Читать книгу The Mysteries of Bilingualism. Unresolved Issues онлайн

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Trade and business are a major cause of language contact and hence bilingualism. For example, Greek was the language of buyers and sellers in the Mediterranean during the third, fourth and fifth centuries BCE and, of course, English has become a major language of trade and business today. It is well known that some business people in countries such as The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Singapore, among many others, will speak English all day at work and return home to speak their native language.

Another important cause of bilingualism is the movement of peoples. The reasons are many – political, religious, social, economic, educational – and go back to the beginning to time. People have always moved to other regions or countries in search of work and better living conditions. For example, in the United States, Batalova and Alperi (2018) report that the foreign-born share of the population is at its highest level since 1910, with approximately 44 million immigrants representing 13.5% of the overall population. In the United Kingdom, in 2018, people born outside country made up a similar percentage (14%),⁴ and in Switzerland, in 2019, as many as 25% of the population was made up of foreigners.⁵ All this leads to substantial bilingualism.