This book is based on the belief that the research object of studies on multilingualism needs a new interpretation and clearer definition. It is argued that the definition of language, particularly important in discussions on multilingualism, is sometimes ambiguous and downright confusing. A clarification of the term seems to be of critical importance for the further development of research in this field, and it is the aim of this book to make a contribution in this respect.

Exklusives Verkaufsrecht für: Gesamte Welt.

Contents: Werner Wiater/Gerda Videsott: New theoretical perspectives in multilingualism research: Multilingualism as a construct determined by different uses ¿ Werner Wiater: Constructivism and Language Acquisition ¿ Gerda Videsott/Bärbel Herrnberger/Edgar Schilly/Jo Grothe/Klaus Hoenig/Werner Wiater/Manfred Spitzer/Markus Kiefer: The complex measurement of language(s) ¿ Tanja Rinker/Markus Kiefer: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Multilingualism ¿ Doris Manschke: Mental representations, mental imagery and language: An overview ¿ Rosemarie Tracy: Knowledge societies in need of knowledge ¿ Gabriele Pallotti/Stefania Ferrari/Elena Nuzzo: A systematic procedure for assessing communicative competence ¿ Rita Franceschini: The potentiality of Multilingualism: Four Scenarios for a Multilingual Country ¿ Siegfried Baur/Dietmar Larcher: Multilingualism revisited. New Frontiers in Central European Language Education ¿ Christiane Fäcke: Language and dialect between linguistic purism and plurilingualism ¿ Silvia Dal Negro: Notes on the Mother Tongue ideology: Evidence from multilingual environments ¿ Christina Reissner: Language(s), plurilingualism and intercomprehension ¿ Jeroen Darquennes: Aspects of individual and societal multilingualism in the language policy of the European Commission: A preliminary analysis.