Human migration and communication over long distances are becoming more familiar every day. In fact, language and migration are interrelated. Language is a crucial means of communication, and migration leads to a reconsideration of how language is used for an array of communicative needs.
The book Language and Migration (2020) by Tony Capstick explores a historical path from early human migrations to recent migration practices, and he presents this history alongside the development of linguistic and cultural practices. With an emphasis on the linguistic effects of migration, Capstick draws from the fields of Applied Linguistics and Migration Studies, employing a cross-disciplinary approach based on case studies. This book provides useful educational resources that highlight the experiences and significance of both forced and voluntary migration, as it pertains to contemporary language use.
This book also aims at depicting the interrelationship of people, locations, and language due to increased globalization, regardless of governmental regulations on human movement. Thus, this book counters the governmental attempts to regulate migration through enforced plans on physical and linguistic borders. This leads to new insights within the fields of intercultural learning and language education to better understand present-day life via human mobility across places. Capstick adopts the concept of superdiversity (Vertovec, 2007, 2017), the multiple processes and effects of migration along with the increased complexity that results from such practices, to describe the multifaceted processes and effects of migration on people and resources as a result of colonization, as well as urbanization and the economic aspirations of migrants.
Chapter 1 (Human migration, culture, and language) reviews early forms of migration carried out by pioneers and sea-voyagers to establish language and culture within processes of human migrations and mobility (Urry, 2000). Capstick first notes how these initial processes allowed people to embrace their linguistic and cultural features, intersecting with the social and technological lives of people as a result of their migration. An understanding of language becomes crucial in comprehending culture. The chapter then highlights writing as a means for identity establishment or creation. This discussion on linguistic capital is adopted from Bourdieu (1977, 1986, 1991), referring to the language practices influenced by power relations, to examine the wealth of multilingualism and multilingual migrants from a critical perspective. Lastly, Capstick mentions how the value of the linguistic resources a person may possess is likely to change as an outcome of migration.
Chapter 2 (Empires, colonialism, and English) emphasizes the colonization period, highlighting Western European colonization in different parts of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, along with the spread of English and the development of its varieties around the world. This leads to the issue of standardized and non-standard varieties of English and the language contact zones created by European colonialism. Moreover, Capstick provides a description of how post-colonial language policies have changed as a result of linguistic contact, challenging the hegemony of certain colonial languages and the idea of one language related to one nation. As a result, during the post-colonial era, many varieties of English arose, each one suited to the specific contexts in which they were born.
Chapter 3 (Immigration and migrant language education) continues to further explore aspects of migration with regards to language and colonialism. This chapter centers its attention on migration to the Global North, along with how ties between the Global North and South are strengthened through the development of chain migration, or the social process by which families or groups of people follow each other to the targeted destination, leading to the establishment of more permanent, hybrid settlements. Capstick explores the social and cultural practices of migrants in resisting exclusive practices. The concept of identity becomes key in understanding how language mediates ethnic and social solidarity within a given group and the development of social networks. Capstick presents case studies of migration to the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to illustrate how nation-states become crucial agents in promoting (or inhibiting) migration flows and social networks. Literacy and discourse are key factors not only in allowing a migrant to become a language mediator, but also in establishing how power relations determine the agency that migrants may have in a host (or receiving) country. Lastly, the concepts of multiculturalism and interculturalism become important lenses in understanding how migration challenges national identity
Chapter 4 (Language learning and intercultural learning) begins with a look at migration throughout Europe, with an emphasis on Polish migration to the United Kingdom, and highlighting the importance of developing intercultural communicative competence (Wiseman, 2002). Capstick contrasts language policies from the European Union with the realities of multilingual practices in daily communication, providing insights into the richness of meaning making practices encompassed in plurilingual contexts. He explores the linguistic panorama surrounding Brick Lane in the East End of London, noting changes such as an established linguistic landscape due to migration. The chapter then moves to a discussion of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research, and how migrants are faced with learning a second language with the aims of developing symbolic competence (Kramsch, 1993), or expand their world views when learning about another culture. Translingual competence also becomes crucial to develop by means of translanguaging, or the use of all the linguistic resources in bilingual meaning-making (Garcia & Li, 2014; Lewis et al., 2012). Moreover, this challenges the notion of a “second” language to encompass bi- and multilingual practices. Lastly, intercultural learning intersects with identity in allotting a space for the learner to develop the ability to engage with others, and thus, reconstruct their worldviews.
Chapter 5 (Transnational networks) describes the communication practices of families who engage in transnational practices. Capstick places emphasis on how constant migratory practices can alter language policies in the homeland. That is, transmigration can lead to meaning making in more than one language. Case studies are highlighted pertaining to the Americas, Asia, and Europe. It is obvious that globalization becomes crucial in exploring the illusive boundaries of the deterritorialized nation-states (Basch et al., 1994) through translanguaging practices. A focus on family language policies is primary in exploring the relationship between language and transnational family life amongst and between two nation-states. Aside from language policies, this chapter also explores language and cultural brokering as a linguistic resource within transnational families. Then, Capstick explores people who cross borders and embrace language practices as they themselves migrate from one place to another, resulting in variations and multiple modalities of English. Migration, then, impacts the places families leave behind, as well as the communities and new locations where they arrive.
Chapter 6 (Globalization and cross-border flows) addresses the cultural and social phenomena derived from globalization, or global interconnectedness. Capstick provides a view on how language may be tailored the needs of its users. He initially considers initial forced movement of enslaved people from Africa to the Caribbean, followed by immigration into Europe, to trace the linguistic effects up until contemporary days. New language varieties emerged from slavery and segregation, presenting global cities as spaces created by and for language mixing. The chapter then highlights examples of creole languages and dialects to provide information on how language may evolve to suit the needs of its local users in a given time and place through the so-called sociolinguistics of globalization (Blommaert, 2010). This chapter concludes with thoughts on how language practices may shift due to transnational communication and online interaction.
Chapter 7 (Language education in refugee settings) covers the relationship between language and education for refugees who have been displaced from their homelands, most often as a result of globalization. In this chapter, Capstick calls for language education to consider the needs of a country’s refugee immigrant population. The chapter first considers case studies from Africa due to its high level of displacement, followed by individual cases and scenarios from the Middle East, along with varying refugee settings. Through the many challenges confronted by those faced with displacement, this chapter centers around the need to develop agency as a response to meeting the initial survival needs, developmental needs such as education and ultimately, a more permanent settlement. Lastly, the chapter suggests five core principles for language planning in refugee settings: 1) the use of home language and literacy practices; 2) the access and availability of additional languages; 3) social cohesion through language learning; 4) the creation of multilingual spaces as support for language learning; and 5) strengthening educational systems through professional development for language teachers.
Chapter 8 (Internationalization in higher education), which is the last chapter in this book, opts for an alternative approach to language and migration by analyzing the internationalization of higher education by discussing the intersection of student mobility, language, and globalization. Capstick notes that countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia call the attention of students looking for quality higher education through English as the medium of instruction. This results in these countries having a greater dependence on international students through academic cooperation. Capstick then looks at transnational education (TNE) and how it aids in developing partnerships amongst universities with a view towards developing overall English proficiency through educational mobility. The chapter closes by highlighting English for Academic Purposes (EAP) (Flowerdew & Peacock, 2001) courses that bridge communication, functioning as a lingua franca (Jenkins, 2006), and rejecting the native speaker norm. This in turn places a degree of power on the international English user in developing agency according to the needs that may arise.
Conclusion
The book Language and Migration by Tony Capstick provides a thorough analysis on the relationship between language and migration through an examination of the effects of migration on the continuous transformation and adaptation of language. The historical trail discussed throughout the book aids in understanding how language has evolved (and continues to do so) due to the practices derived as a result of migration. The fields of Applied Linguistics and Migration Studies are interrelated throughout the book, with strong connections made to vast academic literature from an array of disciplines that offer insights into Capstick’s theoretical and conceptual frameworks.
With globalization gaining increased attention in current scholarship, this book does an exceptional job of providing a number of lenses, from historical to more recent time periods and their effects on language and migration. Despite an ambitious approach to both location and time, Capstick does a good job of encompassing different locales and weaving the core of the effects of migration into language usage and change, with an emphasis on English within an international spectrum. Capstick relies on particular case studies expanding on an array of literature to achieve this.
If you desire to understand the development of the English language internationally, or to gain a better understanding of how migration processes have modified English, this is an essential book for you. This book also positions itself as a core book for applied linguists, cultural and linguistic anthropologists, and ethnographers of globalization. The continuous suggested activities along with the discussion boxes located throughout each of the chapters allow for the book to be easily adapted for courses in a range of academic disciplines, ranging from sociolinguistics to migration studies, with an emphasis on applied linguistics within both undergraduate and graduate level coursework.
A summary of the content of the book has been provided here, yet you will undoubtedly take advantage of the richness in reading Capstick’s book for a detailed portrayal of the interrelationship among migration, language change, and language use. This rich academic contribution is sure to be used across disciplines.
References
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