1st Edition
Language in Society in Bangladesh and Beyond Voices of the Unheard in the Global South
This collection presents a holistic picture of the sociolinguistic landscape in Bangladesh, offering a critical understanding of language ideologies and social inequalities in the country, as they connect more widely to dynamics in the Global South.
The book seeks to untangle the voices embedded in the language practices of a range of communities and professions in the region, which have been little studied in the literature, and encourage a rethinking of the relationships between language and nationality, class, ethnicity, race, and gender. Highlighting perspectives from established and emerging researchers and drawing on a wide range of theoretical approaches and methodologies, the volume is organized around such key themes as bilingualism and diglossia; language variation across domains; language and identity in literature; and the interconnectedness of language, identity, and globalization. Taken together, the collection calls attention to the socially and spatially situated nature of language practices in Bangladesh and in turn, the ways in which scholars in the Global South make sense of the sociolinguistic landscape at both the local and global levels.
This book will appeal to scholars working in sociolinguistics, particularly those working on language policy, language and identity, language variation, and in or about the Global South.
Table of Contents, List of Contributors, Foreword Sinfree Makoni, Chapter 1: Sociolinguistics Research in Bangladesh: Prologue and Progress Shaila Sultana, M. Moninoor Roshid, Md. Zulfeqar Haider, M. Obaidul Hamid, SECTION I: Bilingualism, Diglossia, and Language Variation, Chapter 2: A Sociolinguistic Investigation of Bangla Phonology Syed Shahrier Rahman, Chapter 3: Bengali Language: Dia-Standard or a Diglossic Convergence within a Mix-Dialect Situation? Maniruzzaman, SECTION II: Language in Different Domains, Chapter 4: Popular Versus Statutory Meanings of the Language of Law: How Does People’s Understanding Affect the Functionality of Gender Laws in Bangladesh? Arpeeta Shams Mizan and Muhammad Rezaur Rahman, Chapter 5: Lexical Borrowings from English into Modern Bangla Novels: Do They Endanger or Enhance the Vitality of Bangla? Muhammad Azizul Hoque, Chapter 6: Code-Mixing in Bangla Commercial and Non-Commercial Printed Advertisements: A Comparative Study Tawhida Jahan, Chapter 7: Religiosity, Risk, and Language: A Corpus Analysis of Bangladeshi YouTube Discourse about COVID-19, Chris Tang and Tania Rahman, SECTION III: Language and Identity, Chapter 8: Education for All in Bangla: Subtractive Influence on Adibashi Communities in Bangladesh Tanzina Tahereen, Chapter 9: "I Do Not Belong Here": Language Attitude and Identity Development Among Rohingya Community in Bangladesh Shakila Nur, Chapter 10: Translanguaging as Trans-Identity: Insights from Ethnic Minority Students in Bangladesh Mili Saha and Akhter Jahan, Chapter 11: Transglossia and Virtual Role-Play: Bangladeshi Youths’ Virtual Resistance Against Oppression Iram Mehrin, Chapter 12: Identification of Home Country Language and Culture: Narratives of Two Bangladeshi Migrants in London Qumrul Hasan Chowdhury, SECTION IV: Language, Space, and Linguistic Transformation, Chapter 13: Linguistic Landscapes (LLs) of Government Primary Schools in Khagrachari, Chattogram, Bangladesh: Peripheralisation of Indigenous Communities Nuzhat Tazin Ahmed, Shaila Sultana, Md. Shamsul Huda, Md Nahid Ferdous Bhuiyan, Chapter 14: Linguistic Landscapes of Bangladesh: Constructing or Reconstructing "Another Place"? Jannatul Ferdouse, Chapter 15: Southern Ways of English: Examining School Websites in Bangladesh M. Obaidul Hamid and Md. Wahidul Islam, Chapter 16: Sociolinguistics Research in Bangladesh: Future Direction Shaila Sultana and Mian Md. Naushaad Kabir
Biography
Shaila Sultana is Professor of English Language at the Institute of Modern Languages (IML), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Mian Md. Naushaad Kabir is Associate Professor of English Language at the Institute of Modern Languages (IML), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Md. Zulfeqar Haider is Professor and Senior Specialist (Curriculum), National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Mohammod Moninoor Roshid is Professor of English Language Education at the Institute of Education and Research (IER), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
M. Obaidul Hamid is Senior Lecturer in TESOL Education at the University of Queensland, Australia.
