Multilingual mindset: A necessary concept for fostering inclusive multilingualism in migrant societies
LoyLising
Macquarie University
Abstract
In this paper, I examine the changing currency of languages in the context of migration and mobility based on case
studies of Filipino migrants in Australia. Drawing on two sociolinguistic studies conducted with and for Filipino migrants, I
highlight how the “monolingual mindset” (Clyne, 2008) reinforced by the “White-English
complex” (Piller, Torsh, & Smith-Khan, 2023) negatively impact on the value and
currency of Philippine languages. As an alternative, I offer the concept multilingual mindset as an inclusive
framework for valuing multilingual migrants in the diaspora.
I first introduce the linguistic ecology and national language policies of both the Philippines and Australia to
set the scene for my argument. I then map out the migration trends in both countries and the simultaneous socio-political events
that have driven the growth of Filipino migration in Australia and introduce the two sociolinguistic studies with and for (Blackledge, 2006; Tetteh, 2015) Filipino
migrants. This is followed by the presentation and critical discussion of three key conceptual arguments of this paper derived
from these studies. Employing the “monolingual mindset” (Clyne, 2008) and
“White-English complex” (Piller et al., 2023) as lenses, I then critically discuss how
these concepts are detrimental to heritage language maintenance and inclusive multilingualism and argue that the
maintenance of migrant languages in the diaspora would best be facilitated by an adoption of a multilingual
mindset. The paper concludes with a discussion on the significance of the multilingual mindset to
sociolinguistic studies and migration linguistics (Borlongan, 2023), in general, and to
language attitudes, language practices, and language policies across different sectors, in particular.
This paper argues that the devalued currency of migrant languages at the point of migration is facilitated by a
monolingual mindset (Clyne, 2005, 2008; see also Barratt, 2018 for monolingual bias; Canagarajah, 2013 for monolingual orientation) reinforced by the
“White-English complex” (Piller, Torsh, & Smith-Khan, 2023) that need to change.
Monolingual mindset is defined by Clyne (2005, p. xi) as a “mindset
[that] sees everything in terms of monolingualism being the norm…”. Or simply put, it is “seeing everything in terms of a single
language” (Clyne, 2008, p. 348). The “White-English complex”, on the other hand, sees “race
and language [as] co-naturalized… where one constitutes the other” (Piller et al., 2023,
p. 720). And in the Australian context, what this implies is that being white-looking and white-sounding has prestige and is
privileged. And while both concepts address different parameters – multiple languages in the first case and English prejudices in the
second – together they form an unfortunate alliance that (un)intentionally devalues migrant languages. The White-English complex
complements the monolingual mindset in that not only is speaking/using only one language normalized, but specifically that one
language should be English as this is prioritized or most highly valued. I first outline the respective linguistic ecology of the
Philippines and Australia and their national language policies as a necessary backdrop in situating the arguments in this paper and
the findings that buttress them.
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