Multilingual Margins: A journal of multilingualism from the periphery

The Sociolinguistic Consumption of K-pop

Nora Samosir — 2022-11-08

The notion of sociolinguistic consumption distinguishes between the direct consumption of languages as denotational codes and the indirect consumption of linguistic repertoires that result from engaging in various activities. Since consumption as identity construction means gaining membership into a community of like-minded others, this raises the question of what the presence of these others might mean for the indirect consumption of linguistic repertoires as well as whether initial interest in one activity might lead to interest in yet other activities in a kind of chain consumption, thus further expanding the linguistic repertoire. This paper shows that K-pop presents us with just such scenarios. It makes the following three points. One, experienced consumers of K-pop provide translations and glossaries of key terms for newer K-pop fans, serving as language brokers. Two, interest in K-pop can lead to interest in other aspects of Korean culture, indicating the need to recognize that consumption can foster an anthropological stance. Finally, the indirect consumption of linguistic repertoires can, in turn, lead to the direct consumption of denotational codes, with implications for the roles of identity and investment in language learning.

We look past that’: Linguistic repertoires and ideologies of Business Studies teachers at a South African High School

Marcelyn Oostendorp — 2022-11-08

This paper reports on the linguistic repertoires and language ideologies of a small group of Business Studies teachers at a high school in Cape Town, South Africa. Using language portraits and focus group interviews to collect data, we found through a thematic analysis that teachers talked about their own repertoires as performative, playful, and innovative. By contrast, the repertoires of their students are not described in the same manner. Instead, the teachers either erase big parts of their students’ linguistic repertoires or see “accents” and African languages as deficient. African languages are seen as not suitable to use as a language of teaching and learning and is constructed as hampering rather than facilitating educational progress. We use the notion of chronotope to explain how the school as an institution shapes the different narratives evoked around repertoires. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for teacher pedagogy.

Multilingualism and Indigenous School Education in Brazil: past, present and future challenges

Carolina Miranda de Oliveira — 2022-11-08

In Brazil, only with the Federal Constitution of 1988 is indigenous peoples guaranteed the right to use their languages and cultures. However, since colonization, many languages have disappeared. The number of speakers of these languages has decreased, and different stages and language policies have promoted the Portuguese language at the expense of indigenous languages. All these factors to different sociolinguistic situations, current challenges in language teaching and learning, as scenarios of monolingualism in an indigenous language, continuum bilingualism, and non-speaking communities of an indigenous language. However, with revitalization, actions occur in the Brazilian context. We resorted to assumptions derived from studies on multilingualism, language policy, and language pedagogies. Based on these assumptions, this article aims to reflect on the moments and movements of indigenous school education and language policies in Brazil’s multilingual and multicultural country. This study is qualitative interpretive research based on a literature review in an integrative approach of theoretical perspectives concerned with the topic.

Decoloniality, language and literacy: conversations with teacher educators Edited by Carolyn Mckinney and Pam Christie

Amy Hiss — 2023-01-19

The book offers a view on the role of teacher educators as transformation agents of language and literacy practices in South African classrooms and PGCE/teaching programmes. The book explores the way in which the authors themselves as teacher educators/facilitators and researchers show how multilingualism and multiliteracies can be curated by working with different modalities and exposure to different school spaces across the economic spectrum in South Africa. The book offers a view on how teacher educators and pre- service teachers can build collaborative relationships with each other in developing creative ways in which their own positioning and knowledge aid in developing linguistically rich learning environments, breaking down the status quo of coloniality in education. Through the perspective of ‘third’ spaces (Guiterrez, 2008) the authors demonstrate ways in which pluriversality (Mignolo, 2013) can emerge through collaborative language practices in the classroom, which by and large paves the way for decolonised education in South Africa.