Military operations ∈ megacities A linguistic perspective
The challenge of conducting future military operations within megacities (cities with populations over ten million) lies ∈ understanding the dynamic and multidimensional complexities of these urban areas. Military operations ∈ megacities, whether combat-oriented or otherwise, will be similar to those ∈ other urban environments, but will be complicated by factors unique to the megacity environment.
First and foremost, megacities are largely multilingual. While this can be said of large cities ∈ general, the scale of multilingualism ∈ megacities magnifies its effects. For instance, ∈New York City (NYC) – a metropolitan megacity of over eighteen million people – nine foreign languages are spoken by communities of one hundred thousand or larger. Language also plays a role ∈ determining one’s identity and the language community ∈ which one decides to live. For example, the majority of Russian speakers ∈NYC tend to live ∈ south Brooklyn and Staten Island, while Chinese speakers tend to cluster ∈Manhattan and Sunset Park. In megacities, language, culture, and regional context go hand ∈ hand and often reach beyond ethnic identities.
In order to fully understand the context of a megacity, we must understand the role of the languages used ∈ its communities. How _____(1) language communities interact ∈ megacities? What tensions ______(2) caused by multiple language communities ∈ urban space? What role ______(3) language play ∈ the power structures (government or otherwise) of megacities?
Adapted from Military Review – Jan/Feb 2016
Choose the statement ∈ which the word lies is used with the same meaning as ∈ paragraph 1.
