Sociolinguistic perspectives on multilingual communities

Dorte Lønsmann’s inaugural lecture

To announce the appointment of Dorte Lønsmann as Professor of Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism as of 1 August 2026, the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies invites you to her inaugural lecture. The lecture will be delivered in Danish with slides in English

We live in a multilingual world where the use of different linguistic resources influences our opportunities to participate in communities at all levels. Sociolinguistics as a field of research focuses on the interaction between language and society. As such, sociolinguistics can help us understand the role of language in a world where multilingual communities play a part in many people’s everyday lives.

In my inaugural lecture, I will present examples of how the use of multiple languages in everyday life affects people’s opportunities to be included, to participate actively and to be who they want to be. Language practices, language policies and language ideologies are central to creating communities – but also to creating boundaries between people. Investigating multilingual communities is therefore often a matter of considering both inclusion and exclusion. In this lecture, I draw on 20 years of research into multilingual communities to explore the role of English for computer gamers and employees in international companies, the role of Danish for refugees and migrant workers as well as the role of other linguistic resources for participation in subcultures, in workplaces and in Denmark as a nation state.

Multilingual communities will also play an important role in the future, whether in relation to a diverse labour market, Danish democracy or international politics. In the lecture, I present some suggestions as to how sociolinguistics can help shed light on the challenges and opportunities associated with the multilingual communities of the future.

Registration

Everyone is welcome, but registration is required via this registration form by 29 November 2026 at the latest.

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