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  3. Bilingualism

Bilingualism (LING90021)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville) and Online

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Overview

Availability
Semester 2 - On Campus
Semester 2 - Online
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This subject examines the phenomenon of bi/multilingualism from both individual and societal perspectives. It enables students to understand the language choices made by speakers in bilingual and multilingual settings, the role of language contact in language change, the relationship between language and cognition and the psychological and societal factors influencing language acquisition, language maintenance, and language loss. It also considers educational and political issues associated with bilingualism, and familiarises students with a range of institutional models whereby citizens can be encouraged to successfully learn and use two or more languages in their daily lives.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Gain an understanding of bilingualism, both as an individual and as a societal phenomenon
  • Demonstrate familiarity with linguistic, sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, educational and political issues associated with bilingualism
  • Gain an understanding of bilingual education.

Generic skills

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Develop skills in abstracting theory from practice
  • Identify unstated assumptions determining an argument
  • Gain formed judgments from conflicting evidence
  • Become open to new ideas and possibilities
  • Improve their oral and written communication.

Last updated: 8 February 2026