Original title: Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language
TranslanguagingA way of understanding multilingual communication that crosses the boundaries between named languages and other ways of making meaning. is a way to describe how multilingual people communicate across the boundaries of named languages. They may also use gestures and other ways of sensing and expressing meaning. The article develops this idea as a theory of language and links it to questions about how language relates to thought and the mind. It also introduces Translanguaging SpaceA concept the article uses to connect multilingual communication with the social settings where it happens. and Translanguaging Instinct to connect social and mental explanations.
Imagine telling a friend what happened at school while walking home. You use words, point toward the place it happened, and change your voice to show what mattered. It can be hard to describe that story as if only the words counted. In this paper, those different ways of making meaning work together, much as they do in multilingual communication.
For multilingual people, communication may draw on more than named languages: it can include gestures and other ways of sensing and expressing meaning. Treating these practices as connected could help researchers and educators understand how language works in everyday social life.
The abstract describes a theoretical article, but does not report empirical tests or evidence that settles the debates about language, thought, or the mind. It also does not explain in detail how Translanguaging Space and Translanguaging Instinct are defined or applied.
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Translanguaging as a Practical Theory of Language — Li Wei — Applied Linguistics — doi:10.1093/applin/amx039
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.