User:Elsen.gregory/Translanguaging

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Translanguaging is the process whereby multilingual speakers use their languages as an integrated communication system. The term "translanguaging" was coined in the 1980s by Cen Williams (applied in Welsh as trawsieithu) in his unpublished thesis titled “An Evaluation of Teaching and Learning Methods in the Context of Bilingual Secondary Education.” 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.

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. It is a dynamic process in which multilingual speakers navigate complex social and cognitive demands through strategic employment of multiple languages.

Translanguaging involves issues of language production, effective communication, the function of language, and the thought processes behind language use. The term is a result of bilingualism, and is often employed in a pedagogical setting, but also has applications to any situation experienced by multilingual speakers, who constitute most language communities in the world. 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.

In an educational setting, translanguaging can be controlled by both the student and the teacher. It maximizes the student's bilingual ability and is being used across the world. For instance, a teacher can develop a lesson plan using English as the medium of instruction and another language as the medium of discussion. This allows the student to use each language for different domains within the classroom.

When talking about bilingualism, some scholars consider translanguaging as opposed to a "double monolingualism." This puts an emphasis on how multilingual speakers use varying language skill levels to communicate fully, rather than emphasizing the concept of equal proficiency between two languages.

Additionally, translanguaging is distinct from diglossia because translanguaging practices do not mandate a language hierarchy, nor do they mandate that different language systems are assigned to different domains or functions for the speaker; rather, translanguaging develops the adaptability and cooperation of language systems.

Proposed Changes

Translanguaging can refer to a pedagogical process of utilizing more than one language within a classroom lesson or it can be used to describe they way bilinguals use their linguistic resources to make sense of and interact with the world around them. 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.” 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. 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. Ofelia García use the term Translanguaging to refer process whereby multilingual speakers use their languages as an integrated communication system. 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. It is a dynamic process in which multilingual speakers navigate complex social and cognitive demands through strategic employment of multiple languages. Translanguaging involves issues of language production, effective communication, the function of language, and the thought processes behind language use. The term is a result of bilingualism, who constitute most language communities in the world. 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.

Current History Section

Archeological evidence points to Bilingual education going back to at least 4000–5000 years. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Translanguaging as a focus of study first emerged in Bangor, Wales, in the 1980s. It is based on François Grosjean's idea that bilinguals are not two monolinguals in one. 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.

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.

Proposed Changes

Archeological evidence points to Bilingual education going back to at least 4000–5000 years. 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. Modern Bilingual education systems emerged across Europe and North America in the 1960s and 1970s such as French Immersion in Canada.

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. 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. 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.

Other Edits (I added this image to this section)

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. 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.

References

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2017). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. (6th ed.). Multilingual Matters.

Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2020). Pedagogical translanguaging: An introduction. System (Linköping), 92, 102269–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102269

Escobar, C. (2019). Translanguaging by design in EFL classrooms. Classroom Discourse, 10, 290-305. 10.1080/19463014.2019.1635032.

García, O. (2009). Education, multilingualism and translanguaging in the 21st century. In T. Skutnabb-Kangas, R. Phillipson, A. Mohanty & M. Panda (Eds.), Social justice through multilingual education (pp. 140-158). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847691910-011

Karlsson, A., Nygård Larsson, P.  Jakobsson, A. (2019). Multilingual students’ use of translanguaging in science classrooms. International Journal of Science Education, 41(15), 2049-2069. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2018.1477261

Leonet, O., Cenoz, J. & Gorter, D. (2017). Challenging minority language isolation: translanguaging in a trilingual school in the Basque Country. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 16(4), 216-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2017.1328281

Leonet, O., Cenoz, J. & Gorter, D. (2020). Developing morphological awareness across languages: translanguaging pedagogies in third language acquisition. Language Awareness, 29(1), 41-59, DOI: 10.1080/09658416.2019.1688338

Li, W. (2018). Translanguaging as a practical theory of language. Applied Linguistics, 39, 9-30. Doi: 1093.applin/amx039

Manken, K., & Sánchez, M. T. (2019). Translanguaging in English-only schools: From pedagogy to stance in the disruption of monolingual policies and practices. TESOL Quarterly, 53(3), 741–767.