Introduction
The components of a socio-communicative system serving a particular language community are in certain relationships with each other. Functional relations between the elements of a social and communicative system at one stage or another of the existence of a given language community form a linguistic situation characteristic of this community. A linguistic situation is a set of languages or forms of existence of one language and social and functional relations between them in a particular territory. Language situations are often found in modern society and give people the opportunity to communicate in different languages.
Language Situations in Families
Often language situations are inherent in families in which parents belong to different ethnic groups or nationalities. In this case, one of the parents may know one language and the other two, and usually, the children can also speak two languages. Wilson (2019) claims that 34% of children have one parent from another country in the UK. Such children will be able to learn the native language of different parents and gain knowledge about other cultures directly from the speakers of these cultures. In families, language situations are common and do not constitute big problems since one of the family members can master two languages perfectly at once. The child’s education will take place primarily in the language that both parents can speak.
International Training
Language situations can also concern educational institutions, which are attended not only by students of the country in which the institution is located but also by people from different countries. In this case, the training either occurs in a common language, such as English, or native speakers can teach the lesson. Guzikova (2020) believes that studying in institutions with a non-native language helps acquire such knowledge that will help students get high-paying jobs in the future. This motivation often drives students who choose another country for education. Undoubtedly, learning with people of other cultures and nationalities benefits not only the development of the language but also comprehensively develops students.
Different Dialects and Languages in Countries
There are countries and regions in which different languages and dialects prevail. So, residents of one country may speak a little differently, which also creates a specific language situation. In India, people can communicate through the Indian language in different dialects such as Hindi and Bengali; in Singapore, people speak English, Chinese, and Malay (Ad Astra Social Team, 2021). Naturally, it is impossible to know all languages perfectly at once, yet people communicate, live in the same country, and all these proceeds quite successfully. In such countries, there is usually one common language in which TV shows, radio broadcasting, government information, and documentation are publicized. Residents of the country should know this language so as not to miss important information that the state transmits.
Conclusion
In conclusion, language situations are every day in different countries and are increasingly spreading in the modern world. With the knowledge of foreign languages, people can live, study, work in different countries. In addition, they create families with residents of other countries. People can get acquainted with the traditions, customs, culture of a foreign country expand their horizons. There are linguistic and speech communities behind each language situation, and, therefore, it reflects the social interaction of particular groups of people. The language situation is changing due to changes in socio-economic and political positions and under the influence of measures taken by the state for functional redistribution of languages and forms of their existence.
References
Ad Astra Social Team. (2021). The countries with the most official languages and how they translate. Ad Astra.
Guzikova, M. (2020). Preparing multilingual professionals: Deficiencies and prospects of foreign language education at Russian universities. Culture, Personality, Society in the Conditions of Digitalization: Methodology and Experience of Empirical Research Conference, KnE Social Sciences. h
Wilson, S. (2020). Family language policy through the eyes of bilingual children: the case of French heritage speakers in the UK. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 41(2), 121-139.