Multilingual Sydney: Human Sciences Perspectives on New Urban Diversities

As a consequence of changing patterns of 21st century settlement, Sydney has become the most diverse and intensely multilingual city in Australia. The 2011 Census revealed that more than 35% of the Greater Sydney population speaks two or more languages at home compared to the national figure of 20%, and Asian languages now mingle with the European languages of 20th century migration to create a rich urban tapestry of culturally and linguistically diverse neighbourhoods. The 2016 Census is likely to show an increase in the number of multilingual residents and the diversity of languages spoken across the city, opening up new contexts and issues for multidisciplinary research.

The workshop showcases cutting edge research on city-based multilingualism and featured keynote presentations by Dr Lid King (The Languages Company, UK), Professor Joseph Lo Bianco (Melbourne University), Associate Professor Kathleen Heugh (University of South Australian), Dr Emi Otsuji and Professor Alastair Pennycook (University of Technology Sydney).