Through analysis of a video recording of two bilingual siblings playing with rubber ducks, this article explores the concept that imaginative play can serve as a potential site for language shift. The article argues that the siblings use English as a means to 'double voice' (Bakhtin, M. M. (1981[1963]). "The Dialogic Imagination" (C.…

Examining the use of multimodal translingual practices of language learners is a promising area for the study of semiotic resources in online multimodal language learning. As such, although L1 use is theoretically established as one of the many semiotic resources to be drawn upon for meaning-making as part of learners' integrated repertoire, its…

This paper analyses how teachers and toddlers enact participation frames in bidialectal early education in Limburg, the Netherlands. Teachers' language choice is often context-bound as they use the national language, Dutch, for instruction and the regional language, Limburgish, for playful or social-emotional situations with individual children.…

This article seeks to develop Translanguaging as a theory of language and discuss the theoretical motivations behind and the added values of the concept. I contextualize Translanguaging in the linguistic realities of the 21st century, especially the fluid and dynamic practices that transcend the boundaries between named languages, language…

Code-mixing, which denotes switches between languages as well as a phenomenon reflecting grammars of both languages in interpersonal interactions simultaneously, is a universal language-contact phenomenon present in both individual bilingualism and societal bilingualism, and individual differences exist in both frequency and complexity of…

SNS (Social Networking Sites) are a ubiquitous social space for many, often involving the use of English as a lingua franca in highly multilingual and multicultural settings. This article presents an ethnographic investigation of communication among a group of international students on a popular SNS. The data illustrates the fluid and complex…

Multilingual education is mandatory in early childhood education in several European countries. Scholars working in first, second and foreign language learning have shown the effectiveness of interaction-promoting and language-modelling strategies for language development. In addition, teachers in bilingual contexts have been translanguaging to…

In spite of the increasing Korean population, there is still a paucity of studies examining emergent Korean bilingual children's dual-language development within their social contexts. In particular, no existing study has paid attention to the honorific system of Korean, which is one of the most important features in learning the Korean language.…

This paper documents a year in the life of an ESOL adult literacy teacher. It is a work of narrative inquiry, an examination of reflective teaching in action. As such, it includes commentary on the cycle of observation, reflection, research, and action. In particular, this narrative examines the relationship between literacy practice and…

Through a conversation analytic investigation of Finnish-Estonian bilingual (direct) reported speech (i.e., voicing) by Finns who live in Estonia, this study shows how code-switching is used as a double contextualization device. The code-switched voicings are shaped by the on-going interactional situation, serving its needs by opening up a context…

By extending the notion of metroethnicity, this paper proposes the notion of metrolingualism, creative linguistic practices across borders of culture, history and politics. Metrolingualism gives us a way to move beyond current terms such as "multilingualism" and "multiculturalism". It is a product of modern and often urban interaction, describing…

The aim of this paper is to account for language choice and alternation phenomena we have observed in a French complementary school classroom in Scotland. In this classroom, talk can be conducted in French (the official medium of instruction), in English (the other language in contact) and in both French and English. A critical review of the…

Considers social and psychological factors in the language choice of bilingual children and adults. Evidence is cited in two main sectons: (1) the way bilingual children use language to influence those around them, and (2) survey of the language choices made by bilingual mothers who choose to rear monolingual English children. (Author/PJM)

Argues that differences at the level of the categories of language alternation as they are observed in the literature are not mere terminological differences, but rather reflect theoretical and methodological differences. Adopts a praxis view of language, arguing that the notion of code and that of language are not necessarily equivalent.…

Examines children's procedures for dealing with simultaneous bilingual speech as it arises in multiparty play episodes. Sequential analyses of more than 10 hours of videorecorded recess activities at an English school in Sweden revealed that children use an array of methods to minimize the overlapping passage. (Author/VWL)