ABSTRACT
The focus of the introduction is on the relationship of the notions of multilingualism and monolingualism, which, like Siamese twins, have the same origin and share a common terminological history. How can we break free from this seemingly inevitable theoretical connection in order to unleash the potential heteroglossia of the multilingual, by decoupling it from its dark monistic twin? How can we describe multilingualism as a phenomenon that has to be understood on its own terms – as a sort of new linguistic norm – without referring to its theoretical other? Finally, how can we bypass simplistic idealizing views that equate multilingualism with socio-political and cultural plurality and develop an understanding that stresses both its accomplishments and its drawbacks? To break away from the misleading duality of mono- and multilingualism and to avoid uncritical idealizations of multilingualism we are in need of new interpretative strategies. Decoupling the Siamese twins means to shift the theoretical focus from simple cumulative pluralization to inner complexity. Multilingualism is more than a just a series of parallel monolingualisms. To distinguish a purely quantitative definition of multilingualism from an understanding emphasizing inner layered complexity and reciprocal forms of interaction, one might use of the notion of ‘plurilingualism’.
