Introduction : Exploring multilingualism and pluricentricity in diverse urban settings

This volume explores linguistic diversity and complexity in a range of urban con-texts, a number of which have been subject to relatively little or no sociolinguisticinquiry, especially in English. It seeks to diversify the sites under investigation inurban multilingualism studies, and advocates an exploration of multilingual practi-ces that is not restricted to the large-scale contemporary Western metropolis. Anovel mixture of cities from around the world is therefore studied, from megacitiesand lesser-known communities within well-researched cities to smaller cities onthe national periphery, representing diverse types, sizes, contexts and languages.