Translanguaging

Last updated

Translanguaging is a term that can refer to different aspects of multilingualism. It can describe the way bilinguals and multilinguals use their linguistic resources to make sense of and interact with the world around them. [1] It can also refer to a pedagogical approach that utilizes more than one language within a classroom lesson. [2] The term "translanguaging" was coined in the 1980s by Cen Williams (applied in Welsh as trawsieithu) in his unpublished thesis titled “An Evaluation of Teaching and Learning Methods in the Context of Bilingual Secondary Education.” [3] [4] Williams used the term to describe the practice of using two languages in the same lesson, which differed from many previous methods of bilingual education that tried to separate languages by class, time, or day. [5] In addition, Vogel and Garcia argued that translanguaging theory posits that rather than possessing two or more autonomous language systems, as previously thought when scholars described bilingual or multilingual speakers, bilinguals and multilingual speakers select and deploy their languages from a unitary linguistic repertoire. [6] However, the dissemination of the term, and of the related concept, gained traction decades later due in part to published research by Ofelia García, among others. [3] In this context, translanguaging is an extension of the concept of languaging, the discursive practices of language speakers, but with the additional feature of using multiple languages, often simultaneously. [7] It is a dynamic process in which multilingual speakers navigate complex social and cognitive demands through strategic employment of multiple languages. [8]

Contents

Translanguaging involves issues of language production, effective communication, the function of language, and the thought processes behind language use. [9] Translanguaging is a result of bilingualism. The term is often employed in a pedagogical setting, [10] but also has applications to any situation experienced by multilingual speakers, who constitute most language communities in the world. [7] This includes complex linguistic family dynamics, and the use of code-switching and how that usage relates to one's understanding of their own multilingualism. [7]

This article provides an overview of translanguaging, major debates around translaguaging, and the pedagogical methods to teach translanguaging in multicultural educational settings.

History

The doors of King George School in Calgary, Alberta. This started as a regular English neighbourhood school in 1912, became dual-track English-French in 1987 and single-track French immersion in 2002. King George School 23.jpg
The doors of King George School in Calgary, Alberta. This started as a regular English neighbourhood school in 1912, became dual-track English-French in 1987 and single-track French immersion in 2002.

Archeological evidence points to Bilingual education going back to at least 4000–5000 years. [11] [12] [13] While most modern research about bilingual education focuses on the later 20th century, there is also research that shows Greek and Latin both being learned by Roman Aristocrats. [13] Modern Bilingual education systems emerged across Europe and North America in the 1960s and 1970s such as French Immersion in Canada. [14]

The ideology behind translanguaging emerged from the evolution of multilingual teaching practices, particularly the practices promoted by Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), an international association designed to advance the quality of English language instruction. The beginnings of bilingual education in the United States asserted the primacy of speech and neglected written language learning. [15] The second language instruction of the 1960s and 70s heavily utilized oral–aural drills, and written portions of the courses were mimetic and repetition oriented, and structure, form, syntax, and grammar were given priority status for learners. [16] [15] In this system there was no focus on actual language use, which led to a lack of knowledge about how language and communication work in real practice.

In the late 1970s and 80s second-language education shifted to focus on the importance of communication and language use for participation in particular discourse communities. [16] However, emphasizing language learning as a means to enter a discourse community was also problematic, as it pressured students to surrender their own language practices in order to become practicing members of the new discourse communities. [17]

Translanguaging as a focus of study first emerged in Bangor, Wales, in the 1980s. [9] It is based on François Grosjean's idea that bilinguals are not two monolinguals in one. [18] Cen Williams and his colleagues were researching strategies of using both Welsh and English in a single lesson in a classroom setting. Cen Williams' Welsh term "trawsieithu" was translated into English as "translanguaging" by their colleague Colin Baker. [9]

Major debates

A prominent argument against incorporating translanguaging into academic contexts is the notion that speakers of International Englishes would have difficulty communicating with one another because of the immense variety of Englishes spoken. However, advocates for translanguaging pedagogy maintain that misunderstandings between speakers of International Englishes who practice translanguaging are not common, and when misunderstandings do occur between speakers, they are quickly resolved through other means of negotiation. [19] Advocates argue that speakers of International Englishes can communicate with relative ease because they have a variety of tools for making sense of the language varieties with which they engage.

Some academics call for the development of corpora of "nonstandard" English varieties to aid with the study of translanguaging. [19]

Barbara Seidlhofer argues that language acquisition programs should not be teaching language with the intention of achieving native-speaker competence, but that they should be "embracing the emergent realistic goal of intercultural competence achieved through a plurilingualism that integrates rather than ostracizes" International Englishes. [19] This pedagogical strategy necessitates translanguaging as a means through which to accomplish such plurilingualism. For Seidlhofer, the incorporation of such International Englishes into educational systems would be more beneficial for second language learners than current dominant language acquisition pedagogies, which emphasize standard American and British varieties of English. Since achieving native-speaker status is nearly impossible without years of study, translanguaging presents students with opportunities to learn language in a more supportive space, fostering their language acquisition in all varieties rather than enforcing the participation in and acquisition of a single dominant variety. [20] [21] [19]

Proponents of decolonizing the English language argue that holding on to particular varieties of English as the only legitimate varieties to use in language acquisition programs is a practice that perpetuates destructive colonial attitudes towards non-English languages and the English varieties of their speakers. [20] Incorporating translanguaging is one means through which such a decolonization of the English language could occur. [20] In this way, decentralizing those particular dominant varieties of English would work towards legitimizing the use of "nonstandard" English varieties at the educational level.

Furthermore, Suresh Canagarajah argued that translanguaging allows students to use and negotiate meanings by using forms of language to communicate. [22] Therefore, he believed that the concept empowers multilingual speakers and writers to be modest, open minded, and aware of the language hegemony. Another proponent of translanguaging is April Baker Bell who argued that the African American English is a distinctive language than the American English language. [23] In addition, she argued that allowing African American students to code-meshing would enable them not to assimilate in the white mainstream culture and would enhance their understanding to the misrepresentation of their culture and language. [23] Some compositionists view translanguaging is the communicative reality of global citizens and, as such, is essential to the investigative and pedagogical choices of composition scholars. [24] Other linguists have argued against the use of the first language or "L1" in the second language learning (L2) setting since they argue that using the first language would have a negative impact on the learning of L2. [25] Their rationale is that students will be less exposed to the target language and have fewer opportunities to listen and speak L2. Therefore, they support the approach that excludes L1 and proposes that L2 should be the only language taught to bilingual students.

Scholars argue that translanguaging functions as an emancipation from the adverse second language acquisition pedagogies of the 20th century. They believe that translanguaging gives multilingual students an advantage within educational systems because it (1) promotes a more thorough understanding of content; (2) helps the development of the weaker language for bilingual or multilingual speakers; (3) fosters home-to-school links within language use; and (4) integrates fluent speakers with early learners, thus expediting the language learning process. [9]

Translanguaging and Code-switching

Translanguaging's relationship to the concept of code-switching depends on the model of translanguaging used. Multiple models have been created to describe the cognitive processing of language and how multilingualism functions and manifests within an individual speaker. The unitary model of translanguaging, derived from postmodernism in linguistics, considers code-switching to be a separate phenomenon from translanguaging. This is because the unitary model defines code-switching as a dual competence model, which assumes that the linguistic systems of an individual are separate without overlap. The dual competence model of code-switching directly contrasts with the post-modernist's unitary model, which theorizes that a speaker only possesses a singular linguistic system, thereby making code-switching irreconcilable with translanguaging. [26] On the other hand, the integrated model of translanguaging takes a more centrist position. It considers code-switching to be an aspect of translanguaging alongside other multilingual activities like translation, because an individual's internal linguistic systems are thought to be overlapping but not unitary. [27]

Linguistic postmodernists do not recognize code-switching as translanguaging because they call into question the very idea of discrete languages, [27] arguing them to be inventions created through various cultural, political, or social processes. [28] Postmodernists acknowledge that linguistic differences may exist between "languages", but the concept of a "language" as an abstract and independent entity is considered a social construct. [26] When applied to translanguaging theory, postmodernists argue that an individual's linguistic competence is the sum of their individual interactions with other speakers and overall linguistic knowledge. [27] Each person has an individually distinct linguistic repertoire, or idiolect, because of their unique socialization experience. [26] The internal linguistic system is considered unitary and encompasses all grammatical and lexical systems. [27] Hence, the discrete systems of linguistic competence given by code-switching cannot be considered part of translanguaging in the unitary model. [27]

The integrated model takes a position closer to the center of the two extremes on linguistic systems. The model was developed from critiques to the unitary model, stating that the conclusions from the postmodernists were the product of theory, rather than linguistic data on multilingualism. The model posits that the internal linguistic system for any given individual is constructed with discrete lexical systems for each "language" and overlapping grammatical systems that can share phonetic, morphological, phonological, and semantic features. Linguistic systems are thought to rely on each system's linguistic structuring and whether the structuring can be done with or without cognitive differentiation. [27] The integrated model then conceptualizes theories on code-switching to be aspects of translanguaging itself, because both the integrated model on translanguaging and code-switching assume some shared features and some distinction between cognitive linguistic systems.

Translanguaging in Deaf culture

Translanguaging in Deaf culture focuses on sensorial accessibility, as translanguaging still exists in Deaf culture; it is just different than translanguaging in non-Deaf speakers. Translanguaging can be used prescriptively and descriptively and uses a speaker's entire linguistic range with disregard to the social and political sphere of languages. It also can be seen as the language practices of bilingual speakers. An ongoing issue in the Deaf community is the push for signed languages to be considered minority languages, since deaf speakers have a "sensorial inaccessibility to spoken languages." There is also an issue of access to signed languages for deaf children, as for many, this access is compromised. Deaf speakers also face sensorial asymmetries, and theories like translanguaging may threaten the political discourse for sign language rights as signed languages were seen as merely gestures fifty years ago, but not as real languages. [29] Since deaf children use a variation of both signed and spoken languages, they share experiences similar to that of other bilingual children. Translanguaging in the Deaf community is thus unique because they use both visual and gestural, as well as spoken and written language modality. [30]

Translanguaging, as described by Dan Hoffman, helps deaf people understanding new concepts by connecting what someone already knows with what they're trying to learn. For example, in a study by Swanwick in 2015, translanguaging was found to assist in both language and content learning. [31] In another study involving deaf readers, Ausbrooks asked deaf individuals to use translanguaging while reading English text and explaining it in American Sign Language (ASL). They discovered a strong link between the readers' comprehension of English text and their skills in ASL, including vocabulary, language structure, and meaning. [32]

International Translanguaging

Multilingual sign in Singapore written in the official languages of English, Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay Multilingual Metro Sign Singapore.jpg
Multilingual sign in Singapore written in the official languages of English, Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay

Non-native speakers of English around the world outnumber native English speakers of English by a ratio of 3:1. [33] With the current influx of technology and communication, English has become a heavily transnational language. As such, English varieties and International Englishes are becoming standard usage in international economic exchanges, thereby increasing their legitimacy and decreasing the dominance of the standard American and British English varieties. [19] [33] [34]

Translanguaging Spaces

In the context of translanguaging, when thinking about space, it is not necessarily considered a physical space, but more of a space in the multilingual individual's mind. Through the processes of translanguaging, individuals create their own translanguaging space. [35] Having said that, there can be many different translanguaging spaces that then get incorporated into a larger social space. For example, a university environment may provide a better translanguaging space due to the greater diversity of students in college than in a typical high school – and this is referring to the individual's life outside the classroom. [35] Moreover, multilinguals can generate this social space where they are free to combine whichever tools they have gathered— ranging from personal history, experience and environment, attitude, belief and ideology, cognitive and physical capacity— to form a coordinated and meaningful performance. [35] Within the translanguaging space that has been formed, the isolation of each individual language is not present. Instead, it provides an environment where all languages merge and results in completely new ideas and practices. [35]

Multilinguals, in their translanguaging space, are continually coming up with new strategies to take advantage of their language knowledge to attain a specific communication effect in their day-to-day lives and experiences. [35] When they become comfortable with the use of each language, creativity can begin to flow, and the languages become intertwined in ways that can only be understood in that specific translanguaging space. For example, the mix of Spanish and English in Miami, Florida, leads to different translanguaging spaces. The variety among these spaces depends on the Latin country the speakers come from due to the difference in dialects that exist. It is very common to hear "Spanglish" being spoken in Miami but if someone speaks both Spanish and English, it does not necessarily mean the usage of certain expressions, words, and sentences will be understood.

Spanish as a second or foreign language connects translanguaging elements to facilitate understanding and a better communication process. Elements from various languages can be used to generate a more solid understanding of the ideas and make more meaning. Learners can express better answers by building knowledge from their primary language.

Multilingualism is a key component of the world. Recognizing the influence of cultural and linguistic elements of learning can enhance communication. Allowing space to use multiple languages to process information is critical. Learners can transfer knowledge from one language to another and build more understanding.

Multilingual sign in India Pharmacy multilingual sign in Bangalore, India.jpg
Multilingual sign in India

Translanguaging Pedagogy

Translanguaging pedagogy demands that multilingual speakers engaging in translanguaging do not vacillate between language systems arbitrarily, but rather, that they do it with intention and a metacognitive understanding of the way their language practices work. [36]

According to advocates, translanguaging promotes a deeper understanding of subject matter, by discussing in one language and writing in another. [37] Students will always reference what they already know from their first language when working with a second language. [38] This helps students process the information and improve communication in their second language. [37] When introduced in a Welsh bilingual classroom, translanguaging meant that the input and output languages were often switched. [39] In this type of setting, students are typically asked to read a text in one language and discuss it either orally or in written form in their second language. [18] In the case of the Welsh classroom, the languages used were Welsh and English. This led to an increase of Welsh speakers in primary schools in 2007, with 36.5% of the students being able to speak Welsh, compared to 1987 when only 24.6% of students spoke Welsh. [37]

The goal of including translanguaging as an aspect of second-language acquisition pedagogy is to move beyond sentence-level and grammatical concerns in second-language teaching strategies, and to focus more heavily on discourse issues and on the rhetoric of communication. [21] Students should be focused on the real applications of language that suit their purposes of communication based on the context in which they are communicating, rather than a one-variety-fits-all mode of learning language. [36] Canagarajah determined that teachers should encourage students to use different languages in their writing and show them how to do it effectively by studying a Saudi Arabian student's essay writing and finding that she used different strategies like changing the context, expressing her own voice, interacting with others, and organizing her writing. [40]

Some scholars writing within translanguaging pedagogy argue for a diversified conception of the English language, where the multiple varieties of English exist with their own norms and systems and all have equal status. Such a system is thought to enable a variety of communities to communicate effectively in English. [41] [42] [19] In this conception of English language, it is treated as a heterogeneous global language wherein standard varieties of English such as Indian English, Nigerian English, and Trinidadian English have the same status as the orthodox varieties of British and American English. [36] Reinforcing only one variety of English in academic situations may be disadvantageous for students, since students will ultimately encounter many varied communicative contexts, and as society becomes more digitally advanced, many of those communicative contexts will be transnational. [43] [36]

Since translanguaging is not yet a widely sanctioned language practice in educational systems, it is often practiced by students in secret and kept hidden from instructors. [21] The practice of natural translanguaging without the presence of direct pedagogical effort can lead to issues of competence and transfer in academic contexts for students. [21] This issue is why academics call for the inclusion of translanguaging in language acquisition programs, since students need to practice their translanguaging in a semi-structured environment in order to acquire competence and proficiency in communicating across academic contexts. [21] If they are given the appropriate context in which to practice, students can integrate dominant writing conventions into their language practices and negotiate critically between language systems as they engage in translanguaging. [21] For students to be successful at translanguaging in academic and other varied contexts, they must exercise critical metacognitive awareness about their language practices. [21] [19]

Teachers

Making use of translanguaging in the classroom does not require the teacher to be bilingual; however, it does require the teacher to be a co-learner. [44] [38] Monolingual teachers working with bilingual or multilingual students can successfully use this teaching practice; however, they must rely on the students, their parents, the community, texts, and technology more than the bilingual teacher, in order to support the learning and leverage the students' existing resources. [18] [38] As translanguaging allows the legitimization of all varieties, teachers can participate by being open to learning the varieties of their students, and by incorporating words from unfamiliar languages into their own use, serving as a model for their students to begin working with their non-native languages. [45]

The traditional prohibition of translanguaging in high-stakes writing assignments can prevent multilingual students from practicing their translanguaging abilities, and so it is the responsibility of the instructor to provide safe spaces for students to practice and develop their translanguaging skills. [21] Teachers must plan out the translanguaging practices to be used with their students just as each lesson must be planned out, as translanguaging is not random. By reading bilingual authors and texts, teachers give the students the chance to experience two or more languages together and help compare and contrast the languages for the children. [38]

Importantly, the use of translanguaging in the classroom enables language acquisition for the students without the direct insertion or influence of the teacher. [44] While teachers do not need to become a compendium of the languages or language varieties practiced in their classrooms, they do need to be open to working with these new languages and language varieties to encourage student participation in translanguaging. [19]

Language immersion programs can implement translanguaging as a technique to transform language learning. Educators can incorporate students' previous knowledge to encourage students to collaborate and make connections. Simultaneously, translanguaging can be implemented at home to allow students from multilingual families to connect words from another language to communicate better.

Higher Education

Many students will use translanguaging in higher education where they are attending a university that does not have their first language as the medium of instruction. The students use their multiple languages as resources in their learning and understanding of subjects and ideas. An environment of multiple languages spoken with various repertoires allows a greater multilingual competence of subjects taught and reviewed in each language available. Bilingual or multilingual students in higher education who study in their native tongue and the medium of instruction used at their institutions are studied to determine how to reform primary and secondary education. This creates room for discussion of primary and secondary school systems and their language(s) of instruction. Translanguaging in higher education has been seen mostly within North America and in the United Kingdom. There are certain countries that are accepting of multilingual policies, such as India. However, places such as the United Arab Emirates are not accepting of adopting languages into their school systems. [46]

Language Comparisons

Grammatical structure, pronunciation, word roots can be very similar across languages, making it easier to understand them by comparing languages to one another. Learners can compare and contrast the grammatical structure and sounds of new languages to known languages to build understanding. Translanguaging can also enhance lexical skills such as word naming and application [47] as some cognates support comprehension and morphological understanding in different languages. [48] For example, "water" in English is similar to "water" in Dutch, and "green" in English is like "groen" in Dutch. These similar words aren't just found in languages with the same roots, like English and Dutch, but also in languages that have come into contact, like Spanish and Basque. For instance, "calle" in Spanish and "kalea" in Basque both mean "street." By recognizing these connections, teachers can help students learn languages more easily.

More examples:

English / Spanish

solid-sólido

liquid-líquido

gas-gaseoso

Using similarities in the alphabet from English and Spanish Wooden srcabble tiles.jpg
Using similarities in the alphabet from English and Spanish

Translanguaging and Collaborative Translation

Cognates Etymological relations tree.svg
Cognates

Using the first language to support the second language can benefit in numerous ways. Learners can connect their previous knowledge to their new learning. Additionally, technology can support the development and comprehension of multiple languages based on learning theories and strategies. [49] This can also facilitate the visualization and interaction with grammar, pronunciation, and much of various languages simultaneously. According to Ofelia Garcia, translanguaging can contribute to education by:

Supporting students as they engage with and comprehend complex content and texts, providing opportunities for students to develop linguistic practices for academic contexts, making space for students’ bilingualism and ways of knowing, Supporting students’ bilingual identities and socioemotional development. [50]

Collaborative translation [51] can also contribute to translanguaging because many participants can translate simultaneously in the same document. This technique is fundamental because learners can utilize all the language knowledge, they have from their first, second or third language to input and expand knowledge in several areas.  

Cultural and Identity

The implementation of translanguaging can help preserve cultural heritage. Learners can recognize ways in which two languages are similar to support understandings of both languages, which can help them better understand and preserve their first languages.

García and Li [52] affirm that using translanguaging helps students from diverse backgrounds to understand and express their identities. Bilingual people have complex language skills that can change, and translanguaging helps them show multiple identities, not just those from one language. Translanguaging reveals new ways of using language that show the complexity of communication between people with different backgrounds. This breaks away from fixed language identities tied to specific countries.

Literature

There is a burgeoning body of latino literature that features translanguaging acts as cultural markers and as aesthetic devices, [53] including literary fiction and children's books. [54] Immigrant and second generation American authors feature translanguaging in their storyworlds, including Giannina Braschi, Susana Chavez-Silverman, and Junot Díaz. [55] [56] Braschi's translingual novel Yo-Yo Boing! (1998) offers many examples of translanguaging, code-switching, and liquidity, [57] as well as Puerto Rican and Nuyorican dialectalisms (dar pon, vejigantes, chinas; ¡Ay, bendito!), all of which express a literary language and cultural markers. [3] Yo-Yo Boing! demonstrates a metalinguistic awareness of translanguaging and the space between languages. The narrator states that “somos bilingües” (when she speaks of “barreras lingüísticas") and resorts to pseudo phonetic writing to represent colloquialisms, in Spanish or English. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

In bilingual education, students are taught in two languages. It is distinct from learning a second language as a subject because both languages are used for instruction in different content areas like math, science, and history. The time spent in each language depends on the model. For example, some models focus on providing education in both languages throughout a student's entire education while others gradually transition to education in only one language. The ultimate goal of bilingual education is fluency and literacy in both languages through a variety of strategies such as translanguaging and recasting.

Language education – the process and practice of teaching a second or foreign language – is primarily a branch of applied linguistics, but can be an interdisciplinary field. There are four main learning categories for language education: communicative competencies, proficiencies, cross-cultural experiences, and multiple literacies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Code-switching</span> Changing between languages during a single conversation

In linguistics, code-switching or language alternation occurs when a speaker alternates between two or more languages, or language varieties, in the context of a single conversation or situation. Code-switching is different from plurilingualism in that plurilingualism refers to the ability of an individual to use multiple languages, while code-switching is the act of using multiple languages together. Multilinguals sometimes use elements of multiple languages when conversing with each other. Thus, code-switching is the use of more than one linguistic variety in a manner consistent with the syntax and phonology of each variety. Code-switching may happen between sentences, sentence fragments, words, or individual morphemes. However, some linguists consider the borrowing of words or morphemes from another language to be different from other types of code-switching. Likewise, code-switching can occur when there is a change in the environment in which one is speaking. Code-switching can happen in the context of speaking a different language or switching the verbiage to match that of the audience. There are many ways in which code-switching is employed, such as when speakers are unable to express themselves adequately in a single language or to signal an attitude towards something. Several theories have been developed to explain the reasoning behind code-switching from sociological and linguistic perspectives.

Language transfer is the application of linguistic features from one language to another by a bilingual or multilingual speaker. Language transfer may occur across both languages in the acquisition of a simultaneous bilingual, from a mature speaker's first language (L1) to a second language (L2) they are acquiring, or from an L2 back to the L1. Language transfer is most commonly discussed in the context of English language learning and teaching, but it can occur in any situation when someone does not have a native-level command of a language, as when translating into a second language. Language transfer is also a common topic in bilingual child language acquisition as it occurs frequently in bilingual children especially when one language is dominant.

Second-language acquisition (SLA), sometimes called second-language learning—otherwise referred to as L2acquisition, is the process by which people learn a second language. Second-language acquisition is also the scientific discipline devoted to studying that process. The field of second-language acquisition is regarded by some but not everybody as a sub-discipline of applied linguistics but also receives research attention from a variety of other disciplines, such as psychology and education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multilingualism</span> Use of multiple languages

Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all Europeans claim to speak at least one language other than their mother tongue; but many read and write in one language. Being multilingual is advantageous for people wanting to participate in trade, globalization and cultural openness. Owing to the ease of access to information facilitated by the Internet, individuals' exposure to multiple languages has become increasingly possible. People who speak several languages are also called polyglots.

Plurilingualism is the ability of a person who has competence in more than one language to switch between multiple languages depending on the situation for ease of communication. Plurilingualism is different from code-switching in that plurilingualism refers to the ability of an individual to use multiple languages, while code-switching is the act of using multiple languages together. Plurilinguals practice multiple languages and are able to switch between them when necessary without much difficulty. Although plurilingualism is derived from multilingualism, there is a difference between the two. Multilingualism is connected to situations wherein multiple languages exist side-by-side in a society but are utilized separately. In essence, multilingualism is the coexisting knowledge of separate languages while plurilingualism is the interconnected knowledge of multiple languages. In general, plurilinguals have had contact with languages not native to them through educational institutions, however the education system plays only a small role in the linguistic competence of these individuals. Learning a second language is thought to stimulate someone's plurilingualism.

Sequential bilingualism occurs when a person becomes bilingual by first learning one language and then another. The process is contrasted with simultaneous bilingualism, in which both languages are learned at the same time.

Bimodal bilingualism is an individual or community's bilingual competency in at least one oral language and at least one sign language, which utilize two different modalities. An oral language consists of a vocal-aural modality versus a signed language which consists of a visual-spatial modality. A substantial number of bimodal bilinguals are children of deaf adults (CODA) or other hearing people who learn sign language for various reasons. Deaf people as a group have their own sign language(s) and culture that is referred to as Deaf, but invariably live within a larger hearing culture with its own oral language. Thus, "most deaf people are bilingual to some extent in [an oral] language in some form". In discussions of multilingualism in the United States, bimodal bilingualism and bimodal bilinguals have often not been mentioned or even considered. This is in part because American Sign Language, the predominant sign language used in the U.S., only began to be acknowledged as a natural language in the 1960s. However, bimodal bilinguals share many of the same traits as traditional bilinguals, as well as differing in some interesting ways, due to the unique characteristics of the Deaf community. Bimodal bilinguals also experience similar neurological benefits as do unimodal bilinguals, with significantly increased grey matter in various brain areas and evidence of increased plasticity as well as neuroprotective advantages that can help slow or even prevent the onset of age-related cognitive diseases, such as Alzheimer's and dementia.

English-language learner is a term used in some English-speaking countries such as the United States and Canada to describe a person who is learning the English language and has a native language that is not English. Some educational advocates, especially in the United States, classify these students as non-native English speakers or emergent bilinguals. Various other terms are also used to refer to students who are not proficient in English, such as English as a second language (ESL), English as an additional language (EAL), limited English proficient (LEP), culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), non-native English speaker, bilingual students, heritage language, emergent bilingual, and language-minority students. The legal term that is used in federal legislation is 'limited English proficient'.

The generative approach to second language (L2) acquisition (SLA) is a cognitive based theory of SLA that applies theoretical insights developed from within generative linguistics to investigate how second languages and dialects are acquired and lost by individuals learning naturalistically or with formal instruction in foreign, second language and lingua franca settings. Central to generative linguistics is the concept of Universal Grammar (UG), a part of an innate, biologically endowed language faculty which refers to knowledge alleged to be common to all human languages. UG includes both invariant principles as well as parameters that allow for variation which place limitations on the form and operations of grammar. Subsequently, research within the Generative Second-Language Acquisition (GenSLA) tradition describes and explains SLA by probing the interplay between Universal Grammar, knowledge of one's native language and input from the target language. Research is conducted in syntax, phonology, morphology, phonetics, semantics, and has some relevant applications to pragmatics.

Multilingual education (MLE) typically refers to "first-language-first" education, that is, schooling which begins in the mother tongue, or first language, and transitions to additional languages. Typically, MLE programs are situated in developing countries where speakers of minority languages, i.e. non-dominant languages, tend to be disadvantaged in the mainstream education system. There are increasing calls to provide first-language-first education to immigrant children from immigrant parents who have moved to the developed world. Offering first-language-first education to immigrant children in developed countries has gained attention due to the unique challenges these students face. When students move to a new country, language and cultural barriers can affect their academic progress and well-being. Some suggest that providing instruction in their first language initially, as part of multilingual education (MLE) programs, could help ease their transition. By recognizing and respecting their linguistic and cultural backgrounds, these programs aim to create a supportive learning environment where students feel more comfortable and confident. While this approach may contribute to the preservation of heritage languages, implementing MLE programs present other potential benefits and challenges.

In Language learning research, identity refers to the of personal orientation to time, space, and society, and the manner in which it develops together with, and because of speech development.

Heritage language learning, or heritage language acquisition, is the act of learning a heritage language from an ethnolinguistic group that traditionally speaks the language, or from those whose family historically spoke the language. According to a commonly accepted definition by Valdés, heritage languages are generally minority languages in society and are typically learned at home during childhood. When a heritage language learner grows up in an environment with a dominant language that is different from their heritage language, the learner appears to be more competent in the dominant language and often feels more comfortable speaking in that language. "Heritage language" may also be referred to as "community language", "home language", and "ancestral language".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Translingualism</span>

Translingual phenomena are words and other aspects of language that are relevant in more than one language. Thus "translingual" may mean "existing in multiple languages" or "having the same meaning in many languages"; and sometimes "containing words of multiple languages" or "operating between different languages". Translingualism is the phenomenon of translingually relevant aspects of language; a translingualism is an instance thereof. The word comes from trans-, meaning "across", and lingual, meaning "having to do with languages (tongues)"; thus, it means "across tongues", that is, "across languages". Internationalisms offer many examples of translingual vocabulary. For example, international scientific vocabulary comprises thousands of translingual words and combining forms.

Virtual exchange is an instructional approach or practice for language learning. It broadly refers to the "notion of 'connecting' language learners in pedagogically structured interaction and collaboration" through computer-mediated communication for the purpose of improving their language skills, intercultural communicative competence, and digital literacies. Although it proliferated with the advance of the internet and Web 2.0 technologies in the 1990s, its roots can be traced to learning networks pioneered by Célestin Freinet in 1920s and, according to Dooly, even earlier in Jardine's work with collaborative writing at the University of Glasgow at the end of the 17th to the early 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ofelia García (educator)</span> Educator and academic known for translanguaging education

Ofelia García (Otheguy) is Professor Emerita in the Ph.D. programs of Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures (LAILAC) and Urban Education at Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She is best known for her work on bilingualism, translanguaging, language policy, sociolinguistics, and sociology of language. Her work emphasizes dynamic multilingualism, which is developed through "an interplay between the individual’s linguistic resources and competences as well as the social and linguistic contexts she/he is a part of." Rather than viewing a bilingual's languages as autonomous, García views language practices as complex and interrelated, as reflecting a single linguistic system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasone Cenoz</span>

Jasone Cenoz is a professor of education at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) University of the Basque Country in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain since 2004. From 2000 to 2004 she was Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of the Basque Country in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Her research focuses on multilingual education, bilingualism and multilingualism. She is known for her work on the influence of bilingualism on third language acquisition, pedagogical translanguaging, linguistic landscape, minority languages and Content and Language Integrated Learning.

Athelstan Suresh Canagarajah is a Tamil-born Sri Lankan linguist and currently an Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Applied linguistics, English, and Asian studies at Pennsylvania State University, where he has been a member of the faculty since 2007. His research covers World Englishes and teaching English to speakers of other languages. He has published works on translingualism, translanguaging, linguistic imperialism, and social and political issues in language education. His book, Translingual Practice: Global Englishes and Cosmopolitan Relations, has won three nationally recognized best book awards.

A multilingual writer is a person who has the ability to write in two or more languages, or in more than one dialect of a language. Depending on the situation and the environment, these writers are often identified with many labels, such as second-language writers, non-native speakers, language learners, and many others. In Life as a Bilingual by François Grosjean, it is mentioned that approximately 50% to 70% of the world’s population is bilingual.

References

  1. Wei, Li (2017-10-26). "Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language". Applied Linguistics. 39 (1): 9–30. doi: 10.1093/applin/amx039 . hdl: 11059/14465 . ISSN   0142-6001.
  2. García, Ofelia; Li, Wei (5 December 2015). Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education (1st ed.). Palgrave Pivot London. doi:10.1057/9781137385765. ISBN   9781137385765.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Moreno-Fernández, Francisco (2020). Yo-Yo Boing! Or Literature as a Translingual Practice (Poets, Philosophers, Lovers). Aldama, Frederick Luis; Stavans, Iland. Pittsburgh, Pa.: U Pittsburgh. pp. 55–65. ISBN   978-0-8229-4618-2. OCLC   1143649021.
  4. Lewis, Gwyn; Jones, Bryn; Baker, Colin (2012-10-01). "Translanguaging: origins and development from school to street and beyond". Educational Research and Evaluation. 18 (7): 641–654. doi:10.1080/13803611.2012.718488. ISSN   1380-3611. S2CID   144549165.
  5. Cenoz, Jasone; Gorter, Durk (2020-08-01). "Pedagogical translanguaging: An introduction". System. Pedagogical translanguaging: navigating between languages at school and at the university. 92: 102269. doi:10.1016/j.system.2020.102269. ISSN   0346-251X. S2CID   219059964.
  6. Vogel, Sara; García, Ofelia (2017-12-19), "Translanguaging", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.181, hdl: 11059/14017 , ISBN   978-0-19-026409-3 , retrieved 2022-09-27
  7. 1 2 3 García, Ofelia (2009). Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 78.
  8. Ofelia Garcia and Li Wei (2014) Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education. Palgrave Macmillan
  9. 1 2 3 4 Lewis, Gwyn; Jones, Bryn; Baker, Colin (2012). "Translanguaging: Origins and Development from School to Street and Beyond". Educational Research and Evaluation. 18 (7): 641–654. doi:10.1080/13803611.2012.718488. S2CID   144549165.
  10. Mazzaferro, Gerardo (2018). Translanguaging as Everyday Practice. Cham Springer. ISBN   978-3-319-94851-5.
  11. Mackey, William Francis (1978). "The Importation of Bilingual Education Models". International Dimensions of Bilingual Education. Washington: Georgetown University Press. pp. 2–3.
  12. Wellisch, Hans H. (1981). "Ebla: The World's Oldest Library". The Journal of Library History. 16 (3).
  13. 1 2 García, Ofelia (2009-08-20). "Chapter 8 Education, Multilingualism and Translanguaging in the 21st Century". Social Justice through Multilingual Education. Multilingual Matters. pp. 140–158. doi:10.21832/9781847691910-011. ISBN   978-1-84769-191-0.
  14. Cenoz, Jasone; Gorter, Durk (August 2020). "Pedagogical translanguaging: An introduction". System. 92: 102269. doi:10.1016/j.system.2020.102269. S2CID   219059964.
  15. 1 2 Raimes, Ann (1991). "Out of the woods: Emerging traditions in the teaching of writing". TESOL Quarterly. 25 (3): 407–430. doi:10.2307/3586978. JSTOR   3586978.
  16. 1 2 Raimes, Ann (1983). "Tradition and teaching in ESL teaching". TESOL Quarterly. 17 (4): 535–552. doi:10.2307/3586612. JSTOR   3586612.
  17. Johns, Ann (1990). Kroll, B (ed.). Second Language Writing: Research Insights for the Classroom . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp.  33. ISBN   9780521387781.
  18. 1 2 3 Grosjean, Francois (2016-03-02). "What is Translanguaging?". Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Seidlhofer, Barbara (2003). "A concept of international English and related issues: From 'real English' to 'realistic English'". Language Council of Europe Language Policy Division GD IV.
  20. 1 2 3 Cushman, Ellen (2016). "Translingual and Decolonial Approaches to Meaning Making". College English. 78 (3): 234–242. doi:10.58680/ce201627654. S2CID   151966752.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Canagarajah, Suresh (2011). "Codemeshing in Academic Writing: Identifying Teachable Strategies of Translanguaging". The Modern Language Journal. 95 (3): 401–417. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01207.x.
  22. Canagarajah, Suresh (2012). "Negotiating Translingual Literacy". Translingual Practice. Routledge. pp. 135–160. doi:10.4324/9780203073889. ISBN   978-0-203-07388-9.
  23. 1 2 Baker-Bell, April (2020). Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy. doi:10.4324/9781315147383. ISBN   9781315147383. S2CID   219036428.
  24. Alharthi, Ahmad A. (2021-08-05). "11 Globalized Writing Instruction: The Multilingual Composition Section as a Fluid Pedagogical Space". Transnational Identities and Practices in English Language Teaching. Multilingual Matters. pp. 175–191. doi:10.21832/9781788927536-012. ISBN   978-1-78892-753-6.
  25. ERGÜL, Hatice (2023-10-10). "Translanguaging Realities: The Use of First Language in Microteaching Practices vs. Young Learner Classrooms". Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education. 12 (4): 751–761. doi:10.14686/buefad.1335510. ISSN   1308-7177.
  26. 1 2 3 García, Ofelia; Otheguy, Ricardo (2014). "Spanish and Hispanic Bilingualism". In Lacorte, Manel (ed.). The Routledge Handbook of Hispanic Applied Linguistics. New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 639–658.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 MacSwan, Jeff (February 2017). "A Multilingual Perspective on Translanguaging". American Educational Research Journal. 54 (1): 167–201. doi:10.3102/0002831216683935. S2CID   28939210.
  28. Makoni, Sinfree; Pennycook, Alastair (2007). Disinventing and Reconstituting Languages. Tonawanda, NY: Channel View Publications. pp. 1–41.
  29. Meulder, M. D., Kusters, A., Moriarty, E., & Murray, J. J. (2019). Describe, don’t prescribe. The practice and politics of translanguaging in the context of deaf signers. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1-15. doi:10.1080/01434632.2019.1592181
  30. Swanwick, R. (n.d.). Unlocking dialogue through translanguaging in deaf education [Pamphlet]. Leeds, England.
  31. Swanwick, Ruth (2015-12-01). Marschark, Marc; Spencer, Patricia Elizabeth (eds.). "Scaffolding Learning Through Classroom Talk". Oxford Handbooks Online. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190241414.013.28.
  32. Ausbrooks, Melissa M.; Gentry, Mary Anne (2014-01-22). "Exploring Linguistic Interdependence between American Sign Language and English through Correlational and Multiple Regression Analyses of the Abilities of Biliterate Deaf Adults". International Journal of English Linguistics. 4 (1). doi:10.5539/ijel.v4n1p1. ISSN   1923-8703.
  33. 1 2 Brumfit, Christopher (2004). "Language and Higher Education: Two Current Challenges". Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. 3 (2): 163–173. doi:10.1177/1474022204042685. S2CID   146658519.
  34. Karlsson, Annika; Nygård Larsson, Pia; Jakobsson, Anders (2019-10-13). "Multilingual students' use of translanguaging in science classrooms". International Journal of Science Education. 41 (15): 2049–2069. Bibcode:2019IJSEd..41.2049K. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2018.1477261 . hdl: 2043/25099 . ISSN   0950-0693. S2CID   150060378.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 Wei, Li (2011). "Moment Analysis and translanguaging space: Discursive construction of identities by multilingual Chinese youth in Britain". Journal of Pragmatics. 43 (5): 1222–1235. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2010.07.035.
  36. 1 2 3 4 canagarajah, Suresh (2006). "The place of world englishes in composition: Pluralization continued". College Composition and Communication. 57 (4): 586–619. doi:10.58680/ccc20065061.
  37. 1 2 3 Evans, Gareth (2010-11-26). "Wales 'plays international role in language education'". walesonline. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  38. 1 2 3 4 CUNY NYSIEB (2015-11-10), Session 2: What is translanguaging? , retrieved 2016-12-04
  39. Williams, Cen (2002). "Extending Bilingualism in the Education System" (PDF). Education and Lifelong Learning Committee. 6 (2).
  40. Bonacina-Pugh, Florence; da Costa Cabral, Ildegrada; Huang, Jing (October 2021). "Translanguaging in education". Language Teaching. 54 (4): 439–471. doi:10.1017/S0261444821000173. hdl: 20.500.11820/ae74a21f-e0c4-4aa7-ab23-70f0ef19e05f . ISSN   0261-4448.
  41. Canagarajah, Suresh (2007). "Suresh Canagarajah About Me". Pennsylvania State University Faculty. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  42. Canagarajah, Suresh (2007). "Lingua Franca English, Multilingual Communities, and Language Acquisition". The Modern Language Journal. 91: 923–939. doi:10.1111/j.0026-7902.2007.00678.x.
  43. Hartse, Joel (2008). "Working for Transformation: An Interview with Suresh Canagarajah". The Other Journal. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  44. 1 2 Ofelia Garcia. "Education, Multilingualism and Translanguaging in the 21st Century" (PDF). Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  45. Lagabaster, David; García, Ofelia (2014). "Translanguaging: Towards a dynamic model of bilingualism at school". Cultura y Educación. 26 (3): 557–572. doi:10.1080/11356405.2014.973671. S2CID   147029909.
  46. Wong, Kevin (June 2018). "Translanguaging in Higher Education: Beyond Monolingual Ideologies". Applied Linguistics. 39: 434–441. doi:10.1093/applin/amx032.
  47. Qureshi, Muhammad Asif; Aljanadbah, Ahmad (2021-12-17). "Translanguaging and reading comprehension in a second language". International Multilingual Research Journal. 16 (4): 247–257. doi: 10.1080/19313152.2021.2009158 . ISSN   1931-3152. S2CID   245325265.
  48. Cenoz, Jasone; Leonet, Oihana; Gorter, Durk (2022-09-14). "Developing cognate awareness through pedagogical translanguaging". International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 25 (8): 2759–2773. doi: 10.1080/13670050.2021.1961675 . ISSN   1367-0050.
  49. Iliescu-Gheorghiu, Catalina (2022-05-15). "Romanian migration reflected in recent Portuguese literature: the Roma ethnicity as a case in point". Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies. 5 (2): 13–25. doi: 10.35824/sjrs.v5i2.23958 . hdl: 10045/124156 . ISSN   2003-0924. S2CID   249809652.
  50. Vogel, Sara; García, Ofelia (2017-12-19), "Translanguaging", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.181, hdl: 11059/14017 , ISBN   978-0-19-026409-3 , retrieved 2022-11-09
  51. Cordingley, Anthony; Manning, Céline Frigau (12 January 2017). Collaborative translation : from the Renaissance to the Digital age Bloomsbury advances in translation. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   9781350006027.
  52. Young, Amy I. (2014-12-30). "Book Review: Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education. (2014). Ofelia García and Li Wei. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. 165 pp". Heritage Language Journal. 11 (3): 243–248. doi:10.46538/hlj.11.3.4. ISSN   1550-7076.
  53. Aldama, Frederick Luis (2020). Poets, Philosophers, Lovers: on the Writings of Giannina Braschi. O'Dwyer, Tess. Pittsburgh, Pa.: U Pittsburgh. p. 5. ISBN   978-0-8229-4618-2. OCLC   1143649021.
  54. Hélot, Christine (2013-12-18), "Rethinking Bilingual Pedagogy in Alsace: Translingual Writers and Translanguaging", Heteroglossia as Practice and Pedagogy, Educational Linguistics, vol. 20, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 217–237, doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7856-6_12, ISBN   978-94-007-7855-9 , retrieved 2020-11-04
  55. Pacheco, Mark B.; Miller, Mary E. (2015-05-19). "Making Meaning Through Translanguaging in the Literacy Classroom". The Reading Teacher. 69 (5): 533–537. doi:10.1002/trtr.1390. ISSN   0034-0561.
  56. Derrick, Roshawnda A. (2019-09-25). "Radical bilingualism in Junot Díaz's texts". Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics. 12 (2): 309–342. doi:10.1515/shll-2019-2015. ISSN   1939-0238. S2CID   202579902. Díaz's texts from a grammatical point of view: it is worth mentioning that Garcia and Wei (2014) and MacSwan (2017) have used the term "translanguaging" to refer to the language mixing.
  57. González, Christopher (2017-10-05). Permissible Narratives. Ohio State University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv16x2b5b. ISBN   978-0-8142-7582-5.