Multilingualism has become inevitable in the present interconnected world. Understanding whether it is being accepted or just tolerated is an important issue for cutting-edge sociolinguistic research. This Saudi-based study utilizes a bifocal lens to examine undergraduate students’ attitudes towards multilingualism. Findings showed receptive attitudes and willingness to become multilingual.
The world is increasingly becoming multilingual as migration and technological advancement continue to remove barriers that separate languages. To maximize benefits of linguistic diversity, we need to understand the disposition of social actors towards multilingualism and the fluidity of their language use. Considering that educational expediency is a major dislocating process contributing to linguistic diversity, this study focuses on undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia, and at an era of drastic social change and transitions. It employed a mixed-methods design involving triangulation of data collection – questionnaire survey (n=424), 10 focus group discussions and 30 in-depth interviews – to gain deeper understanding of the attitudes that Saudi undergraduates hold towards multilingualism. Participants were drawn from three major universities across three main cities – Jeddah, Riyadh and Taif. Ethical approval was granted by the University of New South Wales Research Ethics Committee. Interviews and FGD data were transcribed, translated and analysed thematically to identify major themes while descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. Results from the two phases were compared and found to show convergence and complementarity. Findings showed that participants demonstrated positive attitudes towards multilingualism and willingness to learn other foreign languages aside English for education, future work prospects and travel purposes. Arabic, however assumed a centrality position in the linguistic behaviour of participants as it is the dominant language in the study settings Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. No significant difference was found in attitudes towards multilingualism among participants by city or gender; although females and participants from Jeddah – a more cosmopolitan city – demonstrated more positive attitudes towards multilingualism. The findings of this study can inform language planning and policies towards equipping young Saudis to become multilingual. This way, both global linguistic competence and local language preservation will be ensured.
