Berlin Lives is twofold work: a sociolinguistic analysis of multilingualism in Berlin, on top of this demographic approach, Stevenson provides something extra: a biographical dimension. Instead of asking in a straightforward sociolinguistic way how the linguistic repertoires of individual speakers are constituted, he adopts the perspective of the speaker and asks: “How has language, or how have languages, influenced the trajectory of my life and my relationships with others in changing social contexts?” (xvii). In putting the question in these terms, Stevenson is aligning himself with a rapidly expanding body of work (with a range of methodological approaches) on linguistic biographies and language and family relationships (cf. Franceschini 2011; Betten 2011).
Stevenson, Patrick (2017): Language and Migration in a Multilingual Metropolis. Berlin Lives. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. 221 pp. £66.99.
Thune, Eva Maria
2017
Abstract
Berlin Lives is twofold work: a sociolinguistic analysis of multilingualism in Berlin, on top of this demographic approach, Stevenson provides something extra: a biographical dimension. Instead of asking in a straightforward sociolinguistic way how the linguistic repertoires of individual speakers are constituted, he adopts the perspective of the speaker and asks: “How has language, or how have languages, influenced the trajectory of my life and my relationships with others in changing social contexts?” (xvii). In putting the question in these terms, Stevenson is aligning himself with a rapidly expanding body of work (with a range of methodological approaches) on linguistic biographies and language and family relationships (cf. Franceschini 2011; Betten 2011).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
