Bilingual Practices Research Articles

Emotional impact on language practices of bilingual couples: A study of discursive positioning

Aims: By applying the framework of positioning theory, this study seeks to gain insight into how bilingual partners position themselves and each other when emotionally conveying their thoughts and feelings. Methodology: Based on the data collected through in-depth interviews, a qualitative analysis has been conducted to obtain the sociolinguistic complexity of private discourse between bilingual couples. Since the idea of discourse as a dynamic process of negotiating meanings by individuals is placed at the core of positioning theory, conversation is viewed as a social interaction. Data and analysis: The analysis herein presents the concept of ‘role’ in narratives which shows how individuals locate themselves and each other in talk, which has been illustrated by selected excerpts. Findings and conclusions: The data analysis of the researched couples discloses a range of language practices caused by emotions. The findings provide qualitative insights by testing the positioning theory as a means to investigate bilingual couples’ talk from a micro-cultural perspective. Originality: This study enunciates positioning theory in a critical approach for a better grasp on the ways of language use in private language contact. It unfolds an account of the dynamics of emotional situations in intimate relationships. Significance and implications: The study is intended to provoke a keen reflection on the phenomenon of language use by bilingual couples. The findings contribute to the ongoing discussion of bilingual practices at home, while the exploration of bilingual couples’ talk through a positioning lens helps understand bilingualism ‘in action’.

Exploring bilingualism as a pedagogical tool for enhancing English language teaching: a case study of Pakistan's intermediate colleges

This study examines the role of bilingualism as a facilitative tool in English language teaching (ELT) at the intermediate level in Pakistan. It challenges the prevailing assumption that the use of L1 in ESL (English as a Second Language) classes limits students’ communicative abilities, proposing instead that strategic use of bilingualism aids in the L2 acquisition process. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates qualitative and quantitative data collected from 65 in-service English teachers across 10 government colleges. The Revised Hierarchical Model (RHM) by Kroll and Stewart (1994) underpins the theoretical framework. The findings indicate that limited and contextually appropriate use of L1 enhances comprehension, provides motivation, and facilitates complex L2 instruction. Contrary to the notion of “no L1 in L2 classes,” the study advocates a balanced use of bilingualism, highlighting its potential benefits for improving ESL teaching methodologies. This research calls for broader acceptance of bilingual practices in ESL settings and suggests implications for future pedagogical strategies in similar educational contexts.

Translanguaging: A Promising Approach to Enhance English Learning in Saudi Arabia

New perspectives incorporating a more flexible plurilingual approach to language teaching have recently emerged. This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework that suggests a teaching policy methodology that enhances English education in Saudi Arabia. It includes a thorough revision of the nature of Saudi language pedagogy. The study argued for a better understanding of bilingual practices and for utilizing students’ pluralist resources of knowledge to develop their academic, communicative and literacy skills. It also called for a critical review of the conventional methodology of language education that is entirely based on adherence to the socially and politically defined boundaries between languages. As a result, it is suggested that translanguaging be implemented as a communicative strategy to support English education and encourage linguistic diversity in the Saudi context. Moreover, developmental recommendations regarding English teaching and translanguaging implementation that are useful both locally and internationally are incorporated.

“A Privilege and a Weapon”: Saudi Undergraduate Students’ Beliefs About Bilingualism

Bilingualism has become the norm—not the exception—in today’s globalized world. The development of bilingual proficiency in English and other languages is increasing worldwide. Saudi Arabia is one of many countries within the expanding circle of nations in which English (although with no official status) enjoys a special position as the sole foreign language taught in public schools. This study examined Saudi university students’ beliefs about issues surrounding bilingualism, particularly about their first language (L1), second language (L2), and potential benefits of being bilingual. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion with 15 university students. The findings showed that all students explicitly self-identified as bilingual based on their perceived linguistic repertoire and daily bilingual practices. Self-identification seems to have an empowering effect, which positively influences beliefs about bilingualism and language learning. As members of the dominant Arabic-speaking group, the students were able to achieve sequential additive bilingualism. Overall, the students saw bilingualism as an advantage and highlighted its perceived benefits, the instrumental importance of English, and the vital role of Arabic as a marker of their ethnoreligious identity.

Translanguaging in the ESP Context: Saudi Students' Perceptions of the Bilingual Practices

Applied linguists address translanguaging from a variety of angles to comprehend its effectiveness, applicability, and how it supports or undermines social and educational goals in various bilingual and multilingual environments around the world. A small number of studies have been carried out to demonstrate the reality of pedagogical translanguaging in the context of higher education and, more specifically, in countries where the official language is distinct from the language of instruction in language education. Therefore, this study broadens the understanding of translanguaging practices in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programs in Saudi universities through the perceptions and perspectives of ESP undergraduate students. The participants of this study were ESP 150 students at the University of Bisha. The data was obtained quantitatively and qualitatively using three research tools: the learners’ questionnaire, observation of teaching sessions, and semi-structured interviews with the learners. The findings indicated that students have a positive attitude towards translanguaging. They found it a useful pedagogical strategy to improve their understanding of ESP terminologies and their field-related complex terms. On the pedagogical level, the study contributed to the field of translanguaging by providing a clear picture of how students perceive translanguaging and how the use of the mother tongue along with English in the classrooms was significant in engaging the students in the learning process.

The bilingual styles of young Puerto Rican adolescents online

Abstract This article examines the language mixing practices of Puerto Rican adolescents in various social media platforms through a framework of code-mixing and socioindexicality. Over a twelve-week period, I collected samples of online text messages from six island bilinguals of an elite community of practice (CofP) and studied the way their unique socializations in private schools and bilingual universities contributed to the ways they made sense of languages, their social meaning potentials, and uses across online interactions. Against the meaningful backdrop of colonial-dynamics of Spanish and English in Puerto Rico, the paper examines how ideologies of “nationalism” and “race” get reproduced or challenged through bilingual practice, and English takes up an equally important role for the construction of social identities in the interactions of youth. Additionally, the study discusses bilingual styles that have been enregistered as social styles specific to technological mediums of communication and youth registers, Puerto Rican netspeak, as well as emerging social styles that indicate queer gender identity, or non-binary practices. In this sense, I offer a description of the island bilingual that is dynamic, strategic, and metapragmatically conscious of the purist ideologies of Spanish in Puerto Rico, as well as the indexical potentials of appropriating variable gender forms in Spanish, bilingual language practices, and netspeak registers towards the negotiation of identities in technological interaction. The way bilinguals relate to the languages at their disposal can provide a window to impending questions on the perceived coloniality of English, potential changes in language ideologies and uses, and whether and how language policies may shift to meet current demographic attitudes and language uses of contemporary Puerto Ricans.

Translanguaging in Mathematics Bilingual Classroom: Students' Perception

This research aims to investigate translanguaging in a Bilingual classroom. Hence, this research tries to know the students’ perception of translanguaging classroom interaction. This research focused on the student’s perception of translanguaging. This research applied a qualitative method, the instruments were interviews. The result of the interview was transcribed and analyzed based on the research focus. The findings of this research show that translanguaging facilitates the teaching and learning of the Mathematic bilingual program makes their English teaching in the classroom effective and makes the students understand the teaching and learning material well. The way lecturers conduct translanguaging is based on the situation of the students. If the students do not understand what the lecturers explain in English, they will use translanguaging in the classroom to make the teaching and learning process. Students have positive responses about the bilingual practice in Mathematics class.

Code-Switching in French and Francophone Studies Classrooms in a Ghanaian Public University: Exploring Perceptions and Motivations

Code-switching in language classrooms is a contentious topic of debate, with some experts advocating for the monolingual use of the target language as the medium of instruction, while others support a bilingual approach such as code-switching and translanguaging. This paper examines the motivations for code-switching and the perceptions of both lecturers and students on bilingual practices in French and Francophone Studies classrooms. The study adopted a mixed research design, gathering data through interviews, classroom observation and an online questionnaire using a Google Form interface. The questionnaires were distributed to students via their WhatsApp platforms. A total of 120 French students filled out the questionnaires and 5 lecturers were selected for the interview session. The findings revealed that lecturers employ code-switching to address the linguistic needs of both Anglophone and Francophone students in the classrooms. The reasons for code-switching included students’ limited language background, low proficiency in the French language, inadequate teaching materials, situational factors, and the relevance of other languages in French classrooms. Overall, the majority of the lecturers and students expressed a positive perspective towards code-switching use in the classroom stating that such code choices facilitate the understanding of concepts and contribute to interactive classroom experiences. There was, however, the caution against its pervasive use as it hinders the ability to learn and speak the French language.

Effectiveness of Bilingual Practices in English Language Classroom: Perception of the Teachers and the Students

Effectiveness of Bilingual Practices in English Language Classroom: Perception of the Teachers and the Students

Early Bilingual Education: A General Bibliometric Approach and Content Analysis Using SciMAT

Bilingual and multilingual education have certainly gained popularity in the past decades since societies are increasingly becoming more aware of the need to welcome additional languages into the school curricula in order to equip citizens with a functional use of several languages. However, research about the extent to which bilingual practices are present at preschool education has not been fully exploited, mainly because this is a non-obligatory educational stage in most countries, and the wide variety of educational contexts in which practices can take place. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of early bilingual education, using as a reference the publications in the Web of Science Core Collection from 1988 to 2022. For this purpose, 1011 publications were analysed by applying advanced bibliometric techniques in SciMAT bibliometric analysis software. This research is hoped to serve as a framework to identify existing research lines and outline new ones, establishing synergetic relationships that were not visible without the maps generated herein.

Connecting target content with students through translanguaging in a postgraduate EMI pharmacology module

ABSTRACT The use of English as medium of instruction (EMI) in non-Anglophone contexts can be seen as part of a process of ‘Englishisation’ which favours a monolingual policy of using only one language in the classroom. However, EMI can be seen as a multilingual phenomenon, where the declared policy of using one language (English) as the medium of instruction may not reflect actual classroom practices in which other languages are used. Such practices can be described as ‘translanguaging’, in which participants engage their full linguistic repertoires in making meaning, and which does not see languages as distinct, compartmentalized entities. In this sense, this study aims to investigate how a lecturer deploys bilingual practices in an EMI postgraduate pharmacology module at a Spanish university for content knowledge building and meaning making purposes. The study uses multimodal Conversation Analysis (CA) to examine the multilingual and multimodal resources enacted by the lecturer both at the ‘local’ level of interactional sequences, and at the level of ‘overall’ medium of practice. The findings suggest that translanguaging (not just English or Spanish) was used as a way of connecting target content knowledge with the students by referring to the students’ experience and the shared classroom community.

Translation and Cross-Cultural Validation of the Danish Version of the Family Health Scale–Long Form: A Psychometric Study

ObjectivesThe Family Health Scale is a new instrument for evaluating family health. The instrument is reported as valid and reliable in investigating family health among different types of adult family members. This study aimed to translate the Family Health Scale into Danish and investigate its validity and reliability in families with a family member affected by chronic or serious illness. Data SourcesTranslation was performed through forward and backward bilingual practice consisting of 10 steps. A cross-sectional study included 406 participants, of whom 94 also participated in a follow-up study within 3 weeks for the test-retest. Content validity was examined by conducting cognitive interviews with nine family members. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach α. The test-retest reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients. Model fit was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. ConclusionThe Family Health Scale demonstrated good content validity and a moderate model fit. Both Internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability were satisfying. Cronbach α ranged from 0.73 to 0.89, while the intraclass correlation coefficient value was 0.88. The confirmatory factor analysis estimated a satisfying model fit, with an acceptable root-mean-square error of 0.076 and a moderate comparative fit index of 0.794. Implication for Nursing PracticeThe Family Health Scale instrument has the potential to identify vulnerable families or families affected by chronic or serious illnesses, such as cancer. The assessment tool can consequently be used to target interventions to promote family health and improve the health of both the individual and his/her family.

Flexible co-construction of meaning: facilitating emergent bi/multilingual children’s emergent exploratory talk in Spanish literature discussions

ABSTRACT Emergent bi/multilingual children have historically been afforded few opportunities to engage dialogically with peers and teachers in posing authentic questions and co- constructing interpretations of texts as their reading instruction has traditionally been skills driven. Additionally, more recent scholarship has identified increased opportunities for participation and meaning-making when bi/multilingual children discuss literature within linguistically flexible discussion spaces. This case study examines teacher discourse and discussion facilitation that foreground children’s emerging exploratory talk and validate their bi/multilingual practices during literature discussions conducted in Spanish in a second-grade maintenance dual language bilingual education classroom within a public school in the Midwest United States. Analysis focuses on teacher and child interactions, including the teacher’s uptake of children’s ideas and authentic questions, shared authority among teacher and children, and the teacher’s use and modeling of bilingual practices, such as external code-switching when recounting brief stories, within the discussion space. Findings demonstrate how teacher facilitation and discourse patterns interact in ways that promote children’s emerging exploratory talk within a dialogically organized linguistically flexible discussion space.

Logrando tus metas, la movilidad académica en la Facultad de Medicina

The objective of this article is to describe the improvement strategies that the UNAM School of Medicine (FacMed), through the MAVI (Academic Mobility and Interinstitutional Linkage Unit), has implemented throughout its administration from 2016 to 2022. The situation of mobility in the Faculty of Medicine of the UNAM is discussed, as well as the personal and institutional benefits derived from academic mobility. Although academic mobility is an expensive situation that requires financing, the FacMed generated strategies and accompaniment with which mobility processes were carried out in its community. In addition, the programs that were created during the COVID-19 pandemic are described, in response to the continuous needs for internationalization, all of them adapted to geographical mobility limitations, such as the Virtual Language Exchange, to generate bilingual practices. Likewise, the Meet&Greet in Health Science Internationalization Program, an event where students from the UNAM Faculty of Medicine met with students from other higher education institutions, to discuss various research topics in health sciences. It should be noted that academic mobility at FacMed is not exclusive to the student community, since some teachers were also advised to be part of the UNAM program of special activities for inter-institutional cooperation (PAECI), which facilitated their stay or travel. out of the country. Keywords: Academic mobility; internationalization; curriculum development; networks; higher education institutions.

Exploring parental language ideology and language enrichment in Indonesian children’s translingual practices

There is an increased urgency of acquiring a lingua franca in this era of industrial revolution 4.0 and society 5.0 as language mastery plays a crucial role in meeting the 21st-century’s demand to compete globally. To this end, family literacy practices have become the keys for the family to socialize their children into the languages they think will benefit their children’s future. Despite the increasingly abundant research on bilingual/multilingualism, research on family English bilingual practice in Indonesian contexts is still limited. This paper is aimed to discuss family literacy practices and language enrichment used to acquire English in two Indonesian families in South Sumatra. A case study design was used to examine translingual practice. Interviews and observations were conducted to collect the data from the two families. Categorizing strategies (coding and thematic analysis) were accomplished to analyze the data. The findings of this study highlight translanguaging, code-switching, and code-mixing as the families’ common literacy practices at home. Another finding reveals the critical role of digital media, such as TV programs, YouTube videos, online games, and books, in supporting children’s English acquisition. Implications of this study include the need to pay attention to the family literacy practice as important component of understanding how second language socialization occurs outside of formal schooling and the role of digital media in mediating this socialization process.

Bilingual youth identities contested through the use of K-12 language arts textbooks in a Korean heritage language classroom

ABSTRACT In the US, many immigrant languages have been maintained through the efforts of local communities in the form of community-based Heritage Language (HL) programs. Previous studies have discussed diverging linguistic practices and identities among students and teachers in HL programs. However, there is little research on how materials use affects such diverging practices in HL classrooms. To this end, this study adopts Actor Network Theory (ANT) as an analytical framework to investigate how a K-12 Korean language arts textbook was used in a community-based Korean HL classroom in the US and how student subjectivities were contested through materials use. Based on four months of ethnographic data, this study mainly discusses two findings. First, influenced by the monolingual conceptualization of bilingualism, the teacher used the textbook to enforce form-focused literacy instruction, which positioned students as an incompetent language learner. Second, during literacy activities, students interpreted and responded to materials through flexible bilingual practices, constructing their identities as competent bilinguals. The study suggests creating an official space for bilingual youth to ‘play with the language of the material’ in HL classrooms.

Reasons, Views and Practices of Parents as EFL Teachers Raising Bilingual Children in Turkey

With the rise of English as a global language, bilingualism has drawn considerable interest among non-native English speakers. For this reason, this study aims to investigate the reasons, views, and practices of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers as parents about their raising a bilingual child. The study adopted an interview technique among qualitative research designs. The data of the pilot and main studies were collected through purposive sampling according to predetermined criteria from nine parents who are nonnative English speakers, raise a bilingual child, and work as EFL teachers at state schools in Turkey. Participants were interviewed with semi-structured interview questions. All responses were analyzed by content analysis in NVivo 12, and interrater reliability was calculated. The findings showed that parents had a higher number of academic- and life-related reasons for raising bilingual children such as living abroad, traveling in the world, studying at bilingual schools, and having developed cognitive skills. Their views towards advantages were similarly rooted in academic and life themes. However, the disadvantages were rather related to child-, society- and family themes and mainly included having language delays, being prejudiced by the society, and being discouraged by family members. Regarding the bilingual practices of parents, the study highlighted that parents were mostly unaware of scholarly approaches to bilingual parenting methods and intuitively acted in their own manner. Therefore, families are suggested to initiate bilingual upbringing after having sufficient knowledge of academic methods and practices in order to consider the factors affecting a child’s emotional and social development as well as cognitive, and also they might inform their acquaintances about possible delays and confusion in advance in order to lessen anxiety and their fear of communication with the child.

The peculiarities of the bilingualism of Kyiv and Ternopil residents

Background. The language issue in Ukraine is very important because bilingualism is a widespread phenomenon in our country. The use of the Ukrainian and Russian languages by speakers often causes language conflicts.Сontribution to the research field. These findings may help us to understand the peculiarities of the Ukrainian language situation, particularly in Kyiv and Ternopil.Purpose. The purpose of our study is to compare the bilingual practices of Kyiv and Ternopil residents.Methods. The basis of our study is the data of the All-Ukrainian population census 2001, as well as the results of the several surveys published by the sociological group “Rating” (2015) and the public organization “Space of Freedom” (2011–2021). The material of our research concludes the names of children’s shops, residential complexes, centers for children early development and private kindergartens, coffee houses in Kyiv and Ternopil.Results. It is clear that Kyiv and Ternopil are different in the language aspect to a certain extent. Residents of the capital are undoubtedly bilingual, because they use the Ukrainian and Russian languages in their everyday communication. Also in Kyiv English is a popular language, the example of which is the language landscape of the city. In contrast to the language situation in Kyiv, Ternopil is а more Ukrainian-speaking city. Its residents in their daily communication, as well as in all spheres of communication, use exclusively the Ukrainian language. The Ukrainian language in Ternopil is also the most prestigious one in the names of the various institutions.Discussion. Now we can observe the new wave of Ukrainization, which is caused by the Russian war against Ukraine. So we predict that Kyiv will quickly become more Ukrainian, and the Ukrainian language will become the main language not only in the West of the country, but throughout its territory. The prospect of our study is to investigate the language situation in both cities in the post-war period.

VIII International Conference <i>Bi-, Poly-, Translingualism and Linguistic Education</i> (RUDN University)

On December 2-3, under the guidance of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (MAPRYAL) RUDN University held the 8th International Conference BI-, POLY-, TRANSLINGUALISM AND LINGUISTIC EDUCATION. This annual event gathered more than 230 participants from 18 Russian regions and 20 countries. Director of the Institute of Russian Language A. V. Dolzhikova and MAPRYAL Presidium member E. D. Suleymenova addressed the Conference with words of welcome. The plenary session of the Conference included speeches given by esteemed academics M. A. Khakuasheva, E. V. Khilkhanova, G. T. Khukhuni, E. F. Shafranskaya and covering a range of topics from linguistic contacts (M. L. Novikova) and intercultural communication (I. I. Valuytseva) to the Evenki discourse (T. V. Voronchenko). The initiator and permanent host of the Conference U. M. Bakhtikireeva gave a talk on translingual and transcultural processes. Sections of the Conference were devoted to theory and practice of language contacts and bilingualism, transcultural literature and literature in Russian, linguistic education, the art of translation etc. These friendly meetings have become a good tradition of the academic community united by its love for languages. 2022 marks the beginning of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages and the preparation for the next Conference has begun.

Students’ conceptualizations of monolingual Swedish-language spaces and bilingual practices at a bilingual university in Finland

This paper aims to analyze students’ discourses on language policies and practices in a Swedish-medium study program at the largest bilingual university in Finland. In educational discourse and practice in Finland, the position of Swedish as a de facto minority language has traditionally been understood as secured through institutional language separation. While the declared language policies at the University of Helsinki have witnessed a shift towards the simultaneous use of multiple languages, the structure of the study programs still reflect a policy of parallel monolingualisms (Heller, 2007). By analyzing student interviews using a spatially informed framework, we look at how the students in a Swedish-medium study program negotiate the meaning of the program as a linguistic space and how bilingual policies and practices appear to them in this construct. Our findings show that the familiar discourses of language separation in minority language educational contexts also circulated in higher education: monolingual Swedish-medium programs were seen as “svenska rum” (Swedish rooms or spaces), material and social markers of the status of Swedish at the university and guaranteeing the access to education in the other national language. However, bilingual policies and teaching practices were seen as necessary to deconstruct linguistic and social borders between students in different programs in order to prevent alienation and to improve language skills. Nevertheless, the existing bilingual courses were oftentimes experienced as marginalizing the users of Swedish and careful planning was pointed out as crucial in implementing successful bilingual and multilingual practices in higher education.