Superdiversity, language and society: issues on the move. An interview with Prof. Jan Blommaert and Dr. Massimiliano Spotti

Description

Contemporary societies are strongly marked by a new complex web of relations, regulations and practices much as a response to new globalization processes along with the advent of digital media technologies. Human mobility, in particular, becomes a key element in the understanding of recent times as it has brought an unprecedented diversification of diversity that came to be known as superdiversity. As languages are a fundamental element in human relations, the emerging complexities in social interactions are to be taken into account in current research on meaning making processes in both online-offline communication. In this interview, Jan Blommaert and Massimiliano Spotti, from Tilburg University, the Netherlands, provide us with an acute analysis on the trajectories of Sociolinguistics. By claiming in favour of a paradigm shift in which language research would have to consider elements hitherto neglected by traditional language research, the authors’ pioneering publications and local initiatives open up the terrain for the reinvention of language studies, policies, and practices.