Abstract
 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 |
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