Multilingual Baseball

Everything about Multilingual Baseball is deeply, radically humanizing in its approach. * Linguistic Anthropology * O’Connor explores the multilinguistic world of baseball, thoughtfully exploring the interplay of welcoming and subordination among languages and speakers. It provides a vivid and illuminating way for readers to learn about language in society, of interest to fellow scholars, teachers, and of course baseball fans. -- Josiah Heyman, University of Texas at El Paso, USA Brendan O’Connor’s ethnographic depiction of linguistic patterns in Major League Baseball illustrates the complex interrelationship between professional sports, race, immigration, social ideologies, and common sense notions towards language. This insightful, colorful, and critical take on professional sports is a must read for scholars and sports enthusiasts interested in issues surrounding language and culture. -- Eric J. Johnson, Washington State University, USA Through a captivating blend of humor, academic rigor, and life stories of experienced ball players and support staff, O’Connor navigates the reader through the multifaceted landscape of multilingualism in baseball. The book... unfolds as a masterfully crafted narrative that interlaces sociolinguistic principles with the captivating realities of the baseball world... A terrific read for individuals who want to be able to visualize how complex concepts like cultural capital, pluralism, monoglossic language ideologies, and racialization come to play in language exchanges. * Bilingual Research Journal * O’Connor clears up common misconceptions about the functions of language in professional sports while sharing deep introspections of multilingualism from differing positions in the transnational business of baseball … As an accessible and informative exploration of language diversity in popular culture, Multilingual Baseball is an engaging text meant for scholars and baseball enthusiasts alike. * Language in Society *