This course introduces key concepts and approaches to the sociolinguistics of bilingualism and multilingualism, with a particular focus on Chinese communities such as Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and other Chinese cities. Topics covered include language use in bilingual/multilingual communities, language choice, language maintenance and shift, language attitudes and language ideologies, and language in globalization. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own bilingual or multilingual experience to apply the theories or models critically in their own social contexts. Not only classic papers but also current research articles will be discussed in the hope of providing the necessary background for students who consider writing their MA theses on topics of societal bilingualism or multilingualism.

CILO-1: Discuss key concepts which can be applied to explain the sociolinguistic situation in Macau/Hong Kong/China/Singapore. CILO-2: Summarize and explain recent research on societal bilingualism or multilingualism conducted in this region, and be equipped to initiate research on their own. CILO-3: Evaluate the usefulness and limitations of various kinds of data and methods used in research on societal bilingualism and multilingualism.