Multilingualism, its aspects, forms and significance in modern society

Abstract

In my report, “Multilingualism, its aspects, forms and significance in modern society”, I try to explain in detail and shed light on such issues as: What is actually meant by “multilingualism”? Why is it necessary to master as many languages ​​as possible in today’s reality and what are the priorities of those who speak many languages? Where is knowledge of more languages ​​particularly important and which languages ​​are the most prioritized in the modern world? What is the mutual influence of the specificity of individual languages ​​and culture? What are the positive and negative aspects of mastering two or more languages?

Over the past few years, the opportunities and desires to travel abroad, sometimes even the necessity, have been increasing. Such as, for example, exchange programs for students and pupils, study visits, summer jobs, partnership relations, various types of international projects, etc. There are also economic or political reasons; e.g. migration: Many are forced to leave their homeland, parents, children, family, relatives, friends and try to integrate into a foreign country. German-speaking countries such as Germany and Austria are particularly popular, but also Italy, Greece, Spain and the United States. The number of foreigners there is growing almost daily. Even just to exist in a foreign country, it is necessary to know not only the language of the country in question, but also its culture. All this clearly leads to intercultural communication and also to multilingualism, which refers to a person who speaks two or more languages; and this is where problems arise, because intercultural and language learning often takes place in the host country, where it is difficult to separate languages ​​of completely different specificity from each other and study them thoroughly.

Three types of multilingualism are distinguished: individual, territorial and institutional multilingualism. Individual multilingualism concerns the individual speaker, territorial multilingualism concerns the use of languages ​​in multilingual states or regions, and institutional multilingualism involves the use of multiple working languages ​​in institutions. However, it can be assumed that these different types of multilingualism, in particular, are accompanied by territorial multilingualism.

There are important aspects that contribute to multilingualism: Psychological aspect: For multilingual people, the language of origin acts as a carrier of identity, while the target language allows for integration into another linguistic community. Social aspect: Language allows people to "read" each other. In multilingual people, this further expands the range of "understanding". Cognitive aspect: Multilingual people have a differentiated awareness of language and have a different way of accessing language, which is less rule-oriented and more natural than monolinguals. They have strong metalinguistic awareness and other skills, which also make it easier for them to learn other languages. Pragmatic aspect: Multilingual people have a more differentiated view of the world. They study other perspectives through the lens of another language and, therefore, become more flexible in their actions. Cultural aspect: Multilingual people, especially representatives of linguistic minorities, have a so-called "bridge" function, that is, they play the role of a so-called mediator between different cultures.