ERIC Number: EJ1406715
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0155-0640
EISSN: EISSN-1833-7139
A Transnational Multilingual Language Learning Journey: Examining Language Investment and the Intersectionality of Multiple Identities
Marisol Massó; Peter De Costa
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, v46 n2 p140-163 2023
This study presents the case of a multilingual refugee (Maji) of Kirundi, Swahili, French, and English, from Burundi living in the U.S., and examines the language ideologies and identities embedded in his transnational narratives. We analyze our focal participant's multi-layered transnational experiences using Darvin and Norton's (2015) model of investment that foregrounds the intersection of ideology, capital, and identity. Specifically, we center on dominant ideologies in Maji's discourse and how he negotiated his ethnic, social class, and gendered identities. Our findings revealed that Maji, who adhered to discourses that promoted the English superiority, the prestige of dialectal forms of Swahili, Spanish, and English, and English as a global commodity displayed his awareness of language hierarchies and dominance. Yet, Maji, who drew on French for meaning-making, displayed contradictory ideas by framing French as a useless language in the U.S. as compared to English. Our study sheds light on the complexity of multilinguals' identity construction and discusses pedagogical implications on how to support language minority students' multilingualism.
Descriptors: Multilingualism, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, English (Second Language), Intersectionality, Refugees, Foreign Countries, African Languages, Native Language, French, Language Usage, Language Attitudes, Social Capital, Self Concept, Cultural Capital, Spanish, Dialects, Metalinguistics, Ethnicity, Social Class, Teaching Methods, High School Students, Student Attitudes
John Benjamins Publishing Company. Klaprozenweg 105 Postbus 36224, NL-1020 ME Amsterdam, Netherlands. Tel: +31-20-6304747; Fax: +31-20-6739773; e-mail: subscription@benjamins.nl; Web site: https://www.benjamins.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Burundi; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A