Shaping ideologies at the micro level: Stylization in EMI

Abstract

Purpose: Research on bi/multilingual oral interactions in English-medium instruction (EMI) is often concerned with how languages the teacher and/or students speak can be used for pedagogical scaffolding processes. In contrast, this paper aims to investigate how stylization of languages, including those that teacher and students only speak minimally, can likewise be harnessed for important pedagogical and interpersonal purposes. Methodology: I conduct an interactional sociolinguistic analysis of transcripts from an EMI teaching simulation in a Master’s in Education course at a university in Hong Kong. Data and analysis: As a cross-border teacher from Cantonese-speaking Guangdong and a local teacher of Indian heritage engaged in these language stylization processes, they show that teachers can effectively use bi/multilingual stylization in EMI with attention to student uptake and response. Findings/Conclusions: While pedagogical scaffolding is important in EMI, these processes can put more and less societally dominant languages in a diglossic, unequal relationship. In contrast, stylization can reconfigure classroom language norms and hierarchies, attach positive meanings to unratified codes, and allow teachers to share linguistic authority with students. Originality: Little research to date has studied stylization as a pedagogical resource in EMI, focusing instead on the use of languages teachers/students already know for scaffolding. Significance/Implications: Teacher professional development should address the topic of how to use language stylization in EMI, especially since these interactional strategies do not require teachers to dramatically reconfigure curriculum or instruction, yet have pedagogical and interpersonal benefits. Limitations: Future research should aim to study stylization in EMI in an authentic classroom setting.