Abstract
AbstractNumerous scholars have investigated translanguaging in students with a migration background by examining the deployment of their linguistic repertoire. By contrast, few studies have adopted a social semiotic perspective on translanguaging. Similarly, studies on newcomers in this field are scarce. Newcomers, especially those to the trilingual education system in Luxembourg, face significant language challenges. The present paper explores the ways in which Portuguese-speaking Harry combined the resources of his semiotic repertoire in science and French lessons in Year 4, and discusses different combinations of resources. Findings based on field notes and video-recordings of classroom activities show that the eleven-year-old engaged in learning by activating his prior knowledge and deploying his semiotic repertoire in resourceful ways. He mobilised features of five languages, coordinated linguistic, paralinguistic and extralinguistic resources, and aligned his resources to those of his peers. Furthermore, he reproduced the semiotic combinations of peers as well as the translanguaging practices in class. We show that a newcomer orchestrates his semiotic resources in complex ways to communicate, make meaning and engage in learning processes. Further research into the deployment of the semiotic repertoire at school is needed.
Highlights
Arrived pupils face many challenges in their new school
The following sections present the ways in which Harry combined the resources of his semiotic repertoire and aligned them with his peers across different subjects
The present article analysed the ways in which Harry combined the resources of his semiotic repertoire
Summary
Arrived pupils face many challenges in their new school They need to find ways to access the curriculum in their new country, make meaning of its content, and communicate despite possibly limited competences in the language(s) of the curriculum (Kalocsányiová 2017; Gómez-Fernández 2011). The data stem from Degano’s doctoral research project (2017–2021) which investigates the translanguaging practices of four pupils of different language and educational backgrounds in Years 4 and 5 in Luxembourg. In this small country, Luxembourgish, French and German are the official languages, but many more are spoken on account of the high immigration level. Before presenting Harry’s combination of semiotic resources, one of the pupils, in science and French lessons in Year 4, we will present the education system in Luxembourg, review literature on repertoire, translanguaging and social semiotics, and outline the methodology
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