English – Page 6 – Language on the Move

Language and globalization

Academic capitalism and the spread of English

In 2009, I contributed a chapter about the social inclusion of migrants in Australia to an edited book about immigration policy published in Japanese in Japan. The book is doing…

Ingrid PillerJuly 11, 2010

Multilingual histories

Accent and history

This is the story of a young Pakistani man, let’s call him Reza. Reza spent his early years in what was then East-Pakistan and what is today a different country,…

Muhammad Ali KhanJune 10, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

Toiletology

Installment #4 in the mini-series on multilingual signage Toilets as an object of sociolinguistic research?! Not likely?! Think again! Today, I am going to discuss toilet signage as an indicator…

Ingrid PillerMay 7, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

Installment #3 in the mini-series on multilingual signage The lovers of English poetry among you will recall how the phrase “Betreten verboten” (“No trespassing”) encapsulates his alienation from Berlin and…

Ingrid PillerMay 3, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

English, the non-language

Installment #2 in the mini-series on multilingual signage Much of the signage that can be found in contemporary public spaces is commercial. It is a form of advertising, and language…

Ingrid PillerApril 29, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

The magic of English

Over the next few weeks my introductory sociolinguistics students are doing a group work task in which they explore the linguistic landscape in their suburb and relate the visibility of…

Ingrid PillerApril 27, 2010

Language politics

French Language Day

I missed the UN’s French language day! It’s not the fact that I missed it that bothers me – I’m late for pretty much everything – it’s the fact that…

Ingrid PillerApril 4, 2010

Language at work

Tipsy on multilingualism?!

English-speaking countries have a poor track record when it comes to language learning. Educators in Australia, the UK and the USA regularly bemoan that fact and call for a change…

Ingrid PillerFebruary 21, 2010

News

Monolinguals on the move – multilinguals stuck in detention

Must-read post by Dennis Baron over at the Web of Language! A US university student who majors in Middle Eastern Studies was detained at Philadelphia Airport for carrying Arabic language…

Ingrid PillerFebruary 13, 2010

Intercultural communication

“We not ship to Russia”

I went onto e-bay this weekend and, instead of the gadget I was after, found some non-standard uses of English negation: “We not ship to Russia” or “We not use…

Ingrid PillerFebruary 10, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

On the fine line between humour and racism

The supermarkets of Germany are the site of a more sinister example of multilingual diversity marketing. The pictured chip packet leaps off the shelf with its mix of German, English…

Emily FarrellJanuary 18, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

Transliterated brand names

London Dairy ad on a building in Abu Dhabi, UAE Igloo ad on truck in Abu Dhabi, UAE I’ve just come across a 2006 University of South Africa MA thesis investigating…

Ingrid PillerJanuary 15, 2010

Language learning

Korean beats French

If you could choose to learn a foreign language, which one would it be? And why? Such choices are usually constrained by what is on offer. However, someone must choose…

Ingrid PillerDecember 14, 2009

Linguistic landscapes

Croc warning

I took a picture of this sign during a family holiday in Cairns. My then-six-year-old daughter noticed the German “Achtung” and so asked why it didn’t say “Warning” in her…

Ingrid PillerDecember 4, 2009

Intercultural communication

Two Caravans

I’ve always thought that it would do the field of linguistics (and the humanities generally) a whole lot of good if linguists were also doing literary studies. I’m an old-fashioned…

Ingrid PillerNovember 22, 2009

Accent and history

Multilingual prohibitions

English, the non-language

The magic of English

French Language Day

Tipsy on multilingualism?!

Monolinguals on the move – multilinguals stuck in detention

“We not ship to Russia”

On the fine line between humour and racism

Transliterated brand names

Korean beats French

Two Caravans

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