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刊讯|SSCI 期刊 《多语与多元文化发展》2023年第6-10期

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2024-09-03

JOURNAL OF MULTILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Volume 44, Issue 6-10, 2023

JOURNAL OF MULTILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT(SSCI一区,2022 IF:2.3,排名:42/194)2023年第6-10期共发文48篇,其中研究性论文40篇,书评7篇,引言1篇。研究论文涉及标准化、英语变体、种族语言学、话语资源、民族志、多语主义、濒危语言、家庭语言政策、语言身份、跨文化交际、二语自信、二语自我意识、多语言能力、英语教学、语言教育学、定量研究、语言文化、翻译、非洲语言、多语言公共写作、多语言移民等方面。书评包括跨语言理论与实践、多语主义、濒危语言振兴等。欢迎转发扩散!(2023年已更完)

往期推荐:

刊讯|SSCI 期刊《多语与多元文化发展》2023年第1-4期

刊讯|SSCI 期刊 《多语与多元文化发展》2022年第7-10期

刊讯|SSCI 期刊《多语与多元文化发展》2022年第3-6期

目录


ISSUE 6

ARTICLES

■Standardisation: bolstering positive attitudes towards endangered language varieties? Evidence from implicit attitudes, by Judit Vari, Marco Tamburelli, Pages 447–466.

■ The restructuring of a speech community on a foreign land: the Tianjiners in Sabah, Malaysia, by Xiaomei Wang, Yin Yin Yeoh, Pages 467–480.

■ The ideologies of Mandarin Excellence in UK news reports, by Lin PAN, Pages 481–497.

■ Studying English both in the ASEAN region and the West: Japanese multiple sojourners’ self-identity, privilege, and global isolation, by Yoko Kobayashi, Pages 498–510.

■ Now You See Me, Now You Mishear Me: Raciolinguistic accounts of speech perception in different English varieties, by Ethan Kutlu, Pages 511–525.

■ Multisensory discourse resources: decolonizing ethnographic research practices, by Nettie Boivin, Pages 526–540.


BOOK REVIEWS

■ Dominant language constellations: a new perspective on multilingualism, by Daniel Quintero García, Pages 541–542.

■ Revitalizing Endangered Languages: A Practical Guide, by Marco Tamburelli, Pages 543–545.


ISSUE 7

ARTICLES

■ Alienated in my hometown: pro-official family language policies and identity conflict in the city of Tabriz, by Mahdi Mowlaei Aghblagh, Saba Alempour Rajabi, Pages 547–557.

■Transporting and reconstructing hybrid identity through language use in the work domain: focus on Filipinos in Malaysia, by Francisco Perlas Dumanig, Maya Khemlani David, Syed Abdul Manan, Pages 558–571.

■Short-term and long-term study abroad: The impact on language learners’ intercultural communication, L2 confidence, and sense of L2 selfby Peter Neff, Matthew Apple, Pages 572–588.

■ Multilingual proficiencies and L1 attitudes of ethnic minority students in Hong Kongby Congchao Hua, Yee Na Li, Bin Li, Pages 589–607.

■ ‘So, only relying on English is still troublesome’: a critical examination of Japan’s English medium instruction policy at multiple levelsby Yixi Qiu, Yongyan Zheng, Jiaqi Liu, Pages 608–625.

■ Differences between CLIL and non-CLIL students: motivation, autonomy and identityby Lyndsay R. Buckingham, Miguel Fernández Álvarez, Ana Halbach, Pages 626–640.


BOOK REVIEWS

■Being German Canadian: History, Memory, Generationsby Matthias Zimmer, Pages 641–642.

■ Intercultural Communication and Language Pedagogy: From Theory to Practiceby Xiaodong Dai, Qinmei Sun, Pages 634–644.


ISSUE 8

INTRODUCTION

■Methodological implications of participant and researcher multilingualism: making language dynamics visibleby Louise Rolland, Hannah M. King, Pernelle Lorette, Pages 645–656.


ARTICLES

■ Opportunities and challenges of positionality in quantitative research: overcoming linguistic and cultural ‘knowledge gaps’ thanks to ‘knowledgeable collaborators’by Pernelle Lorette, Pages 657–671.

■ A reflexive approach to researching bilingualism in Wales: language, legitimacy and positionalityby Charlotte Selleck, Elisabeth Barakos, Pages 672–688.

■Emerging principles for researching multilingually in linguistic ethnography: reflections from Botswana, Tanzania, the UK and Zambiaby Colin Reilly, Tracey Costley, Hannah Gibson, Nancy Kula, Mompoloki M. Bagwasi, Dikosha Dikosha, Phetso Mmolao, Joseph M. Mwansa, Martha Mwandia, Gastor Mapunda, Edna James, Pages 689–701.

■ ‘I’m sure at some point we’ll be switching’: planning and enacting an interview language policy with multilingual participantsby Louise Rolland, Pages 702–717.

■Complex intersections of language and culture: the importance of an ethnographic lens for research within transnational communitiesby Hannah M. King, Pages 718–736.

■Translanguaging as methodology to study language cafés: implications for managing multilingual databy Nuria Polo-Pérez, Prue Holmes, Pages 737–750.

■ From monolingual mindset to plurilingual ethos: challenging perspectives on language(s)by Virginia L. Grover, Pages 751–764.


ISSUE 9

ARTICLES

■ Investigating the opportunities and challenges for African languages in public spaces: an introductionby Rosemary Wildsmith-Cromarty, Colin Reilly, Seraphin Kamdem, Pages 765–772.

■ Translanguaging spaces and multilingual public writing in Zambia: tracing change in the linguistic landscape of Ndola on the Copperbeltby Tracey Costley, Nancy Kula, Lutz Marten, Pages 773–793.

■Migrant identities in multilingual contexts: Nigerian migrants’ language use in public spaces in Cape Townby Chimaobi Onwukwe, Hannah Gibson, Pages 794–806.

■Language and employment in Ghana: capturing the multilingual realityby Colin Reilly, Rosario Scandurra, Elvis ResCue, Kristinn Hermannsson, Angela Gayton, Pages 807–826.

■LILIEMA: a sustainable educational programme promoting African languages and multilingualism according to the social realities of speakers and writersby Miriam Weidl, Friederike Lüpke, Alpha Naby Mané, Jérémi Fahed Sagna, Pages 827–845.

■ Re-imagining a synchronous linguistic landscape of public and school uses of Runyoro-Rutooro and Runyankore-Rukiga in early childhood education in Western Ugandaby Jo Westbrook, Margaret Baleeta, Caroline Dyer, Annette Islei, Pages 846–859.

■ Enhancing visibility of local African languages in South Africa through learning to readby Rosemary Wildsmith-Cromarty, Caroline Dyer, Taadi Modipa, Pages 860–876.


ISSUE 10

ARTICLES

■ English as the world language in traditional contexts: evidence from Vorarlbergby Julia Davydova, Angelika Ilg, Pages 877–892.

■ Learners’ perspectives on imagined community of practice in English as an international languageby Zia Tajeddin, Mahnaz Mostafaei Alaei, Elahe Moladoust, Pages 893–907.

■EFL teachers’ immunity: a case of online language teachingby Mozhgan Gooran, Hassan Soleimani, Mohammad Alavi, Manoochehr Jafarigohar, Pages 908–927.

■Nuosu script in the linguistic landscape of Xichang, China: a sociocultural subtextby Susan Gary Walters, Pages 928–951.

■‘What’s the problem? I am happy that you are my customer!’ African immigrant women’s emotional labour and resilience in a multilingual workplaceby Yeşim Sevinç, Christine Anthonissen, Pages 952–967.

■Multilingual education in minority-dominated regions in Xinjiang, People’s Republic of Chinaby Ping Zhang, Bob Adamson, Pages 968–980.

■Accessing a global community through L2 learning: a comparative study on the relevance of international posture to EFL and LOTE studentsby Riccardo Amorati, Pages 981–996.

■ Learning Irish amid controversy: how the Irish Language Act debate has impacted learners of Irish in Belfastby Deirdre A. Dunlevy, Pages 997–1012.

■ Assessing content knowledge through L2: mediating role of language of testing on students’ performanceby Yuen Yi Lo, Daniel Fung, Xuyan Qiu, Pages 1013–1028.

■‘She doesn’t speak Hebrew, she speaks English:’ a case of language socialisation of a quadrilingual girlby Nurit Gur-Yaish, Sujoud Hijazy, Eden Mazareeb, Mila Schwartz, Pages 1029–1043.

■ Can family language policy predict linguistic, socio-emotional and cognitive child and family outcomes? A systematic reviewby Ily Hollebeke, Esli Struys, Orhan Agirdag, Pages 1044–1075.

■ Developing EMI teachers through a collaborative research modelby Ernesto Macaro, Lili Tian, Pages 1076–1091.

■ Academic achievement in a language revitalisation context: a study on the influence of language and socioeconomic factorsby Jennifer Altavilla, Paula Elosua, Guillermo Solano-Flores, Pages 1092–1107.


BOOK REVIEWS

■Multilingualism and politics; revisiting multilingual citizenshipby Colin H. Williams, Pages 1108–1110.

■A Review of Decolonising Multilingualism in Africa: Recentering Silenced Voices from the Global Southby Nkonko Kamwangamalu, Pages 1110–1112.

■Pedagogical Translanguaging: Theoretical, Methodological and Empirical Perspectivesby Zhe (Zoey) Zheng, Pages 1112–1114.

摘要

Standardisation: bolstering positive attitudes towards endangered language varieties? Evidence from implicit attitudes

Judit Vari, School of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Bangor University, Bangor, UK

Marco Tamburelli, School of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Bangor University, Bangor, UK

Abstract Language maintenance research generally argues that providing endangered varieties with a standard impacts positively their vitality by e.g. increasing positive attitudes. This paper investigates whether different degrees of linguistic proximity between vernacular varieties and the standard may lead to different speakers’ attitudes towards the vernacular varieties. Following sociopsychological models of implicit automatic attitudes, e.g. dual attitude models, we hypothesised that varieties that have a more linguistically close standard would elicit more positive attitudes. We then used an online Auditory Implicit Association Test to investigate attitudes towards vernacular Moselle Franconian varieties in two speech communities, the Belgische Eifel in Belgium and the Éislek in Luxembourg. Moselle Franconian is considered generally vulnerable (UNESCO), and the two speech communities have opted for different methods of introducing a standard variety. While the speech community of Luxembourg created an ‘own’ linguistically close standard (Standard Luxembourgish), the Belgian speech community relies on a more linguistically distant standard, namely Standard German. Results show that linguistic distance between the standard and its vernaculars can impact on speakers’ attitudes. Our findings have important implications for the role of standardisation processes in language maintenance efforts. 


Key words Language attitudes, attitude theory, language planning, standardisation, language vitality, Moselle Franconian


The restructuring of a speech community on a foreign land: the Tianjiners in Sabah, Malaysia

Xiaomei Wang, Department of Chinese Studies, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, Malaysia

Yin Yin Yeoh, Department of Chinese Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract This paper focuses on the linguistic evolution of the Tianjin speech community in Sabah, Malaysia. From the perspective of restructuring of speech community, the paper integrates both micro and macro levels of language change into the analysis. Several methods were adopted in this study. Interviews were conducted with community leaders and various families. Besides, an ethnographic approach is taken to observe language use in different activities within the community. In total, 17 Tianjiners were interviewed who were from four generations (G3, G4, G5, and G6) and several community activities were participated. Despite all the social changes within the community, the Tianjin people (also known as northern Chinese) still manifest a strong group identity which differentiate themselves from southern Chinese, such as Hakka in Sabah. The strong group identification goes well with its diversity, which is one of the characteristics of the Tianjin speech community. 


Key words Speech community, Tianjin dialect, linguistic evolution, Sabah


The ideologies of Mandarin Excellence in UK news reports

Lin PAN, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Abstract This paper focuses on British news reports on the Mandarin Excellence Programme carried out in England by educational institutions at various levels. This research systematically examines the ways in which the learning and teaching of Mandarin Chinese is portrayed as important in English secondary schools due to globalisation and economic demands and, on a more personal level, owing to future career opportunities and the success of the British people in news discourse. The ideologies embedded in these news stories are explored, and the modalities of representing and communicating information through both written language and images are discusses (Van Dijk, T. A. 1988. News Analysis. Case Studies of International and National News in the Press. New Jersey: Lawrence, Van Dijk, T. A. 2005. “Discourse Analysis as Ideology Analysis.” In Language & Peace, 41–58. Routledge, Van Dijk, T. A. 2013. News as Discourse. Routledge; Fairclough, N. 1995. Media Discourse. London: Edward Arnold. pp. 9–14; Blommaert, J. 2005. Discourse: A Critical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; Kress, G. R., and T. Van Leeuwen. 1996. Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. Psychology Press, Kress, G., and T. Van Leeuwen. 2001. Multimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication. Edward Arnold ). It is argued that the ideologies reflected in the news discourse are beliefs and values that are constructed and reinforced by choices in language and in images. The analysis shows that the news about Mandarin Excellence is reported according to its political, economic and cultural worth and that the news reports on Mandarin Excellence represent a way to strengthen the existing power and cultural governance of the UK government. 


Key words Mandarin Chinese teaching, Mandarin Excellence Programme, schools in England, ideologies, news reports


Studying English both in the ASEAN region and the West: Japanese multiple sojourners’ self-identity, privilege, and global isolation

Yoko Kobayashi, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate, Japan

Abstract Many people involved in international education, including students and parents, engage in a stepping-stone discourse that identifies English-medium learning in non-Western countries as a preparatory stage for postsecondary education in Western destinations, with the ultimate goal to secure competitive employment. The present study examines how this hierarchical model applies to Japanese English learners who are positioned in an ambivalent Japanese context where conflicting and emerging English study values and practices coexist with one another: the limited societal need for practical English in employment, the entrenched ideological idealisation of ‘native’ English speakers from/in the West, and the growing profile of English study with ASEAN teachers online or in ASEAN countries. Analyses of numerical and written data from 85 Japanese who have studied English both in ASEAN countries and in the West reveal that a flexible, two-way mobility derives from their privileged status as persistently novice English learners on the one hand and their divided self-identity – either as an Asian non-native or an advanced Westernised citizen – on the other. This study provides both pedagogical and research implications regarding Japanese students’ divergence from the degree-seeking international student population.


Key words English study abroad, identity, Japanese, multiple sojourns, the ASEAN region, the West


Now You See Me, Now You Mishear Me: Raciolinguistic accounts of speech perception in different English varieties

Ethan Kutlu, Department of Linguistics, University of Florida, Florida, USA;b Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Florida, USA

Abstract Listeners can access information about a speaker such as age, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and their linguistic background upon hearing their speech. However, it is still not clear if listeners use these factors to assess speakers’ speech. Here, an audio-visual (matched-guise) test is used to measure whether listeners’ accentedness judgments can be modulated depending on the type of face that they see. American and Indian English were used as different English varieties and presented with either a White female face or a South Asian female face. Results show that listeners’ accentedness judgments increased for Indian English compared to American English. Importantly, the increase in accentedness judgments was also observed when both American English and Indian English were presented with a South Asian face compared to a White face. These findings suggest that linguistic evaluations are modulated by non-linguistic factors and that speech perception is socially gated. 


Key words Audio-visual speech perception, raciolinguistics, English varieties, accentedness judgments, Indian English


Multisensory discourse resources: decolonizing ethnographic research practices

Nettie Boivin, Department of Language and Communication Studies, Jyvaskyla University, Jyvaskyla, Finland

Abstract Researchers have attempted to address the intersection of multisensory and multimodal discourse practices from an interactional perspective. This study argues for the value of experiential, non-interactional multisensory discourse resources and proposes a conceptual framework of multisensory discourse resources to bridge visual and family language ideology ethnography. A year-long ethnographic case study of three Nepalese families (immigrant and transmigrant), consisting of 150 h of observational data triangulated with qualitative interviews, posed two questions: (1) How do transnational families, in the homescape, use multisensory discourse resources to provide cultural, national, religious, and ethnic identity framing? (2) How can transnational migrant and multilingual family language researchers ethically collect and analyse multisensory discourse resources as qualitative data? The findings highlight experiential multisensory discourse resources as threads of identity in the home that have yet to be fully recognised as research evidence by family language ideology and visual ethnography researchers. 


Key words Multisensory discourse, transnational, decolonising ethnography


Alienated in my hometown: pro-official family language policies and identity conflict in the city of Tabriz

Mahdi Mowlaei Aghblagh, Allameh Tabataba’I University, Tehran, Iran

Saba Alempour Rajabi, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract This study examines identity construction and conflict in the case of a woman whose parents replaced the local language with the official language at the home in the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran, where the local language, Azerbaijani, is overshadowed by Persian as the official language of the state. In such contexts, Shifting away from the local language at the home could endanger the minority languages and affect children’s identity construction and socialisation into the community. To trace the participant’s identity construction over different periods of her life, her narrative accounts including autobiographical narratives and small stories were collected through multiple interviews, complemented by ethnographic observation of her interactions. Data was analyzed through extended three-level positioning and sociocultural linguistic approaches. The findings of the study revealed that the participant had an affinity to Persian over her childhood and early teens, though until then, she had felt no sense of conflict within her community. However, facing strengthening pro-Azerbaijani ideologies in the city, her struggle to maintain both identities was in vain, and she ended up feeling excluded from both communities. Findings are discussed in the light of larger sociopolitical and ideological discourse in place in northwest Iran.


Key words Family language policy, identity, Azerbaijani, Iran


Transporting and reconstructing hybrid identity through language use in the work domain: focus on Filipinos in Malaysia

Francisco Perlas Dumanig, University of Hawaii at Hilo

Maya Khemlani David, Asia Europe Institute, University of Malaya

Syed Abdul Manan, Nazarbayev University

Abstract Globalisation has resulted in people from different parts of the world migrating from one country to another in search of better job opportunities. Countries that provide attractive job opportunities are most likely to become the major destinations of migrant workers. In Southeast Asia, Malaysia is one of the preferred destinations of economic migrants from neighbouring countries such as the Philippines. Studies show that blue-collar and white-collar Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in Malaysia have increased in number over time. This paper examines how Filipinos transport and reconstruct their hybrid identities through language choice in multilingual and multicultural Malaysia. To conduct the study, 30 Filipinos were interviewed about their choice of language in the work domain, and they were asked how such language choice reflected the identity that they wished to portray. The findings show that OFWs construct and reconstruct their identity by using the Philippine variety of English, and code-switching between English and other Philippines languages. Such construction of hybrid identity is seen through language choice, lexical choices, and pronunciation, and accent. The hybrid identity of OFW is a product of continuous transportation and reconstruction of their identity.


Key words Language and identity, Filipino Overseas workers (OFW), transported identity, hybrid identity, and Philippine English, Malaysian English


Short-term and long-term study abroad: The impact on language learners’ intercultural communication, L2 confidence, and sense of L2 self

Peter Neff, Faculty of Global Communications, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan

Matthew Appleb, College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan

Abstract Study abroad (SA) has recently become an increasingly popular option for language learners who wish to engage in an immersive educational experience while living in a different culture, but not all SA programmes are created equal. Length of time can vary significantly, from a days or weeks up to a year or more spent in the target culture, and this can affect not only linguistic development but also non-linguistic factors such as intercultural communication, confidence using the second/foreign language (L2), and a sense of L2 self. The purpose of this study was to examine how two groups of Japanese learners of English going abroad for different lengths of time (one month (n = 79) and one year (n = 70) respectively) were affected across a range of non-linguistic variables. Pre- and post-SA survey data were collected, and results indicate that both groups achieved significant benefits in increased L2 speaking confidence and a strengthening of sense of an ideal L2 self, while also undergoing a weakening of ought-to L2 self. However, the degree of change was not uniform across groups. Moreover, the short-term SA participants demonstrated a decrease in ethnocentricity whereas the long-term participants did not. 


Key words Intercultural communication, L2 confidence, L2 self, study abroad, ethnocentricity


Multilingual proficiencies and L1 attitudes of ethnic minority students in Hong Kong

Congchao Hua, School of Foreign Languages, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China

Yee Na Li, Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

Bin Li, Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

Abstract This study examined proficiency levels and attitudes of main languages in use among ethnic minority students in Hong Kong. We surveyed 260 students from primary and secondary schools with English as the medium of instruction. They were multilingual speakers who were proficient in spoken English and Cantonese. Our results revealed asymmetric and correlated proficiency levels including in the students’ native languages (L1s). Their multilingual proficiencies were also affected by factors such as age variables and associated with aspects of L1 attitudes. Our key finding corroborated previous research claims that mastery of multiple languages could allow ethnic minority students to construct a more powerful multilingual and multicultural identity.


Key words Ethnic minority students in Hong Kong, multilingual proficiencies, L1 attitude, native language, multilingualism


‘So, only relying on English is still troublesome’: a critical examination of Japan’s English medium instruction policy at multiple levels

Yixi Qiu, College of Foreign Languages and Literature, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

Yongyan Zheng, College of Foreign Languages and Literature, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

Jiaqi Liu, College of Foreign Languages and Literature, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

Abstract Drawing on neoliberal ideology as a theoretical lens, this study critically examines how neoliberal ideological assumptions shape the interpretation and implementation of TGUP (Top Global University Project) as an English-medium instruction (EMI) policy in the Japanese context at multiple levels of government, universities, and multilingual international students. We examined documents describing TGUP policies published both by the government and TGUP universities, and then contrasted these policies with interview data drawn from conversations with three key stakeholder groups (international students, EMI faculty, and administrative staff) in four focal universities. The findings reveal the conflicts of policy making at different levels and challenge the English-only ideology in EMI practices. By taking a critical language policy approach, the study offers a nuanced understanding of how neoliberal ideology constitutes a policy-to-practice gap in language policy and planning. We argue that EMI should not be reduced to English-only medium of instruction, but rather treated as an alternative approach to the internationalization and globalization of education, and understood as a learning space where multilingual students enhance their learning by relying on their shared language repertoires.


Key words Top Global University Project (TGUP), English medium instruction (EMI), Japan, Chinese students, neoliberal ideology, internationalization of higher education


Differences between CLIL and non-CLIL students: motivation, autonomy and identity

Lyndsay R. Buckingham, Instituto de Idiomas Modernos, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid, Spain

Miguel Fernández Álvarez, Lingüística Aplicada a la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Ana Halbach, Departamento de Filología Moderna, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain

Abstract This article aims to contribute to the explanation of why bilingual education (CLIL) may reduce the differences in motivation and English proficiency commonly seen between students from different SES backgrounds (Shepherd and Ainsworth 2017). From a mixed-methods approach involving a questionnaire and focus group interviews, fourth year Secondary Education students in the Community of Madrid (Spain) were asked about their views on education, teachers, classroom practices, and their use of English outside the classroom. Results reveal significant differences in the way that students from bilingual schools and those from non-bilingual schools see their schooling experience (what they value in teachers and schools) as well as how often they speak English outside of school. This may be explained by the nature of students’ motivation in each case, which may, in turn, be influenced by the schools’ characteristics. Further research is needed as to whether bilingual schools are inherently more autonomy-supportive learning environments.


Key words CLIL, student motivation, socio-economic status, content and language integrated learning, extramural use of English, autonomous motivation


Methodological implications of participant and researcher multilingualism: making language dynamics visible

Louise Rolland, Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK

Hannah M. King, Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK;b Languages, Guildhall School of Business and Law, London Metropolitan University, London, UK

Pernelle Lorette, Department of Psycholinguistics, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

Abstract Language can impact the research process in complex ways. This special issue (SI) brings together seven contributions which discuss the methodological implications of researching in a multilingual world, where researchers and/or research participants are likely to know more than one language. The papers examine the relationship between researchers’ language ideologies and actual practices with multilingual participants, teams or projects, from a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. The SI also considers positionality, including how researchers feel – and are perceived – when working in one or more first languages (L1), a later learned language (LX), or a language outside of their linguistic repertoire (L0). It provides practical examples of the stages of researching multilingually, focusing on key decisions that researchers make over the course of their projects, which are seldom made visible in research reports. We argue that linguistic reflexivity is an essential practice, through which researchers make informed language-related choices and continually reflect on the role of language(s) throughout their research projects. These illustrative accounts, from various geographic contexts, offer lessons from experience – distilled as questions and principles – to guide researchers in applied linguistics and beyond as they embark on the multifaceted journey of researching multilingually.


Key words Linguistic repertoires, researching multilingually, linguistic reflexivity, methodology, language ideology, linguistic positionality


Opportunities and challenges of positionality in quantitative research: overcoming linguistic and cultural ‘knowledge gaps’ thanks to ‘knowledgeable collaborators’

Pernelle Lorette, Department of Psycholinguistics, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

Abstract Quantitative social scientists have adopted the positivist epistemology and methodology of natural sciences, seeking objectivity, generalisability, and neutrality . However, in social sciences – unlike in natural sciences – humans are both the investigators and the object of investigation, leading to intricate interconnections between researchers and participants. This paper presents challenges and opportunities of positionality in quantitative social research. Positionality can uncover gaps in the researcher's knowledge, which may feel unusual and particularly uncomfortable from the positivist point of view, but which can in turn reveal unanticipated opportunities. This postpositivist argument is informed by a mixed-method project exploring Chinese and non-Chinese speakers’ perception of emotions expressed in Mandarin, conducted by an L0 researcher – i.e. one who is unfamiliar with Chinese languages and culture(s). This particular position stimulated reflexivity and instigated the inclusion of other subjectivities in the process. Accordingly, this project illustrates both the challenges and advantages of such undertakings. Once researchers acknowledge (the influence of) the position they speak from and what they do or do not share with participants, they can overcome their ‘knowledge gaps’ by adopting suitable research methods and involving ‘knowledgeable collaborator’ in the process.


Key words Quantitative research, positionality, linguistic incompetence, emotion, Chinese


A reflexive approach to researching bilingualism in Wales: language, legitimacy and positionality

Charlotte Selleck, Faculty of Arts Creative Industries and Education, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Elisabeth Barakos, Faculty of Education, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Abstract This paper engages with the negotiation of insider and outsider researcher identities in the context of Welsh-English bilingualism in Wales. It aims to develop a reflexive approach to researching bilingualism, foregrounding the actions and experiences of doing bilingual research in a minority language context. Taking data from education and business as our starting point, we present two self-reflexive accounts of how our research identities, specifically our language profiles, (as an L1 British English speaker and an LX English user, both of whom have only limited understanding of Welsh), and positionalities are questioned, (de)legitimised and assessed in our research projects. In light of this, we reflect also on the methodological consequences and decisions that were taken during the research process. Taken together, these two reflective perspectives allow us to generate new theoretical, methodical and analytic understandings of language within the bilingual Welsh-English context specifically and researcher reflexivity more broadly.

Trafoda'r papur hwn hunaniaethau mewnol ac allanol ymchwilwyr yng nghyd-destun dwyieithrwydd Cymraeg-Saesneg yng Nghymru. Ei nod yw datblygu dull adfyfyriol o ymchwilio i ddwyieithrwydd, gan adeiladau ar gamau gweithredu a’r profiadau o wneud ymchwil dwyieithog mewn cyd-destun ieithoedd lleiafrifol. Gan gymryd data o addysg a busnes fel ein man cychwyn, rydym yn cyflwyno dau ddadansoddiad hunan-fyfyriol ar y ffordd y mae ein hunaniaethau ymchwil, ac yn benodol ein proffiliau iaith (fel siaradwr Saesneg Prydeinig iaith gyntaf a siaradwr Saesneg fel iaith ychwanegol; y ddwy ohonom â dealltwriaeth gyfyngedig yn unig o’r Gymraeg) a safleoldeb [positionality] yn cael eu cwestiynu, eu (dad)gyfreithloni a'u hasesu yn ein prosiectau ymchwil. Yn sgil hyn, rydym hefyd yn myfyrio ar y canlyniadau methodolegol a'r penderfyniadau a wnaethpwyd yn ystod y broses ymchwil. Gyda’i gilydd, mae’r ddau safbwynt adfyfyriol hyn yn ein galluogi i greu dealltwriaeth ddamcaniaethol, drefnus a dadansoddol newydd am iaith o fewn y cyd-destun dwyieithog Cymraeg-Saesneg yn benodol, ac adweithedd ymchwilwyr yn arbennig.


Key words Reflexivity, identity, positionality, bilingualism, Wales, Welsh language


Emerging principles for researching multilingually in linguistic ethnography: reflections from Botswana, Tanzania, the UK and Zambia

Colin Reilly, Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Tracey Costley, Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Hannah Gibson, Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Nancy Kula, Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Mompoloki M. Bagwasi, English Department, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

Dikosha Dikosha, English Department, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

Phetso Mmolao, English Department, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

Joseph M. Mwansa, Language and Social Sciences Education, University ofZambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Martha Mwandia, Language and Social Sciences Education, University ofZambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Gastor Mapunda, Foreign Languages and Linguistics, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic of

Edna James, Foreign Languages and Linguistics, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic of

Abstract This paper discusses collaborative ethnographic work investigating multilingualism within education in Botswana, Tanzania, and Zambia. The paper takes a reflective perspective on how research is conducted and the role that multilingualism and collaboration can play in the research process itself. As a team of thirteen individuals, working across four countries, we bring a range of multilingual repertoires to the project. In this paper we discuss three principles which have been important in guiding our thinking and practice. These are: researching multilingually; researching collaboratively; and researching responsively. We discuss the rationale behind these principles and the role they play in our work. We then discuss challenges and successes which have emerged from implementing these principles in practice and use these to outline a framework that those interested in conducting similar work can use to guide their own thinking and practices. The data discussed in this article consist of a corpus of vignettes from members of the project team. Ten vignettes have been collaboratively analysed adopting a thematic analysis. Tasked with reflecting on, and evaluating, the principles the vignette data provide insight into the opportunities and challenges of working multilingually, collaboratively, and responsively within a team with diverse linguistic repertoires.

Ili peepala lileelanda pafyo bakafwailisha baibimbele mukufwailisha pamulandu wa mibomfenshe ya ndimi ishapusanapusana mumasambililo kumasukulu mufyalo fya Botswana, Tanzania na Zambia. Muli ili lyashi kuli ukuipusha pamifwailishe ine nga cakuti ukubomfya indimi ishingi mukufwailisha elyo nokubombela pamo kuti fyayafwilisha mukusambilila pafintu. Muli ukukufwailisha mwali baakafwailisha ikumi na batatu ababomba mufaylo fine, abaleetele indimi ishapusanapusana muli iyi nchito yakufwailisha. Muli ili peepala twalanshanya pa fikomo fitatu ifyo twalekonka mukufwailisha pali ili lyashi na mufyo twalebomba. Ifi niifi: ukufwailisha ukupitila mundimi ishapusanapusana, ukufwailisha mukubombela capamo, no ukufwailisha ukwakwasuka bwangu nokwalula imibombele ukulingana nefileisa nangula ifilecitika liyla mulebomba. Twalondolola ifyo twalecitila ifi elyo no lubali ifikomo fyasendelemo mumilimo yesu. Elyo Kabili twalanda na pamaafya nefisuma twatumbwilemo mukukonka ifi fikomo mumilimo yesu; twatankika nefyo abengafwaya ukukonka ifi twacitile bengacita mukutontonkanya kwabo na mumibombele yabo. Ifyo tuleebomfya muli ili peepala tuumalyashi twafumine kuli bakafwailisha abalelanda pafyo bapitilemo. Kwali ukupituluka muli utu tumalyashi ikumi kwibumba lyabakafwailisha, ilyabombele pamo, no kulemba ilyashi mufipande fyapusana-pusana ukukonka imilandu ilimo. Mukupituluka no kutontonkanya pabukankala bwafyali mutumalyashi twabaakafwailisha ciletulanga ifisuma na maafya yengasangwa mukukonka ifikomo fya kufwailisha kwakubombela pamo, ukubomfya indimi ishapusanapusana elyo nokwangukilwa mukwasuka pafiletumbuka mukufwailisha bwino-bwino, mwibumba lyabakafwailisha abalanda indimi ishapusanapusana.


Key words Linguistic ethnography, methodologies, multilingualism, collaboration, researcher vignettes


‘I’m sure at some point we’ll be switching’: planning and enacting an interview language policy with multilingual participants

Louise Rolland, Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK

Abstract When conducting interviews with multilinguals, researchers make (often invisible) decisions about the interview language(s). Whilst the research design may require a particular approach in some cases, linguists generally recommend giving participants a choice or interviewing them in their first language. There are ethical and methodological reasons for considering this, such as the implications for self-expression – including emotion communication – and therefore data generation and analysis. This paper offers methodological reflections about planning and conducting a research interview in which the researcher and participant knowingly share two languages, shining a light on the process of building linguistic flexibility into a study. The case study is an interview conducted in French and English, which explored a bilingual client's language use in psychotherapy. The paper gives practical insights into offering a choice of language(s) and planning for the possibility of a multilingual interview (i.e. code-switching). It considers how to mitigate language insecurities before illustrating how the interview language(s) may be negotiated in interaction. I argue for researchers to set clear interview language policies which foreground inclusivity, and show in the process that interviews can become multilingual exchanges, in which both interlocutors experience linguistic freedom.


Key words Interview, multilingualism, language policy, code-switching, linguistic repertoire, translanguaging


Complex intersections of language and culture: the importance of an ethnographic lens for research within transnational communities

Hannah M. King, Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK;b Languages, Guildhall School of Business and Law, London Metropolitan University, London, UK

Abstract A growing body of work exploring transnational interaction has brought to light the importance of awareness of multilingualism in research contexts, yet little consideration has been given to researchers working in a later learned language (LX) or the process of investigating linguistically diverse communities. This research takes place within a multilingual social space, a transnational Spanish language group in London, against the backdrop of a globalized and mobile world. The work explores the complexities of conducting research in a multilingual, international, and transient context where sharing all language varieties and/or cultures with participants may not be practical, possible, or even preferable. The data, collected by myself (a participant-researcher), includes recordings of informal social conversations, ethnographic observations, and interviews with key participants. Their analysis highlights linguistic adaptation to facilitate transnational understanding, demonstrates the value of interviews in a common LX, and considers how language ideologies and norms affect transcription of multiple language varieties. The paper argues that utilizing an ethnographic lens, particularly when working in an LX, allows for a deeper understanding of localized multilingual interaction through closeness to the participants and advocates a slow, detailed approach to data analysis.


Key words (Socio)linguistic ethnography, researching multilingually, language groups/language cafés, researching in an LX, crosscultural research, transnational communities


Translanguaging as methodology to study language cafés: implications for managing multilingual data

Nuria Polo-Pérez, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom

Prue Holmes, School of Education, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom

Abstract This article explores the affordances of translanguaging as methodology by reflecting upon the role of the multilingual repertoires of research participants (including the researcher) in shaping an ethnographic inquiry on ‘language cafés’ (LCs), understood as public events which provide a non-formal learning space for (foreign) language socialisation. Drawing on the ‘researching multilingually’ framework proposed by Holmes et al. (Citation2013, 2016), we reflect on the affordances and complexities of using different languages in the research process. In particular, we focus on how the researcher’s fluid multilingual approach enabled her to co-construct translanguaging spaces with LC participants as part of a methodology to study multilingual socialisation for and through the lived experience of those involved in the research. We aim to inspire researchers to make visible the multilingual, collaborative, and relational processes that shape their research, and to problematise and be reflexive about their choices of transcription of multilingual data. We argue that applying translanguaging as methodology to study multilingual environments can challenge the monolingual ideologies that still prevail in research, while enabling research participants to perform and develop their multilingual social selves.


Key words Language cafés, researching multilingually, translanguaging, intelligent transcription


From monolingual mindset to plurilingual ethos: challenging perspectives on language(s)

Virginia L. Grover, Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK

Abstract Scholars have long critiqued points of view in which monolingual perspectives are seen as normative in research on multilingualism. In relation to this monolingual orientation, however, in which monolingualism is perceived to be the implicit norm, less work has been dedicated to methodological challenges. As disciplinary perspectives on language in Linguistics and related fields move further towards the de-emphasizing and deconstructing of the boundaries between named linguistic varieties, this paper addresses some issues that come up in operationalizing this in our research. It does so through self-reflexivity, from a primarily Sociolinguistic and Applied Linguistic point of view, by addressing monolingual perspectives found in data on a project on multilingual practices in India. It focuses more narrowly on the ethnographic field notes from the research context. With discourse analysis, these are looked at through the lens of the monolingual orientation, with a particular focus on language ideologies and the compartmentalization of named-language varieties. Ideologies in the data are discussed in relation to their bearing on methodology in transcribing, coding, and the framing of research questions. This paper explores the tensions between evolving theoretical perspectives and on-the-ground research practice, concluding by proposing questions for reflection.


Key words Monolingual orientation, language ideologies, multilingual practices, ethnography, India


Investigating the opportunities and challenges for African languages in public spaces: an introduction

Rosemary Wildsmith-Cromarty, School of Arts: African Languages & Linguistics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Colin Reilly, Department of Languages & Linguistics, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Seraphin Kamdem, Centre for African Studies, SOAS, University of London, UK

Abstract This introduction to the Special Edition provides a rationale for the inclusion of the selected articles. We begin with a consideration of various factors that led to the marginalisation of African languages, including the hegemony of English, colonialism and ensuing language policies that still hold today. Such policies proclaimed languages exogenous to the continent as official languages for formal public discourses, including the education domain. This led to the low visibility of indigenous languages in such domains. European missionaries also contributed to this by imposing Western linguistic frameworks on the continuum of African languages such that they became separate, named and bounded, which is counter-intuitive to the heteroglossic, multilingual realities of language use in African indigenous communities. We then examine the expanding role of African languages in response to technology, social media, globalisation and more responsive and dynamic language policies. The articles in this Special Edition cover language policy and language in education; language and identity negotiation in contexts of migration; language use on social media platforms; language and the workplace and language use in advertising. These contributions reveal that the multilingual reality of Africa’s language ecology is increasingly visible in many domains.


Key words African languages, multilingualism, public domains, visibility, marginalisation, diaspora


Translanguaging spaces and multilingual public writing in Zambia: tracing change in the linguistic landscape of Ndola on the Copperbelt

Tracey Costley, Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Nancy Kula, Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Lutz Marten, Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, SOAS University of London, London, UK

Abstract Zambia is home to a complex set of language practices, which involve languages being used in different ways across social contexts. Historically written communication has typically been associated with English with African languages mainly associated with used spoken contexts. Recently, however, there has been a shift in this pattern with African languages being used more frequently in and across the linguistic landscape of Zambia in public writing [Banda, F., and H. Jimaima. 2017. “Linguistic Landscapes and the Sociolinguistics of Language Vitality in Multilingual Contexts of Zambia.” Multilingua 36 (5): 595–625; Simungala, G. 2020. “The Linguistic Landscape of the University of Zambia: A Social Semiotic Perspective.” Unpublished MA Thesis, University of Zambia; Simungala, G., and H. Jimaima. 2020. “Multilingual Realities of Language Contact at the University of Zambia.” Journal of African and Asian Studies, 1–14]. In this paper, we add to the growing body of work within linguistic landscape research that draws on a translanguaging perspective to understand the ways in which language is used as a resource for meaning making in the social world [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; Wei, Li. 2018. “Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language.” Applied Linguistics 39 (1): 9–30; García, O., and T. Kleyn. 2016. Translanguaging with Multilingual Students: Learning from Classroom Moments. Routledge; MacSwan, J. 2017. “A Multilingual Perspective on Translanguaging.” American Educational Research Journal 54 (1): 167–201; Jaspers, J. 2018. “The Transformative Limits of Translanguaging.” Language & Communication 58: 1–10]. More specifically, we adopt the concept of translanguaging spaces [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; Wei, Li. 2018. “Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language.” Applied Linguistics 39 (1): 9–30; Reilly, C. 2021. 3 Malawian Universities as Translanguaging Spaces. In English-Medium Instruction and Translanguaging, 29–42. Multilingual Matters] to explore the ways in which language is used in billboards and advertising spaces and propose that important shifts in language uses are observable. We discuss the changing status and uses of local African languages and why this is important in understanding language use in post-colonial contexts such as Zambia.


Key words Translanguaging, linguistics landscapes, multilingual practices


Migrant identities in multilingual contexts: Nigerian migrants’ language use in public spaces in Cape Town

Chimaobi Onwukwe, Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies/Igbo, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria

Hannah Gibson, Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Abstract The study investigates language use and identity navigation among Nigerian migrants with a focus on language use in public and social spaces in Cape Town, South Africa. It reports on ethnographic observation, participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal the use of spoken Igbo and isiXhosa in interactions among primarily Igbo, Nigerian migrants, as well as how the migrants draw on their newly acquired (and often relatively limited) knowledge of isiXhosa in interactions and for economic exchanges. Key themes include language learning (primarily of isiXhosa), codeswitching, and Igbo neologisms as well as speech stylisation. In the suburbs, menus and signs in restaurants are written in a range of languages, including Igbo, isiXhosa, and English. While the use of Igbo expresses and affirms their Nigerian identity, isiXhosa is used to avoid identification as ‘foreigners’ against a backdrop of xenophobic violence. The strategies underscore the challenges of navigating economic and social pressures in a society saturated with codes, whilst also maintaining the language of ‘home’. The study provides original insights into the factors affecting African language use in public spaces by an often-overlooked group.


Key words Language use, identities, public spaces, migration, multilingualism


Language and employment in Ghana: capturing the multilingual reality

Colin Reilly, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Rosario Scandurra, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona & GEPS, Bellaterra, Spain

Elvis ResCue, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Kristinn Hermannsson, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

Angela Gayton, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

Abstract Research on economic activity in Africa consistently ignores the importance of individuals’ linguistic repertoires. We argue that an important contributing factor to the persistence of this lacuna is the lack of visibility of language in the social and economic data that is collected by governments through social surveys. We examine the specific case of language use at work in Ghana. Through this we aim to demonstrate the importance of improving understanding of the role of language in the economy and assess the potential for improving visibility of languages in the socioeconomic data sources used to inform public policy. This case is interesting as, prima facie, education policy in Ghana appears misaligned, prioritising the acquisition of English and skills formation for further study, with less focus on entry into informal employment. Eighty percent of the Ghanaian workforce is in informal employment; this is a much less English-intensive work context than the formal sector, which itself is not a monolingual environment. We suggest that current language policies within the country undervalue the potential which multilingual language skills have for employment; moreover, we emphasise that multiple languages are visible within the labour market, and suggest strategies for more effectively capturing this visibility.


Key words Labour market, multilingualism, language at work, survey, Ghana


LILIEMA: a sustainable educational programme promoting African languages and multilingualism according to the social realities of speakers and writers

Miriam Weidl, Department of Languages, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Friederike Lüpke, Department of Languages, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Alpha Naby Mané, LILIEMA Association, Ziguinchor, Senegal

Jérémi Fahed Sagna, LILIEMA Association, Ziguinchor, Senegal

Abstract In recent (socio)linguistic research there is a growing awareness that rural, small-scale multilingualism as the most widespread communicative setting across the globe. Yet, literacy programmes accepting and incorporating this diversity are non-existent. LILIEMA is a unique educational programme currently based in Senegal that addresses the need for enabling learners to use their entire repertoire, nurturing, and validating local knowledges and sustainable multilingualism. This article focuses on the participatory methodologies at the heart of LILIEMA (Language-independent literacies for inclusive education in multilingual areas), born from a collaboration between professional linguists and local teachers, transcribers, research assistants and community members. We explore how the cultural knowledge of local participants and ethnographic and qualitative sociolinguistic data jointly contributes to our thick understanding of the social environment for literacy and how it can make African languages and multilingualism more visible. Furthermore, used methods allow to describe fluid and potentially ambivalent multilingual speech events based on different perspectives motivating choices both in terms of languages ideologies and linguistic practice. LILIEMA pursues the objectives to support and enhance the use of (multilingual) literacy, strengthens languages and linguistic awareness and fosters self-confidence in all sectors of life by creating innovative spaces for small and locally confined languages.


Key words Small-scale multilingualism, Senegal, inclusive literacy, linguistic repertoire, linguistic awareness


Re-imagining a synchronous linguistic landscape of public and school uses of Runyoro-Rutooro and Runyankore-Rukiga in early childhood education in Western Uganda

Jo Westbrook, Centre for International Education, School of Education & Social Work, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK

Margaret Baleeta, Bugema University, Kampala, Uganda

Caroline Dyer, School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Annette Islei, Centre for Action and Applied Research for Development – CAARD (U) Ltd., Fort-Portal, Uganda

Abstract Uganda’s ‘early exit’ language policy positions African languages ambiguously in public education provision. Runyoro-Rutooro and Runyankore-Rukiga are spoken in Western Uganda in public spaces where translanguaging happens as a matter of course. These languages are heard at pre-primary and lower primary levels but are superseded by English from primary grade 4. Teachers speak Rutooro, Rukiga and English to varying degrees but must negotiate the different priorities stipulated by the policy within this linguistic landscape as they teach reading to multilingual children. In so doing teachers create linguistic synergies and disjunctures between home, community and school. This exerts a toll both on teachers and on students’ capabilities to become proficient in spoken and written local language and English in both the dynamic present, and in the imagined future. This paper reports from a small-scale qualitative cross-sectional study of synergies and disjunctures in language use as children learn to read in local language and English across home, Early Childhood Education and primary school in two sites in Western Uganda. Findings suggest that mitigation of such cognitive wastage in young children by a ‘late-exit’ policy would support reading proficiency and encourage translanguaging practic es, creating synergies with the wider, public use of Ugandan languages.


Key words Uganda, Early Childhood Education, primary school, learning to read, language policy, translanguaging


Enhancing visibility of local African languages in South Africa through learning to read

Rosemary Wildsmith-Cromarty, African Languages & Linguistics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Caroline Dyer, School of Politics & International Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Taadi Modipa, Faculty of Education, North West University, South Africa

Abstract This article examines the visibility of an African language, isiZulu, in the public domain of education in South Africa. It explores synergies and disjunctures in language use and exposure for children across the continuum from home to ECD centre and early primary school, and how they affect children’s competence in reading in two languages by Grade 4. Our qualitative cross-sectional study finds isiZulu is visible in the homes, communities and at each grade level, along with other African languages; but use of, and exposure to, these African languages varies widely. In most homes, while storytelling is common, little reading is done; educational settings, in contrast, are print-rich environments, displaying isiZulu and English and making English highly visible very early on. Teaching of reading in both languages is done at a very slow pace, using restrictive pedagogies, and with little continuity across Grades, but enables Grades 3 and 4 children to read simple, connected text in both isiZulu and English. The article calls for language appropriate, specialised reading teaching that strengthens learners’ language and reading development bilingually, and increases and consolidates the visibility of the African language in the curriculum.


Key words  African languages, reading literacy, home literacy, ECD, primary school, Bilingualism/multilingualism


English as the world language in traditional contexts: evidence from Vorarlberg

Julia Davydova, University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg / Pädagogische Hochschule Vorarlberg, Feldkirch, Austria

Angelika Ilg, University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg / Pädagogische Hochschule Vorarlberg, Feldkirch, Austria

Abstract The study explores the extent to which linguistic globalisation and the ever increasing dominance of English shapes the perceptions of linguistic diversity in traditional sociolinguistic milieus. We set out to investigate the attitudes of 142 respondents from Vorarlberg, an Austrian province, towards their home dialects, High German, a local standardised variety, and English. While drawing on a verbal guise test (VGT) and a questionnaire as the main methods of study, we show that local dialects are viewed as badges of local identities, whereas standard German is appreciated for its utilitarian value. Remarkably, English emerges as a language of enormous social prestige with high levels of social attractiveness. English is further seen as a language allowing the inhabitants of Vorarlberg to connect to the larger world and become part of the global dialogue. We argue that rather than eroding the local cultures, English adds to the sociolinguistic fabric of traditionally diglossic societies, rendering their linguistic texture even more complex and enriched, not impoverished.


Key words Globalisation, the world language

lingua franca, traditional dialects, language attitudes, Vorarlberg dialect(s)


Learners’ perspectives on imagined community of practice in English as an international language

Zia Tajeddin, Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

Mahnaz Mostafaei Alaei, Department of English Language and Literature, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

Elahe Moladoust, Department of English Language and Literature, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract Imagined communities of practice create spaces for language learners to participate in local and global interactions as individuals and as members of global communities. However, scant research has examined imagined communities of practice in the context of English as an international language (EIL). The present study adopted a mixed-methods design to explore English language learners’ perspectives on using English in the context of EIL. A total of 592 participants completed an Imagined Community of Practice Questionnaire, and 64 participated in semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis, which identified four underlying factors, including constructing language learning identity, learner agency, coordination and synergy, and EIL and global communication. Furthermore, themes emerging from the interview data indicated that imagined communities of practice could afford opportunities for English language users to negotiate their identity, communicate globally, preserve values uniting English language users, exercise learner agency, and practice coordination and synergy in their imagined communities. These findings suggest that English language teachers should place a high value on imagined communities of practice.


Key words English as an international language, English language users, imagined communities of practice, learner identity, learner agency


EFL teachers’ immunity: a case of online language teaching

Mozhgan Gooran, Department of English, Payam Nour University, Tehran, Iran

Hassan Soleimani, Department of Applied Linguistics and TEFL, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

Mohammad Alavi, Department of Foreign Language and Literatures, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Manoochehr Jafarigohar, Department of TEFL and English Literature, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract Language teacher immunity, as a new notion in language teacher psychology, is a strong indicator of how teachers behave when dealing with difficulties and challenges; and it has a profound effect on teachers’ careers. Research on language teacher immunity is in its nascent stage. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to explore the changes in EFL teachers’ immunity for a semester in the COVID-19 era. In so doing, the language teacher immunity questionnaire (Language Immunity Questionnaire; Hiver [2016. Tracing the Signature Dynamics of L2 Teacher Immunity: A Retrodictive Qualitative Modeling Study.” Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Nottingham, England]) was administered to 30 male and female Iranian EFL teachers using SHAD application (an Iranian application developed to address the emergency remote teaching need to be created by the COVID-19 crisis) in the beginning, middle, and at the end of the Fall semester 2020. After that, follow-up interview data were collected to help explain the results of the quantitative phase. The results of the repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that there were differing changes in different aspects of participants’ immunity. The follow-up qualitative data analysis showed that the changes in teachers’ immunity were mainly due to familiarity with online teaching, scepticism of online learning, and limited student participation. The implications for future research in the field are discussed.


Key words SHAD, language teacher immunity

resilience, online teaching, mixed-methods design


Nuosu script in the linguistic landscape of Xichang, China: a sociocultural subtext

Susan Gary Walters, SIL International, Dallas, TX, USA

Abstract Nuosu script, a unique character-based script with a long history, permeates the public spaces of Xichang, the capital of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China. Using interviews, photos, observations, and documents, this qualitative study discovers the uses and meanings of Nuosu script in the linguistic landscape (LL). The research findings reveal surprising disjunctions between language policy and lived experience. Rather than communicating linguistic messages on the surface, Nuosu script has a sociocultural subtext supporting ethnic pride and collective identity. The script is an important marker of Nuosu culture even for those who cannot read. Nuosu in the LL carries little of the information load, is subordinate to Chinese writing in prominence, functions as a cultural token, and does not prioritise accuracy or naturalness. Nonetheless, Nuosu people affirm that seeing Nuosu script in public spaces helps to develop their language and preserve their culture. The results of this ethnographic study make important contributions to our understanding of writing systems and linguistic landscapes. The uses and meanings of Nuosu script in Xichang illustrate how orthographies, language policies, and local language communities in multilingual and multicultural environments interact to negotiate and construct identities in broader political and social contexts.


Key words Nuosu Yi, linguistic landscape, ethnic identity, language policies, cultural identity, writing systems


‘What’s the problem? I am happy that you are my customer!’ African immigrant women’s emotional labour and resilience in a multilingual workplace

Yeşim Sevinç, Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Christine Anthonissen, General Linguistics, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Abstract Recent research on multilingualism and emotions in the immigrant context indicates that negative emotions such as anxiety related to monolingual or cultural norms may prevail in immigrants’ daily lives. Immigrants may respond to negative emotions with avoidance, for instance by avoiding using the language that makes them anxious. This study further examines emotion-related concepts of immigrant experience in a setting rarely researched: a highly multilingual workplace in Cape Town, South Africa. It focuses on immigrants’ emotional lived experiences, emotional labour, and coping strategies such as avoidance or resilience. We report on semi-structured interviews with four African immigrant women working as shop assistants in a China Town shopping centre in the Western Cape. Noting the diversity of experiences in emotional reactions and coping, findings reveal that negative emotions African immigrant women experience are associated more with threatened life chances, than with non-standard speech forms. Although reported experiences imply a significant burden of emotional labour, these African immigrant women do not get caught in negative emotions and avoidance; rather, they demonstrate emotional resilience and active coping strategies (e.g. positive emotions, humour, gratitude) that allow them to manage conflict and negativity.


Key words Emotions, anxiety, immigration, emotional labour, emotional resilience, multilingual workplace


Multilingual education in minority-dominated regions in Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China

Ping Zhang, Foreign Languages College, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, People's Republic of China

Bob Adamson, School of Education and English, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, People's Republic of China

Abstract Recent developments in multilingualism and multilingual education in minority-dominated regions in China highlight the importance of policy studies to support the national goals of achieving multilingualism [Feng, A. W., and B. Adamson, eds. 2015. Trilingualism in Education in China: Models and Challenges. Dordrecht: Springer], especially in remote western regions such as Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) that pose geographical, socio-political, and educational challenges. This study investigates the effectiveness of language policies and the implementation of multilingual education for minority dominated regions in XUAR, and of the extent to which those policies support multilingual education. The data mainly comprise policy documents issued at the national, regional and institutional level, supplemented by interviews with policy makers at regional and local levels. The study finds that, while the policies at both national and regional levels regarding language education in China are generally supportive of multilingualism, in reality, some of the implemented practices at local school levels in XUAR are not totally consistent with the policy goals, while weak local capacity also hinders the implementation of multilingual education.


Key words Language education, language policy, ethnic minorities, Xinjiang, bilingualism, multilingualism


Accessing a global community through L2 learning: a comparative study on the relevance of international posture to EFL and LOTE students

Riccardo Amorati, School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract Due to the ‘global English bias’ in the field of L2 motivation, many motivational constructs have been primarily investigated in relation to learners of English. One of these, international posture, has been recently found to hold some relevance to LOTE students. Despite this, no research has examined comparatively similarities and differences in the relevance of a global community to the motivations of EFL and LOTE learners. This study fills this research gap, by focusing, as a case in point, on data collected via a questionnaire and interviews with university students of English studies in Italy and in Germany, and of students of Italian and German studies in Australia. The findings confirm the relevance of this construct to both learner groups and show that it can co-exist with integrative motives. While EFL respondents viewed the affiliation with a global community as dependent on the mastery of English, most LOTE respondents associated it with the language learning process itself and with their new positioning as second language learners and speakers in their monolingual environment. This study advances our understanding of the range of reference of international posture and contributes to reducing the gap in scholarship between EFL and LOTE learners.


Key words Global community, international posture, EFL vs LOTE, global English bias, global identities


Learning Irish amid controversy: how the Irish Language Act debate has impacted learners of Irish in Belfast

Deirdre A. Dunlevy, School of Arts, English and Languages, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Abstract From January 2017 until January 2020, the Stormont assembly in Northern Ireland was suspended, with the Irish language being cited as the main stumbling block to the restoration of government. The continued debate around the necessity of an Irish Language Act (ILA) for Northern Ireland is bound up with more general divisions in society surrounding national identity, and as such, it divided political parties and the nationalist and unionist communities from which they draw their support. Through the analysis of ethnographic interviews conducted in various language learning centres across Belfast, I explore how this debate around legislating for the language impacted on the engagement of learners with the language in the city. By considering the role played by the media in the engagement of interview participants with the Irish language in Belfast, I aim to examine how the policy delay and political discourse affects those engaging with the language. This paper aims to address changing attitudes to the Irish language in Belfast in a period of political crisis, and what it means for those who use the language.


Key words Sociolinguistics, Irish, Northern Ireland, language policy, Belfast


Assessing content knowledge through L2: mediating role of language of testing on students’ performance

Yuen Yi Lo, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Daniel Fung, Department of English Language Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Xuyan Qiu, School of Education and Languages, The Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Abstract As the content knowledge of English language learners and immigrant students is assessed in their less proficient language, the validity and fairness of assessments related to those students have been widely discussed. However, such assessment issues have not received much attention in rapidly expanding bilingual education programmes, where students learn content subjects through a second/foreign/additional language (L2) and are often assessed in that language. This paper addresses this research gap by examining the mediating effect of language of testing on students’ performance in content subject assessments. 387 question items in the Biology papers of a public examination in Hong Kong were analysed according to their cognitive and linguistic demands. The performance of 480 students (half taking the test in their first language and half in their L2) on the questions with different demands was then analysed with MANOVA and multiple regression. The results show that linguistic demands, especially productive linguistic demands (e.g. writing sentences and texts), had a more significant effect on the performance of students taking the test in their L2. These results underscore the role played by language in the academic achievement of bilingual education students, which in turn illuminate valid assessment design and pedagogy in these programmes.


Key words Bilingual education, English-medium instruction, assessment, validity


‘She doesn’t speak Hebrew, she speaks English:’ a case of language socialisation of a quadrilingual girl

Nurit Gur-Yaish, Oranim Academic College of Education, Kiryat Tivon, Israel

Sujoud Hijazy, Department of Learning Disabilities, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

Eden Mazareeb, Language Department, MA Program, Advanced Studies Faculty, Oranim Academic College of Education, Kiryat Tivon, Israel

Mila Schwartz, Research Authority Department, Oranim Academic College of Education, Kiryat Tivon, Israel

Abstract Limited research to date has addressed the language socialisation of transnational children during global movement with their parents. The aim of this study was to explore the complexity of language socialisation for a transnational child experiencing a multilingual environment both at home and in preschool. This transnational English – and Spanish-speaking girl was immersed in two novel languages, Hebrew and Arabic, in a bilingual Hebrew- and Arabic-speaking preschool in Israel. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s human ecology theory, the research questions were as follows: (1) What is the role of this child’s social information processing during socialisation in her novel languages? (2) What is the role of peers and teachers in the child’s socialisation in her novel languages in the multilingual classroom environment? A qualitative methodology was applied to collect and document data using ethnographic methods such as fieldnotes, video-recorded observations, and semi-structured interviews with teachers during one academic year. The study reveals the uniquely complex situation of this multilingual transnational child, who was in the challenging position of having to develop social skills and simultaneously make progress in learning her novel languages. The study highlights the role of peers and classroom teachers as anchors in this girl’s complex language socialisation process.


Key words Transnational child, multilingual development and education, human ecology theory, language socialisation


Can family language policy predict linguistic, socio-emotional and cognitive child and family outcomes? A systematic review

Ily Hollebeke, Centre for Linguistics, Free University of Brussels, Elsene, Belgium

Esli Struys, Centre for Linguistics, Free University of Brussels, Elsene, Belgium

Orhan Agirdag, Laboratory for Education and Society, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium;c Department of Educational Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract Multilingual families face decisions about the linguistic upbringing of their children. These decisions shape their family language policy (FLP) which potentially impacts the children and their family. Departing from this hypothesis we conducted a systematic literature review applying the PRISMA guidelines, screening three databases, using search terms related to FLP (building on Spolsky’s framework). After a title- and abstract-based initial screening, 191 retained articles were scanned for a connection between FLP (components) and outcomes. We classify forty-two studies that describe such a link in multilingual families with focal children under the age of thirteen. Based on our results, we argue that studies exploring the socio-emotional (9) and cognitive outcomes (13) are underrepresented, especially because all but one of these studies also largely focus on linguistic outcomes (41). When it comes to the separate components of FLP, practices are found to have the most impact (41 studies), either exclusively (16) or combined with management (12), beliefs (6) or both (7). Based on this review, we recommend future studies to further explore the socio-emotional and cognitive spheres and all their aspects, preferably in families with young children, including families from various language groups or communities, and adopting a longitudinal design.


Key words Bilingualism, multilingual education, family language policy, language beliefs, language practices, language management


Developing EMI teachers through a collaborative research model

Ernesto Macaro, Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Lili Tian, School of Foreign Languages, Renmin University of China, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Abstract English Medium Instruction (EMI) research has mushroomed in response to the rapid increase in EMI courses in higher education (HE) worldwide. Despite concerns about the need for EMI teacher professional development (PD) there are few studies on PD in EMI. We present a study of EMI teacher PD which adopted a model of equal status collaborative research between a language specialist and two EMI teachers whereby the latter were presented with highly detailed analyses of their lessons over a period without evaluative commentary/feedback from the language specialist. Our findings suggest that the two teachers reacted enthusiastically to the model but one teacher felt a greater need to move towards an interactive pedagogy than the other. Possible explanations are given and suggestions for adapting future research are made.


Key words EMI, professional development

interaction, higher education, collaborative research


Academic achievement in a language revitalisation context: a study on the influence of language and socioeconomic factors

Jennifer Altavilla, Department of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

Paula Elosua, Department of Social Psychology and Methodology, University of the Basque Country, San Sebastian, Spain

Guillermo Solano-Flores, Department of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

Abstract We examined the influence of language and socioeconomic factors on academic achievement in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC): a multilingual society with a recent history of language revitalisation. We analysed scores obtained by Grade 4 and Grade 10 students on a diagnostic mathematics test administered in either Basque or Spanish in the BAC. We found that L1 Basque users who were of high socioeconomic status (SES) were the top performers across language groups. A larger percentage of high-SES L1 Spanish users earned top scores when tested in their home language than when tested in Basque. In contrast, low-SES L1 users of Spanish performed better when tested in Basque. These findings corroborate and expand upon findings from previous research conducted in the BAC, which shows that SES and language shape academic achievement in contexts of successful language revitalisation efforts.


Key words Basque, language revitalisation, language variation, socioeconomic status



期刊简介

The Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development is a cross-disciplinary journal for researchers from diverse scholarly and geographical backgrounds. It is concerned with macro-level coverage of topics in the sociology and social psychology of language, and in language and cultural politics, policy, planning and practice.

《多语与多元文化发展》是一本跨学科期刊,面向来自不同学术和地理背景的研究人员。它涉及语言社会学和社会心理学,以及语言和文化政治、政策、规划和实践的宏观层面的主题。


官网地址:

https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rmmm20

本文来源:JOURNAL OF MULTILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT官网

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