Life in a New Language: Race, Gender, Class, and Pessimism in 21st-Century Black Thought

International migration and the social diversity it creates constitute one of the key global challenges of the early 21st century. Language and communication barriers can compromise equitable access in diverse societies, and where socioeconomic disadvantage becomes entrenched, it poses risks to security, productivity and quality of life. Clearly this is an important issue, and migrants and their language choices are heavily politicized; though political and media debates often rely on anecdotal conjecture or are ill-informed. Life in a New Language examines the language learning and settlement experiences of 130 migrants to Australia from 34 different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America over a period of 20 years. Reusing data shared from six separate sociolinguistic ethnographies, the book illuminates participants' lived experience of learning and communicating in a new language, finding work, and doing family. Additionally, participants' experiences with racism and identity making in a new context are explored. The research uncovers significant hardship but also migrants' courage and resilience. The book has implications for language service provision, migration policy, open science, and social justice movements.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments. Or: The story of this book Note on pseudonyms, transcription, and translation List of participants List of abbreviations Chapter 1: "Swimming poor in a raging river." Doing things with words in a new language Chapter 2: "English opens all the doors in the world." Arriving in a new language Chapter 3: "In my world, no one's got a job with an Australian company." Looking for work in a new language Chapter 4: "Our life is becoming colorful again." Finding a voice in a new language Chapter 5: "This is all for our children, for their future." Doing family in a new language Chapter 6: "Sometimes the White people get angry." Facing discrimination in a new language Chapter 7: "I have many faces." Self-making in a new language Chapter 8: Rethinking language and migration How to use this book in teaching References

About the Author :
Ingrid Piller is Distinguished Professor of Applied Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney, and founding editor of Language on the Move. Donna Butorac is a Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator of Anthropology and Sociology at Curtin University, Perth. Emily Farrell is the Global Commercial Director for Open Research at Taylor & Francis. Loy Lising is a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney. Shiva Motaghi-Tabari is an Honorary Research Fellow in Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney. Vera Williams Tetteh is an Honorary Research Fellow in Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney.

Review :
Without any exaggeration this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I am blown away by not only the variety of stories, but also how they are analyzed with keen insight and clear links to policy/planning, all without ever getting bogged down in academia-ese. I was even able to see myself in many of the stories, despite that I obviously came to Australia with both English background proficiency and the "non-immigrant" image you discuss in the text. Noting how others dealt with their experiences was eye-opening, and made me appreciate even further the hard work that goes in to joining a new community who speak a different language than you, or even a different English than the one you expect. I wanted to congratulate the whole writing team for the fantastic book that you have written, that I enjoyed thoroughly! I loved the content, the structure, the style, and the new approach of data sharing, a real breakthrough. It is truly inspiring and has given me lots of food for thought for what I am currently working on. The richness and comprehensiveness of the data and the use of longitudinal approach of the study, are particularly noteworthy. [...] these achievements rely on the integration of data across six previous sociolinguistic ethnographies, which represent a significant methodological innovation for future ethnographic and anthropological studies. This data-sharing approach is not only adventurous and bold, but it also offers a valuable reference for researchers in cross-project, cross-field, and even cross-disciplinary collaborations, while also paving the way for the humanization and personalization of immigrant research. Piller et al. show that giving participants a greater role in determining the concepts and categories emphasized in research can give voice and texture to the lived experiences of language learners. [...] empowering language communities to maintain their heritage language and giving participants a greater voice in research can help to subvert language hierarchies and lead to more harmonious relationships between language speakers. The book [is] exemplary on several grounds [...] The authors have broken the barriers in reaching policymakers and the public by presenting research findings in a way so people can enjoy and reflect on their reading and consider how they could facilitate the integration of migrants into the host society [and it] provides an innovative example of data sharing, reusing, and constructing big data in qualitative research following Open Science principles. Readers won't regret the time [...] that they will invest in the reading of Life in a new language [...] whatever your [...] backgrounds, the book will have something to tell you about language, life, migration, and society. Life in a New Language offers a rich and valuable account of what it means to migrate and live in another language - an account which is generalisable not only to the Australian context but to contexts where migrants face similar social and institutional barriers. The book offers a valuable resource for scholars examining the intersections of language and migration, educators wishing to include a migrant perspective of language learning, and policymakers aiming to develop more inclusive, contextually-informed approaches. This truly amazing book is an excellent demonstration of how studies initially conducted for different purposes can be integrated into powerful narratives. The tone of this collective effort is forceful yet also controlled. After becoming absorbed in the emotionally engaging narratives of migrants' lived experiences with English in Australia, readers may forget that they are reading an academic work. It is only pedagogical features – including 'key points', 'discussionquestions' and 'further reading' - that remind readers of the true purpose of the book. Its many narratives are excellent pedagogical resources that can be used to stimulate discussions among both undergraduate and postgraduate students.