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Language and Multilingualism

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Multilingualism as a Resource and a Goal

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Abstract

The chapter explains the way in which language has traditionally been understood and how this understanding is increasingly being challenged by an emphasis on speakers—rather than discrete languages—and on the significance of hierarchies and power structures. Translanguaging as an emerging theory of language is highlighted in the chapter because it focuses on what speakers do with language(s). Theoretical considerations will be specifically grounded in stakeholders’ cross-curricular language practices. Language as a social construct and political tool, bi/multilingualism and its relationship to translanguaging will be discussed. The idea of learning language with only limited, school-based exposure, as well as the leveraging of students’ existing linguistic resources, will also be addressed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Marianne Turner

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  1. Marianne Turner
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Turner, M. (2019). Language and Multilingualism. In: Multilingualism as a Resource and a Goal. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21591-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21591-0_2

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-21590-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-21591-0

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