Linguanomics - by Gabrielle Hogan-Brun (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Globalization, the Internet and an era of mass travel have combined to produce a world with a language mix on a huge scale. Linguanomics explains this multilingualism in a material, economic and cultural sense.

What is the effect of this multilingualism on society, organizations and individuals? What are the economic benefits and drawbacks? Should we invest in language skills? Should there be interventionist policies, and if so, at what level? Should there be a global lingua mundi? The debate surrounding multilingualism is often clouded by emotion and prejudice. With an analysis devoid of rhetoric, Gabrielle Hogan-Brun takes an objective look at this charged area.

The result is Linguanomics: a major step towards a clearer understanding of the market potential of multilingualism, its benefits, costs and points of contention. Asking significant questions of profound concern to the future of global collaboration, Linguanomics is an essential guide to students, teachers, policy makers and politicians and anyone who cares about the role of language in the modern world.

Review Quotes

"Due to its highly accessible style Linguanomics by Gabrielle Hogan-Brun should appeal to a heterogeneous audience: lay people, policy makers, students and academics are sure to find food for thought within [its] pages ... The author succinctly points out the various perspectives one can take on the economics of multilingualism and her descriptions are rich in illustrative examples taken from a diverse range of online and offline sources. The scope of the book is ambitious and as such it provides a much needed introduction to the economic issues of multilingualism." - LINGUIST List

About the Author

Gabrielle Hogan-Brun is at the University of Bristol, UK. She has written widely on language and education, with a particular focus on addressing and accommodating cultural and linguistic diversity in Central Eastern Europe.