Translingual oral and written practices: Rhetorical resources in multilingual writers’ discourses

Abstract

Aims and objectives: This study investigates how three multilingual scholars enact translingual negotiation strategies in a variety of contexts. The purpose of the study is to identify how translingual oral and written literacy practices serve as rhetorical tools of language self-awareness, identity construction, and negotiations of language difference. Design/Methodology/Approach: The objectives of the study are achieved by conducting a textual analysis of three primarily oral genres mediated by literate practices. The genres include: a plenary address, naturalization ceremony speech, and personal interview. Data and Analysis: The three genres composed by multilingual scholars are analyzed using the following four translingual negotiation strategies: envoicing, recontextualization, interactional, and entextualization. Findings/Conclusions: The key findings of the research reveal the important relationship between oral and written practices, particularly how oral language practices serve as rhetorical resources that help multilingual writers become aware of audience and language negotiations. This study also reveals the potential of using translingual strategies in the writing classroom to enhance students’ rhetorical self-awareness of language difference in diverse genres and contexts. Originality: While scholarship in literacy and composition studies has focused on and recognized how the relationship between oral and written practices shape identities and communities, less attention is given to how multilingual speakers/writers in primarily oral genres mediated by literate practices use rhetorical strategies to shape their translingual identities and engage audience uptake of their translingual strategies. Significance/Implications: The significance and implications of this study focus on using translingual strategies as rhetorical tools to teach writing, language awareness, and analysis of discourse.