Life in a New Language, Part 5: Monolingual Mindset
Jul 10, 2024
auto_awesome
Ingrid Piller, a leading voice on language and migration, joins her co-authors, including Donna Butorac and Loy Lising, to discuss their groundbreaking book on the language learning experiences of 130 migrants in Australia. They examine how monolingual ideologies affect low-skilled migrants and explore the barriers imposed by rigid language standards in immigration. The conversation also highlights the importance of collaboration in scholarly work and the need for a multilingual mindset to enhance migrant integration into society.
The podcast explores the struggles of low-skilled migrants in Australia, particularly how monolingual ideologies hinder their language acquisition and adaptation.
It emphasizes the emotional and identity challenges faced by migrants, highlighting their resilience amid societal pressures and systemic barriers in the workplace.
Deep dives
Exploration of Migrant Experiences in Language Learning
The podcast delves into the language learning and settlement experiences of 130 migrants to Australia from various countries. It highlights the challenges these individuals face in acquiring new language skills while transitioning into a new culture. The discussion includes participants' struggles with linguistic proficiency, especially regarding employment opportunities, and the emotional toll of adapting to life in a different country. The authors emphasize the resilience of migrants despite the hardships they encounter.
Racial and Cultural Identity Challenges
The participants' experiences with racism and identity formation in a new context are crucial aspects of the discussion. The podcast reveals how such experiences affect their self-perception and integration into Australian society. For instance, some migrants grapple with societal expectations regarding language use, often feeling marginalized or excluded. This underscores the broader implications of cultural identity as they navigate professional and social landscapes.
Impacts of Employment Conditions on Language Acquisition
The episode discusses how workplace conditions impact the language acquisition process for migrants. Many individuals, like the Filipino abattoir workers mentioned, find themselves in environments where speaking their native language is discouraged, hindering their ability to practice English. The pressure of meeting language proficiency requirements for job security and visa renewals adds to their stress. This situation reveals systemic barriers that not only affect employment but also language development.
Collaborative Research and its Importance
The participating scholars emphasize the significance of collaborative research in understanding and addressing migrant issues. By sharing insights from different ethnographic studies, the authors aim to form a more comprehensive picture of migrants' experiences. Their cooperative effort reflects a collective commitment to advancing knowledge in sociolinguistics and migration studies. This approach highlights the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration to influence policy-making and language services.
This episode of the Language on the Move Podcast is part of the Life in a New Language series. Life in a New Language is a new book just out from Oxford University Press. Life in a New Language examines the language learning and settlement experiences of 130 migrants to Australia from 34 different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America over a period of 20 years. It’s co-authored by Ingrid Piller, Donna Butorac, Emily Farrell, Loy Lising, Shiva Motaghi Tabari, and Vera Williams Tetteh.
In this series, Brynn Quick chats with each of the co-authors about their personal insights and research contributions to the book.
Today, Brynn chats with Dr. Loy Lising, with a focus on low-skilled migrants and how their experiences are shaped by monolingual ideologies.
For additional resources, show notes, and transcripts, go here.