Faculty, students, and community members gathered at Stony Brook University for a lecture by Kingsley Bolton, professor emeritus at the University of Stockholm and a leading authority on world Englishes. Bolton discussed the relationship between language and identity during the event.
The lecture was part of the College of Arts and Sciences Sir Run Run Shaw Lecture Series and the full-day MIC Symposium on Multilingualism. The program paid tribute to Professors S. N. Sridhar and Kamal K. Sridhar, who have contributed significantly to research in bilingualism, multilingualism, and South Asian linguistics.
The event was presented by the Center for Multilingual and Intercultural Communication and the Mattoo Center for India Studies. It was co-organized by the Departments of Asian and Asian American Studies and Linguistics, focusing on multilingualism throughout Asia.
S. N. Sridhar is a retired SUNY Distinguished Service Professor as well as Professor of Linguistics and India Studies in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies at Stony Brook University. He also served as founding director of the Mattoo Center for India Studies. Kamal Sridhar is a retired faculty member in Linguistics and Asian Studies at Stony Brook University; she directed the Center for India Studies from 2002 to 2008 before retiring in 2022.
“It is a great privilege in this lecture to review a number of issues relevant to the work of both professors with particular reference to multilingualism in the Asian region and the study of Asian Englishes,” said Bolton. He noted that both professors have influenced their field through research, mentorship, and institution-building.
Bolton gave an overview of Asia’s linguistic diversity, describing it as one of the most diverse regions globally with about 2,300 languages spoken across various communities from major cities to remote areas. He pointed out that while public understanding often focuses on large language families like Sinitic, Indic, or Austronesian languages, actual linguistic diversity is much more complex due to dialects, migration patterns, and geographical separation.
“Asia is outstanding in terms of multilingual diversity,” said Bolton. He referenced societies such as India, Indonesia, and the Philippines where societal multilingualism is prominent but also mentioned that many smaller languages are now endangered due to economic change, modernization, and urbanization: “Despite such diversity and linguistic pluralism, many of the smaller Asian languages are now regarded as endangered,” he said. “They face the changes that come with modernity and the modern world.”
Bolton highlighted three case studies—Hong Kong, Philippines, India—to illustrate different models shaped by history or governance:
– Hong Kong has at least 29 languages including South Asian languages alongside Chinese dialects.
– The Philippines has around 180 languages spread over more than 7,000 islands.
– India may include anywhere from 464 up to over 1,500 languages depending on classification methods.
Bolton noted: “India is certainly one of the most linguistically complex societies in the world.”
He then discussed how English varieties have developed across Asia because of colonial histories as well as recent social changes like urbanization or expansion in education using English-medium instruction. Today there are hundreds of millions who speak English across Asia—even where it has no official status—and use it particularly for commerce or higher education.
Bolton described how local forms such as Indian English or Singapore English have been documented by scholars: these “indigenized norms” reflect local history or culture rather than following native-speaker standards alone.
Much contemporary understanding comes from work by S.N. Sridhar & Kamal K.Sridhar whose research challenged previous ideas about second-language acquisition—including assumptions about striving only for native-like proficiency—and argued instead for recognizing local varieties’ legitimacy within specific social contexts.
Bolton cited their influential paper from 1986 critiquing dominant approaches: they emphasized acknowledging agency among multilingual speakers rather than just measuring them against native-speaker norms.
Throughout his talk Bolton referred repeatedly to both professors’ roles building connections between theoretical/applied linguistics; South Asian studies/global Englishes; educational theory/multilingual practice: “These bridges have been important in many different respects,” he said.“The scope & depth of their scholarship is beyond impressive.”
He concluded that while progress has been made further work remains: “Yes,a bridge has been built,but it is a bridge only half built.” Quoting directly from them he added,“I hope that in my talk I have been able to highlight at least some key achievements…whose meticulous & wide-reaching scholarship has informed & inspired…the front line…of linguistic research.”— Beth Squire
