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 misconception. 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.
Industry Reviews
Hogan-Brun is on a mission to convince her readers that they should be more alert to the market [and social] potential of language learning ... [and] this is a laudable aim ... Linguanomics asks worthwhile questions. * Times Higher Education *
[Linguanomics] offers the reader a broad and varied picture of the interplay and interconnection of economy and multilingualism. Hogan-Brun's conviction that society can benefit from language diversity is well-based on a plethora of data and examples that make the book an interesting and informative reading. * International Journal of Applied Linguistics *
Hogan-Brun's book is a lucid introduction to the commodification of language, the various factors and processes which impinge on the market and exchange values of languages ... [A] carefully constructed text. * Journal of English as a Lingua Franca *
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 *
The main merit of this book [...] is to raise different relevant questions, as well as to increase awareness of the importance of better understanding the relationship between multilingualism and the economy. * Language Policy *
Gabrielle Hogan-Brun has conducted much research into multilingualism, its history, how people respond to new linguistic cultures, and the costs and benefits of incorporating multilingualism into business matters. * Babel: The Language Magazine *
With cities like London now counting 300 languages among their residents, the globalization of trade, and empirical evidence of the cognitive value for young and old of bilingualism, one might wonder why one needs to argue for the learning and teaching of languages. But there is clearly such a need, and Gabrielle Hogan-Brun provides a lively, readable and wide-ranging survey of the value of multilingualism to individuals and nations. -- Bernard Spolsky, Professor Emeritus of English, Bar-Ilan University, Israel
In this succinct yet comprehensive book, the author provides a dispassionate account of the relationships - both historical and contemporary - between multilingualism and economics. Readers will find here an excellent source of information bearing upon both the benefits and the costs of linguistic diversity. -- John Edwards, Senior Research Professor, St Francis Xavier University, Canada and Adjunct Professor (Graduate Studies), Dalhousie University, Canada
