A Study on Translanguaging Behaviors of Turkish-Danish Bilingual Students in Turkish Lessons

Abstract

The Kingdom of Denmark is a member state of the European Union located in northwestern Europe and has a Turkish immigrant population. According to Larsen (2008), it is a geography that hosts approximately 70 thousand Turkish immigrants. According to the current data of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2023), the number of immigrants is 75 thousand, and they constitute the largest immigrant group in the country. Among these immigrants, Turkish children generally have bilingual features. More than one study has been conducted on bilingual Turkish immigrant children in Denmark, and it has been observed that they perform code-switching, which is a dimension of translingualism (Can, Jorgensen, & Holmen. 1999; Bican & Demir, 2018; Deveci, 2010; Moller, Jorgensen & Holmen, 2014) . In this respect, code switching is defined as a type of discourse that occurs when bilingual individuals switch between sentences or switch to a second language in the same sentence (Jacobson, 1976). Translingualism, on the other hand, is a less researched area in our country, but it is the use of linguistic resources by bilingual people to create meaning and communicate, fluently in two languages (Garcia & Li, 2014). Translingualism also has its points of departure from code change; According to Karaca's (2019) expression, the fact that language transition (translingualism) does not mean going back and forth between two different language structures is understood by trying to establish an effective communication by using two languages together (Karaca, 2019). The aim of this research is to understand the frequency of using a language other than Turkish, in which situations and in what way, by observing the translinguistic behavior of four bilingual immigrant children living in Denmark in Turkish lessons. The study will be examined with the case study method, in which a limited system is discussed in depth. (Merriam, 2018). The case study is a qualitative method in which data collection tools (observations, interviews, audiovisuals, documents, reports) are used (Creswell, 2007). In the study, the data were collected by observing the translinguistic behaviors of Turkish-Danish bilingual learners aged 10-14, living in Copenhagen and attending Turkish lessons, during the lesson for five months, in accordance with the method. Due to the limitations of the study, only the data from the first and last lesson will be used. Mixed scales developed by Karaca (2019), Yuvayapan (2019), Nambisan (2014) were developed for translinguistic; Data were collected about asking questions, answering, making grammar explanations, doing homework, and speaking out of class. In addition to these data, it was found that translanguaging is used in noun-oriented words, by supporting definitions, in digital uses or for the purpose of making the language practical. Based on these findings, similar features were observed with the results of some studies, and as a common opinion, it was determined that the translingual approach has an important place in the expression and effective use of language by immigrant children (Carroll & Van den Hoven, 2017; Mısır ve Öztürk, 2022; Garcia et al. Li, 2014).