Abstract

back
   Back


Paper
Using GIS to Map the Multilingual City
Track: Education
Author(s): Ljuba Veselinova, Jason Booza

Work in two rather distinct disciplines, urban geography and sociolinguistics, readily points out the multiethnic and multilingual character of big cities. However, there is still demand for studies which establish the language structure of modern cities. This paper presents a pilot study where data on multilingualism is collected and presented visually using ArcGIS and ArcIMS. GIS technology together with census data and the results of fieldwork is used to arrive at an adequate description of the spatial distribution of languages currently spoken in the Detroit, Michigan, metropolitan area. Two levels of language used are mapped: the mother-tongue speakers and the dominant languages used in work situations. The study thus suggests one possible model for the initial stages of mapping the multilingual city; moreover, the collected data provides the infra-structure necessary for further research on phenomena such as language shift and language death as well as other aspects of a dynamic multilingual situation.

Ljuba Veselinova
Eastern Michigan University
Institute for Geospatial Research and Education; English Department, Linguistics
612 R Pray Harrold
Ypsilanti , MI 48197
US
Phone: 734-487 0145
Fax: 734-487 9744
E-mail: ljuba12@gmail.com

Jason Booza
Wayne State University
Michigan Metropolitan Information Center, Center for Urban Studies
656 W. Kirby
Detroit 48202
US
Phone: 313-577-8911
Fax: 313-577-1274
E-mail: j.booza@wayne.edu