Page 237 - Handbooks of Applied Linguistics Communication Competence Language and Communication Problems Practical Solutions

Lingua franca communication in multiethnic contexts 215

advocated by Ndoleriire (2000: 283): “The multilingualism option, on the other
hand, implies that all citizens of a (highly multilingual) state will need to learn
at least three languages, and that these languages will also become the lan-
guages of official use”. Such an approach would establish the language used as a
lingua franca as one element of the community’s linguistic repertoire. It might
also help avoid intercultural communication problems, since learning several of
a country’s languages would also increase the specific knowledge about, as well
as a general awareness of, culturally determined conventions of language use.

Notes

1. This part of the article is based on a research project funded by the VolkswagenStif-
tung under grant nos. II/79 388 and II/82 052.
2. www.statssa.gov.za/census01/html/default.asp, accessed 15. 12. 2005
3. The more recent 2001 census asked respondents what language they spoke most
often in their household, but only listed the eleven official languages and an addi-
tional category labelled “other” as response options.
4. www.voanews.com/specialenglish/about_special_english.cfm, accessed 08. 12. 2005
5. The other official languages are Hiri Motu, another pidgin / creole, and English.
6. www. ethnologue.com, accessed 15. 12. 2005
7. For more formal and official contacts, immigrants use French (Meeuwis 2002: 30).
8. However, in most nations there have always been minority languages spoken by a
small proportion of the population. In Iceland, Danish is recognized as a minority
language.
9. www.swissworld.org, accessed 15. 12. 2005
10. www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/a-diverse-australia/government-policy/austra
lians-together/current-policy/in-brief.htm. – accessed 13. 02. 2007, italics mine
11. www.languageinindia.com/april2002/officiallanguagesact.html, accessed 24. 11.
2005)
12. www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=NG, accessed 15. 12. 2005
13. www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm, accessed
15. 12. 2005

References

Chick, Keith J.
1995 Interactional sociolinguistics and intercultural communication in South
Africa. In: Rajend Mesthrie (ed.), Language and Social History, 230–241.
Cape Town/ Johannesburg: David Philip.
Corder, Saskia and Meyerhoff, Miriam
in this volume Communities of practice in the analysis of intercultural communication.
Chapter 21.