Multilingual Environment Research Articles

“HEGA”: the Basque version of the PaBiQ parental questionnaire, for clinicians and educators working in the Basque multilingual environment

In this paper, we investigate the relevance of using a parental questionnaire (HEGA) to gather information on children’s language experience in Basque and early language development in order to better interpret language performance in that language. Both this questionnaire and use of language assessment in Basque are needed in the Basque Country, where multilingualism is well attested. The questionnaire was developed after the PaBiQ with additional questions meant to reflect the Basque context, notably its schooling linguistic model. The HEGA was administered to the parents of 186 bilingual children of the Northern Basque Country (age 4;2–9;1) whose language skills in Basque were assessed via a new test battery targeting different linguistic domains (HIGA). Several significant correlations were found between exposure to, and use of Basque and performance in lexical and morphosyntactic production and comprehension. Mixed-effect regression analyses revealed that language experience in Basque, and particularly the fact of being schooled entirely in Basque, were strong predictors of lexical and morphosyntactic outcomes. In contrast, phonological performance, as measured by nonword repetition, appeared to be less impacted by language experience in Basque. Finally, two children were identified as being at risk of language impairment, due to low language performance in Basque despite extended language experience. These results have important implications for clinicians and educators, in particular for detecting language difficulties in Basque-speaking bilingual children. They also show the need for assessing language abilities in Basque for children growing up in a solid Basque-speaking environment.

Linguistic and cultural content of teaching preschoolers the Tatar language in a multilingual developmental environment

The languages, in which children are raised and educated become a tool, a condition and a factor in the formation of children’s worldview and their linguistic picture. It underlies the ethnocultural and national identification of the child in the future. The education system faces challenges related not only to the education and development of children, but also to the formation of an all-Russian civic identity, to the education of a person with linguistic and sociocultural competence, the one who respects the language, culture and traditions of the peoples of the Russian Federation. This idea permeates all normative acts concerning the content of education. Education is becoming a strategic tool for ensuring the linguistic and ethnocultural diversity of our country, a support for preserving the experience of intercultural and interreligious interaction of the peoples that make up the Russian nation. Multilingual education, whose linguodidactic system ensures the development of the child in the Russian and Tatar languages, makes it possible to take into account the national and cultural needs of the younger generation living in the region.The article reveals the experience of introducing a linguodidactic system for teaching children the Tatar language in a multilingual environment, designed to ensure the formation of a child’s national language picture.

Multiple lenses to understand and shape multilingual literacy practices in Early Childhood Education

ABSTRACT Programs of multilingual education in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) are promising because they contribute to the development of young children’s language and literacy as well as their multilingual identities. In practice, many educators are unsure of how to engage children in multilingual literacy activities and policy often falls short of providing adequate guidance. The present paper investigates the case of Luxembourg where a multilingual program has been implemented over the last years. We draw on the continua of biliteracy to examine the range of language and literacy practices of 12 educators who worked with two to four-year-olds in three private, commercial centers differing in regional location, urban or suburban setting, and dominant language spoken. Using the lenses of the biliteracy continua of context, media, content, and development, we analyze examples, explain differing practices, and explore the educators’ varied understandings of languaging, literacy, and learning. We thereby demonstrate that the continua are a heuristic for research, teaching, and policymaking in multilingual environments. We conclude with implications for professional development, policymakers, and researchers.

Development of Reading in Multilingual Environments in 2nd Grade Children

The main objective of this study is to assess the Spanish literacy competence of students enrolled in bilingual and trilingual programs by analyzing the developmental process and evolutionary course of reading during the first cycle of Primary Education. This analysis aims to determine whether the reading skills in Spanish of students in multilingual schools are affected by immersion in a foreign language, in this case, English. To achieve this, a total of 258 second-grade primary students were examined, categorized into groups based on the number of languages they knew (two or three), in comparison to a control group of monolingual students. Two variables were measured: intelligence using the WISC-IV and literacy competence using the TALE. The results of both tests indicate that there are no significant differences in reading competence between bilingual and trilingual students and monolingual students. These results reinforce the idea that learning to read is a process not influenced by the number of languages spoken.

A rumor propagation model in multilingual environment with time and state dependent impulsive control

In this paper we are interested in the problem of modeling, analysis and control of rumor spreading on online social networks. As the diversity of languages and the difference of user nodes in the network, a heterogeneous rumor spreading model with two language spreaders is proposed, and the impulsive isolation control strategy is considered. Firstly, the model with periodic impulsive isolation control and time-delay recovery rate is discussed. Based on the stability theory of impulsive differential equations, some conditions regarding the impulsive period and control gains are given for the rumor asymptotically disappearance and persistent existence. Secondly, a new type of event-triggered impulsive isolation control method is developed to address the tradeoff between restraining rumor and minimizing the cost of control, and some conditions are given to make the rumor disappear asymptotically. Furthermore, an improved event-triggered mechanism is established based on the fixed-time stability theory, which provides the conditions for the rumor to disappear within a fixed-time. Finally, some numerical simulations and an actual example are given to verify the rationality of the model and the effectiveness of the control methods.

Sociolinguistic awareness as a key factor in reducing linguistic unease

This article addresses key issues related to diverse cases of migration to complex multilingual environments within Europe. Data came from three case studies carried out within the scope of the MIME project: (ex-)Yugoslavian refugees to South Tyrol (Italy); Portuguese work migrants to Andorra; and international managers in Vasa (Finland). Data were elicited using qualitative methods (biographical narrative interviews and focus groups) and thematically analysed to identify emic causes of ‘linguistic unease’, the speakers’ perception that their linguistic repertoire is inadequate for communicating with others and the consequent fear that their linguistic performance will be met with judgemental and negative attitudes. Our results show that in all situations, irrespective of the diverse conditions that exist prior to migration or in the destination country, the complex linguistic environment of the recipient society is puzzling for mobile people. In all cases, numerous migrants target the language that they perceive to be easier and most accessible to them, but this also exposes them to some level of linguistic unease. Crucially, migrants’ learning choices rub salt in the wounds of old conflicts that have roots in the historical dynamics of multilingualism of the recipient societies. We argue that raising sociolinguistic awareness about this is crucial to mitigate unease and discrimination in the most vulnerable sections of the migrant population.

Linguistic Relativity Unveiled: An Exploration of Language and Cognition in Second Language Acquisition

In an era of rapid globalization, cultural exchange promotes a multilingual environment, thereby increasing exposure to different linguistic frameworks. This paper takes Chinese students with second language acquisition as the research object and tries to explore whether they are affected by psychological factors and environmental factors in the process of thinking and communication in their mother tongue or non-mother tongue. Based on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which holds that language shapes thinking, the study investigates the cognitive linguistic challenges posed by the diversity between Chinese and Western languages and the cultural specificity behind different languages for Chinese students studying abroad. Eight in-depth interviews were conducted with Chinese students who have studied and lived abroad to gain a nuanced understanding of their language background, learning process and experiences in different language environments. Qualitative textual analysis of these interviews revealed the profound impact of cultural and thinking differences on the language difficulties encountered by participants. This study also explores the psychological factors that influence the choice of thought and expression language in the second language environment. The results show that context, common language with communication partners and cultural differences play a key role in language selection among Chinese students. In addition, the study explored the feasibility of how different languages might be better suited to express specific concepts or emotions.

Multilingual Neural Machine Translation for Indic to Indic Languages

The method of translation from one language to another without human intervention is known as Machine Translation (MT). Multilingual neural machine translation (MNMT) is a technique for MT that builds a single model for multiple languages. It is preferred over other approaches since it decreases training time and improves translation in low-resource contexts, i.e. for languages that have insufficient corpus. However, good-quality MT models are yet to be built for many scenarios such as for Indic-to-Indic Languages (IL-IL). Hence, this paper is an attempt to address and develop the baseline models for low-resource languages i.e. IL-IL (for 11 Indic Languages (ILs)) in a multilingual environment. The models are built on the Samanantar corpus and analyzed on the Flores-200 corpus. All the models are evaluated using standard evaluation metrics i.e. Bilingual Evaluation Understudy (BLEU) score (with the range of 0 to 100). This paper examines the effect of the grouping of related languages, namely East Indo-Aryan (EI), Dravidian (DR), and West Indo-Aryan (WI) on the MNMT model. From the experiments, the results reveal that related language grouping is beneficial for the WI group only while it is detrimental for the EI group and it shows an inconclusive effect on the DR group. The role of pivot-based MNMT models in enhancing translation quality is also investigated in this paper. Owing to the presence of large good-quality corpora from English (EN) to ILs, MNMT IL-IL models using EN as a pivot are built and examined. To achieve this, English-Indic Language (EN-IL) models are developed with and without the usage of related languages. Results show that the use of related language grouping is advantageous specifically for EN to ILs. Thus, related language groups are used for the development of pivot MNMT models. It is also observed that the usage of pivot models greatly improves MNMT baselines. Furthermore, the effect of transliteration on ILs is also analyzed in this paper. To explore transliteration, the best MNMT models from the previous approaches (in most of cases pivot model using related groups) are determined and built on corpus transliterated from the corresponding scripts to a modified Indian language Transliteration script (ITRANS). The outcome of the experiments indicates that transliteration helps the models built for lexically rich languages, with the best increment of BLEU scores observed in Malayalam (ML) and Tamil (TA), i.e. 6.74 and 4.72, respectively. The BLEU score using transliteration models ranges from 7.03 to 24.29. The best model obtained is the Punjabi (PA)-Hindi (HI) language pair trained on PA-WI transliterated corpus.

Supporting multilingual children with language impairment in a multilingual environment: experience and perspectives from speech and language therapists in Switzerland

ABSTRACT This work reports the results of a survey study conducted with French-, German-, and Italian-speaking speech and language therapists (SLTs) in Switzerland. In this survey we asked respondents about their language background, training in multilingual matters, and practices with multilingual patients, as well as their opinions on the current SLT provisions for multilingual children in Switzerland. The main results showed that despite high levels of SLT multilingualism in Switzerland, there is often a mismatch between the additional languages spoken by the SLTs and the heritage languages spoken by their patients. To circumvent the challenges of assessing a multilingual child, SLTs across Switzerland reported using a variety of assessment tools and methods, although therapeutic options are still missing. The results also revealed some differences based on linguistic region, with SLTs working in French-speaking region having the highest number of multilingual caseloads but those working in the German-speaking region receiving the most training on multilingualism. Conclusions drawn are that across Switzerland there is still a need for SLTs to be better trained to work with multilingual children and for suitable tools for assessing and especially treating multilingual patients to be developed. Full results are reported and discussed.

Multilingual environments and Cantonese English identity: evidence from the Greater Bay Area in China

Multilingual environments and Cantonese English identity: evidence from the Greater Bay Area in China

French and language ideologies in a multilingual European Union institution: Re-constructing the meaning of language choice at work

This qualitative study investigates stances in reflective interviews to identify cultural patterns that shape the meaning of language choice within an international unit of an EU institution in Luxembourg. We employ the analytical concept of “language cringe” and propose a complementary concept, “language push,” to showcase the effects and reproduction of language ideologies in day-to-day talk about languages at work. Our analysis reveals that, within a workplace culture that encourages flexible and convivial use of multiple languages, French speakers have to deal with the effects of the “logic of honour,” which is culturally associated with the use of French in France. Based on our findings, we suggest that language choice should be considered a cross cultural dimension in multilingual environments, and that language-sensitive management scholarship should broaden its considerations beyond the traditional issues of language proficiency, namely by inspecting relational and affective factors that shape language use in multilingual workplaces.

Language Acquisition in the Longitudinal Cambridge UK BabyRhythm Cohort

The Cambridge UK BabyRhythm project is a study of 122 infants as they age from 2 – 30 months, investigating cortical tracking and sensorimotor synchronisation to acoustic and visual rhythm in relation to language acquisition. As there are few standardised language tasks appropriate for this age range, the BabyRhythm project adapted a range of parent-report and infant-led experimental measures that could be used within a home testing environment. Here we present a rich description of infant performance on tasks intended to sample 5 linguistic domains: semantics, phonology, grammar, rhythmic timing and gesture. For each task we describe infant performance (mean, median, range), and we also report performance by sex (N female = 57) and by monolingual (N = 91) versus multilingual (N = 31) home environments. We report relations between measures. We share our unique longitudinal database (all data available on OSF), and ‘lessons learned’ on adapting language assessments for very young children. Critically, we identify the language tasks that will be utilised in our longitudinal brain-behaviour analyses, providing the benchmark upon which future neural and behavioural markers will be measured.

Investigating the Impact of Multilingualism on Language Development: A Case Study Approach

This research study follows the effects of a multilingual setting on the language development of a toddler. The participant of this research grew up in a household where three languages were spoken. The case study investigates the participant's language development via observational analysis, unstructured child interviews, and parental questionnaire. The findings conclude that the respected individual’s language development progressed at a slower pace compared to normal language development patterns. Her exposure to different linguistic structures and limited peer-peer interactions affected her language development, resulting in code mixing and cross linguistic influence. Moreover, there is also a comparison of the participant’s language milestones to the normal pattern of speech development in this study. Lastly, the study concludes that multilingualism can have both positive and negative influence on language development, and early intervention strategies are recommended for children with language delay in multilingual environments. Further research is encouraged to explore the impact of cross linguistic influence on multilingualism in diverse populations.

Multilingual learning environments in early childhood education in Finland

Increasing linguistic diversity creates a need to construct early learning environments as spaces where children’s whole multilingual repertoires are represented. The purpose of these spaces is to support the crossing of linguistic boundaries during collaborative, play-based activities. In Finland, the language policies of the National Core Curriculum for Early Childhood Education and Care have been changed to promote multilingualism. This study focuses on data provided by early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff, documenting changing language policies in learning environments through the management of space and practice. The study analyzes what ECEC staff (N = 81 participant groups) report on constructing multilingual learning environments and what type of barriers and enablers are described as present in such environments. Theoretically, the analysis draws on pedagogical translanguaging. The data were collected using the LangPeda tool, and the participant groups’ textual documents were scrutinized via qualitative content analysis. The findings suggested that although most of the groups’ textual documents reflected either pre-planned or spontaneous pedagogical translanguaging, not all the groups were eager to change their monolingual practices. Linguistic hierarchies were found, and the development of children’s linguistic repertoires appeared to be hindered by misconceived understanding of language learning. Enabling pedagogical translanguaging to become part of ECEC institutions’ (spatial) practices requires sufficient resources, materials, and systematic education for ECEC staff.

Exploring the Impact of Bilingualism in Early Life on Foreign Language Learning for University Students in Lebanon Theoretical Foundations: Part I

Bilingualism and multilingualism have long fascinated linguists, educators, and researchers due to their potential effects on cognitive, linguistic, and educational development. This study, part of two, explores how growing up in a bilingual or multilingual environment impacts foreign language learning abilities, focusing on university students in Beirut, Lebanon. The investigation sheds light on whether being born into such language-rich contexts confers advantages in acquiring additional languages, specifically English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This research follows a quantitative, deductive, and positivist approach. A sample of 153 Lebanese university students pursuing different majors was selected conveniently based on the participant's willingness to participate. The research tool is a questionnaire constituting four sections that include knowledge questions addressing different sets of attitudinal statements characterizing the students’ and their parents’ status, home habits, background, and practices of the English language; the attitude of students toward the English language along the three dimensions of Towers-Perrin-ISR model; the family’s attachment to books, and demographics of the participants and their parents. Questions and statements were dyadic, multiple choice, four-level, and five-level Likert scales. Collected data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 26.0 package. Data analysis used descriptive, factor, and linear regression analyses. However, this paper, part 1 of 2, provides the theoretical background necessary to carry out the quantitative part. In this paper, the introduction and the literature review include an in-depth exposition of bilingualism in Lebanon, the status of English language teaching, the Towers Perrin-ISR model, and related empirical review of schooling, parents’ and teachers’ roles, and bilingualism in tertiary education. Findings contribute to both theoretical and practical domains. Theoretically, the study offers insights into the relationship between early language exposure and subsequent language acquisition. The outcomes inform EFL teaching methods, curriculum design, and language policy initiatives in multilingual societies like Lebanon.

Exploring the Impact of Bilingualism in Early Life on Foreign Language Learning for University Students in Lebanon - Analytics: Part II

This study, part of two, analyzes how growing up in a bilingual or multilingual environment impacts foreign language learning abilities, focusing on Lebanese university students. A quantitative, deductive, and positivist approach is used. The sample of 153 Lebanese university students with different majors was selected purposively and conveniently based on the students' free will participation. A survey of four sections was used. It includes knowledge questions addressing different sets of attitudinal statements characterizing the students’ and their parents’ status, home habits, background, and practices of the English language; the attitude of students toward the English language along the three dimensions of Towers-Perrin’s ISR model; the family’s attachment to books, and demographics of the participants and their parents. Questions and statements were dyadic, multiple choice, and four- and five-level Likert scales. Collected data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 26.0 package. Data analysis used descriptive, factor, and linear regression analyses. This paper, part 2 of 2, provides the detailed quantitative analysis necessary to test the hypothesized research questions, review the proposed conceptual framework, and create a statistically revised framework. Results show the persistence and statistically supported Towers Perrin’s ISR model as a significant contributor to students’ motivation to learn a foreign language and improve performance. Most variables in the framework were statistically insignificant whereby the corresponding null hypotheses H01, H02, H03, H04, and H09, were accepted (i.e., unrelated variables) and null hypotheses H05, H06, H07, and H08 were rejected (i.e., related variables). Other determinants were explored and the resultant regression model affirmed this paper’s objective, i.e., bilingual students were motivated to learn a foreign language. Also, the students were encouraged by their bilingual parents who read to them at a young age. Findings contribute to theoretical and practical domains. Theoretically, the study offers insights into the relationship between early language exposure and subsequent language acquisition. The outcomes inform EFL teaching methods, curriculum design, and language policy initiatives in multilingual societies like Lebanon and others.

Применение цифровых инструментов обработки естественного языка для оптимизации подготовки учителя-предметника в полилингвальной образовательной среде

The aim of the research is to automate the analysis process of the most common grammatical forms and syntactic structures of a foreign or second language to optimize the content and acquisition of English language programs in the training of future Mathematics teachers for professional activities in a multilingual educational environment. The paper theoretically justifies the necessity of a comprehensive frequency analysis of language structures. Software tools for natural language processing (the Python programming language and the spaCy library) were developed, which were subsequently applied in the course “Methods of Mathematical Data Processing” to identify the most frequent grammatical forms and syntactic structures characteristic of the English language of Mathematics. Based on the data obtained, methodological recommendations were formulated for the content and outcomes of English language programs for future Mathematics teachers in a multilingual educational environment. The scientific novelty of the research lies in using digital natural language processing (NLP) tools for a quantitative and statistical analysis of language data, necessary for the development of methodological recommendations for the content and outcomes of foreign/second language programs for subject teacher training. As a result of the research, it was found that digital natural language processing tools can be used to improve the language training of subject teachers in a multilingual educational environment.

Using vignettes to understand the social-emotional experiences of three-year-olds in diverse language contexts

In this article, we report on the educational experiences of young Afrikaans mother tongue South African children who are exposed to multilingual learning environments during their preschool years. We carried out phenomenological research using a vignette research design that provided observational, co-experiential data of the lived experiences of three-year-old boys as they engaged with formal and informal learning. We controlled vignette data that had been collected through observations, written teacher validation, and face-to-face interviews against existing literature to provide in-depth insights into the participants' different experiences of and within their learning environments. Findings indicate specific areas in which young children may need additional support in multilingual learning environments, in terms of 1) social-emotional security experienced in the learning environment, 2) intentional development of empathy for peers, 3) independence and initiative taking in informal settings, and 4) interactive communication. Although we focused on a South African context, these findings may inform future interventions to support children in multilingual language environments in their early years.

Translanguaging approaches and perceptions of Iranian EGP teachers in bi/multilingual educational spaces: a qualitative inquiry

PurposeThis study aims to analyze translanguaging practices and beliefs of Iranian English for General Purposes (EGP) teachers and find discrepancies between the practice and perception of educators in bi/multilingual species in Iranian educational settings.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved interviewing ten teachers and observing six of their sessions, which yielded qualitative data.FindingsThe results showed that the participating teachers produced recurring themes such as the significance and limitations of translanguaging, techniques for training multilingual learners and the restrictions imposed by policies that discourage the use of L1 in language institutes in Iran. A noteworthy observation made in this investigation was that educators who possessed competency in three or more languages exhibited greater endorsement of translanguaging in both their perceptions and practices.Practical implicationsThis study has significant implications for instructors, teacher trainers and policymakers operating within multilingual environments. It serves as a pioneering study that invites a productive synergy between Western and Asian researchers in exploring bi/multilingual spaces within Asian educational contexts.Originality/valueThis study brings a fresh perspective to the current body of research on teacher agency in bi/multilingual educational settings. By utilizing qualitative methods, it offers unique and original insights. Particularly noteworthy is the discovery that educators who are proficient in three or more languages are more inclined to support translanguaging. This observation adds a distinctive understanding of translanguaging in language education. It opens up new possibilities for exploring the application and efficacy of the translanguaging approach in Asian bi/multilingual spaces in education.

Comprehensive approaches, materials, and evaluations of TEFL along with the manifestation of multilingual competencies’ challenges from the perspective of public and private universities of Bangladesh

: Language is the one of the important mediums of expressing thoughts. It has the power to create tremendous revolution, devastating confliction as well as fruitful solution. Due to the blessings of language; social, cultural and regional gap has also been reduced. Years after years, we are habituated with the habit of viewing English Language teaching from one or two modes in our country. The fact cannot be denied that so many teachers from the public and private universities are not aware of the modified policies and materials for that reason learners are still caged at the turbulent level. It can also be highlighted that at this time multilingual environment is keeping a positive impact both socially and economically in drawing profit at many countries. Time has come to consider the issues.