Egalitarian bi/multilingualism and trans-semiotizing in a global world

Abstract

Bi/multilingualism has always been part of everyday life in many cultures for many peoples in many epochs and in many places. This chapter summarizes key themes in the research literature on bi/multilingualism. It put forwards the notion of trans-semiotizing as a means of discussing some important theoretical and methodological issues and proposes some directions for critical interventions and future research. Colonialism has the damaging effect of essentializing bi/ multilingual language practices and identities, forcing what are fuzzy, dynamic and fluid practices into separate language and identity categories with tight, discrete boundaries. Hierarchical bilingualism has been firmly established in Hong Kong with English occupying high domains including higher education even after the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.