Language policy and the new speaker challenge: Hiding in plain sight. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 402. Hb. $135.

Colin Williams, Language policy and the new speaker challenge: Hiding in plain sight. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 402. Hb. $135.

The concept of the new speaker phenomenon is not wholly new, but Williams deftly refutes it by arguing that if we bundle all new speakers together into a single, homogeneous group, we overlook the complex nuances that this dynamic phenomenon entails. Through empirical research and engagement with various stakeholders in minority language communities, the author aims to explore how interventions informed by new speakers’ perspectives have influenced language policies and contributed to the continuity of the new speaker concept.

Defining the new speaker in chapter 1 as an individual who learns a minority language through bilingual education, immersion, or migration, Williams notes that new speakers’ experiences are a...