and saw it as difficult and potentially humiliating. Circumstantial plurilinguals were found to have a wide range of language experiences which contribute to their understanding of familial language use and issues arising from child and adult migration. All the plurilinguals were found to have gained useful insights about language teaching from their own experiences, and the article argues that these should be seen as a resource for systematic reflection in teacher education.
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in English-speaking countries are not u... more Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in English-speaking countries are not usually required to have proficiency in another language. Teacher competency statements frequently require "an understanding of second language development," and it is assumed that a monolingual teacher can attain such understanding without having learned a second language (L2). This paper sets out to challenge such a position by establishing a theoretical framework within which to argue that teacher language learning is an important contributor to professional practice. This framework is based on research into teacher cognition, particularly that which highlights connections between teachers' lived experience and the ways in which they form their beliefs about their profession . Using data from an Australian study, this paper shows that experiential knowledge formed by different kinds of L2 learning (formal, informal, childhood, adult, elective, or circumstantial bilingualism) forms a powerful resource underpinning ESL teachers' professional knowledge and beliefs about language teaching.
International Journal of Multilingualism, 2004
English as a second language (ESL) is taught in Australia to adult learners of mixedlanguage back... more English as a second language (ESL) is taught in Australia to adult learners of mixedlanguage backgrounds through the medium of English, and there is currently no requirement that ESL teachers speak another language. This paper reports on a study which asked what advantages there may be for ESL teachers to have proficiency in two or more languages. Data were gathered from semi-structured interviews and language biographies to explore the connection between the language backgrounds of multilingual and monolingual teachers of ESL, and their knowledge and beliefs about language learning. Theoretical constructs from the field of teacher cognition are used to argue that teachers' own language learning experience is a resource which is a powerful contributor to their conceptions of language, language use and language learning. The more multilingual the teacher, and the more varied his or her learning experiences, the richer this resource appears to be.
Sociolinguistic Studies, 2008
Some may find it strange to see a special journal issue on monolingualism. After all, is it not b... more Some may find it strange to see a special journal issue on monolingualism. After all, is it not bilinguals and multilinguals who present the more interesting questions? It certainly seems so, for research has concentrated on their linguistic, psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic make-up. The implication of this is that monolingualism is the norm, and that bilingualism and multilingualism constitute abnormal states which merit investigation; even though this idea sits oddly with the belief of most linguists that the majority of the world's population is bi-or multilingual, and that therefore monolingualism may be the exception rather than the norm. There is little systematic investigation of monolingualism: Romaine pointed out in 1995 that she would find it strange to see a book with the title 'Monolingualism'. This special issue of Sociolinguistic Studies carries just such a title, and the papers it includes represent an attempt to explore the phenomenon of monolingualism from a number of different perspectives. In this introduction I will outline why a simple definition of monolingualism is neither easy to establish nor useful, and also why it is important to come to an understanding of it as a particular kind of 'lingualism' (Cruz Ferreira p.c.). I then review ways in which monolingualism has been represented thus far in the literature, outline some possible research questions and end by introducing the contributions to this volume.
Current Issues in Language Planning, 2010
It is frequently observed that bilingualism and multilingualism are more common in the world than... more It is frequently observed that bilingualism and multilingualism are more common in the world than monolingualism, and yet, as Romaine (1995) points out, it is rare to find a book with the title 'Monolingualism'. Linguistic theories have often assumed monolingualism to be the norm (Pav l e n ko, 2000), and this view is often held by individual monolinguals who are speakers of a dominant language such as English . This paper will review three representations of monolingualism in the applied linguistics literature. The first is as an unmarked case, against wh i c h bilingualism and multilingualism are set as the exception. The second representation is of monolingualism as a limitation on cog n i t ive, communicative, social and vocational potential . Perspectives from language policy documents in Australia are presented to illustrate the second representation. The third and most critical representation employ s metaphors of disease, sickness and disability to port r ay monolingualism as a p a t h o l ogical state (Skutnabb-Kangas, 2000a; Oller, 1997). This latter strand of literature critiques the influence of the monolingual perspectives held by those who wield authority in language policy and in education. The paper concludes with a call for the development of a framework within which to understand monolingualism and its social and educational effects. Key wo rd s: monolingualism, language ideolog y, language attitudes, English language teaching, hegemony.