Willingness to Communicate, Multilingualism and Interactions in Community Contexts

Willingness to Communicate, Multilingualism and Interactions in Community Contexts
Author: Alastair Henry
Publisher: Channel View Publications
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2023-10-10
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1800411960

This book presents the findings of an in-depth qualitative longitudinal investigation into the willingness to communicate (WTC) of individuals who, through varying migration channels, left one cultural/linguistic context to make a new life in another. It examines communication behaviours and language choice in multilingual community contexts and emphasises how even the most trivial of communication events are embedded in histories of previous communication and are influenced by emotions connected with a person’s overall life situation. The book fills a gap in contemporary WTC research by examining how WTC operates in multilingual community contexts. Through the use of a complexity lens and the presentation of a revised 3D pyramid model, the authors demonstrate the dynamic nature of WTC and shed new light on processes that affect communication, migration and well-being. This book will be of interest to researchers seeking to explore individual differences using context sensitive and temporally focused designs.

Negotiating Englishes and English-speaking Identities

Negotiating Englishes and English-speaking Identities
Author: Jacqueline Aiello
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 163
Release: 2017-07-06
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1315299658

This book explores the effects of the global spread of English by reporting on a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study of the language attitudes, motivation and self-perceived English proficiency of youth in two Italian cities. Participant narratives highlight the far-reaching role that English plays on the performance and attainment of present and desired future selves, illustrate that English is understood not as singular but as plural and paradoxical, and reveal that English learners, who do not all accept the capital of ‘native’ speakers, utilize tactics to negotiate their position(s) with respect to their target language. On the one hand, by narrowing in on a specific population and drawing extensively on interview exchanges, this work provides readers with a nuanced depiction of the identities, milieu and learning experiences of English language learners in Italy. On the other hand, this level of detailed analysis gives insight into the understandings, construction of meaning and negotiations of language learners who need and want to acquire English, the global language, worldwide. Indeed, the issues and questions that are raised in this book, such as those concerning research approaches and the definitions assigned to key concepts, have profound implications on the research of English(es) today and can inform future directions in global English teaching.

Willingness to Communicate in the Chinese EFL University Classroom

Willingness to Communicate in the Chinese EFL University Classroom
Author: Jian-E Peng
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2014-02-26
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1783091576

This book presents mixed-methods research into Chinese students' willingness to communicate (WTC) in an EFL classroom context. The interrelationships between WTC and motivation, communication confidence, learner beliefs and classroom environment are examined using structural equation modelling on data collected in a large-scale survey. These results are then complemented and expanded upon in a follow-up multiple case-study that identifies six themes which account for fluctuations of WTC over time and across situations. The qualitative and quantitative data provide the grounds for the proposition of an ecological model of WTC in the Chinese EFL university classroom, which reveals that WTC is socioculturally constructed as a function of the interaction of individual and environmental factors inside and beyond the classroom walls.

The Complexity of Identity and Interaction in Language Education

The Complexity of Identity and Interaction in Language Education
Author: Nathanael Rudolph
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2020-08-07
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1788927443

This book addresses two critical calls pertaining to language education. Firstly, for attention to be paid to the transdisciplinary nature and complexity of learner identity and interaction in the classroom and secondly, for the need to attend to conceptualizations of and approaches to manifestations of (in)equity in the sociohistorical contexts in which they occur. Collectively, the chapters envision classrooms and educational institutions as sites both shaping and shaped by larger (trans)communal negotiations of being and belonging, in which individuals affirm and/or problematize essentialized and idealized nativeness and community membership. The volume, comprised of chapters contributed by a diverse array of researcher-practitioners living, working and/or studying around the globe, is intended to inform, empower and inspire stakeholders in language education to explore, potentially reimagine, and ultimately critically and practically transform, the communities in which they live, work and/or study.

Researching Language in Superdiverse Urban Contexts

Researching Language in Superdiverse Urban Contexts
Author: Clare Mar-Molinero
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2020-09-22
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 178892648X

This book contributes to understanding research approaches for studying multilingualism in the context of contemporary superdiversity, in environments that are being dramatically transformed by transnational migration and movement of peoples. It explores language in urban contexts: the city as a site for experimentation and creativity in language practices. This involves considering theoretical frameworks in which to examine these practices, but above all, it focuses on how we do, or could do, research into these language practices and their users. What methodologies are we using to understand urban linguistic contexts? What do we want to learn? The chapters explore complex and challenging situations, capturing the evolution of new forms of language practice and changing attitudes to language in the city.

Willingness to Communicate in Instructed Second Language Acquisition

Willingness to Communicate in Instructed Second Language Acquisition
Author: Anna Mystkowska-Wiertelak
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 151
Release: 2017-02-17
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1783097183

This book offers a comprehensive account of individual differences variables as well as contextual factors that impinge on second language learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC). Firstly, it adopts a macro-perspective on WTC, which entails an attempt to identify variables that are related to WTC, taking into account the specificity of the Polish higher education setting. Secondly, it embraces a micro-perspective on WTC, striving to pinpoint the individual and contextual influences on levels of WTC in the course of regularly-scheduled, naturally-occurring English classes, as well as to capture the dynamic nature of WTC during such classes. Together, these perspectives bring the reader closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying WTC in specific contexts, thereby providing a basis for recommendations for classroom practice that could translate into learners’ success. It will be of interest to second language acquisition researchers and students, as well as to methodologists and materials writers who can use the research findings to improve the practice of teaching and learning speaking in the language classroom.

Exploring Language in a Multilingual Context

Exploring Language in a Multilingual Context
Author: Bettina Migge
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 373
Release: 2013
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 0521195551

Proposing a new methodological approach to documenting languages spoken in multilingual societies, this book retraces the investigation of one unique linguistic space, the Creole varieties referred to as Takitaki in multilingual French Guiana. It illustrates how interactional sociolinguistic, anthropological linguistic, discourse analytical and quantitative sociolinguistic approaches can be integrated with structural approaches to language in order to resolve rarely discussed questions systematically (what are the outlines of the community, who is a rightful speaker, what speech should be documented) that frequently crop up in projects of language documentation in multilingual contexts. The authors argue that comprehensively documenting complex linguistic phenomena requires taking into account the views of all local social actors (native and non native speakers, institutions, linguists, non-speakers etc.), applying a range of complementary data collection and analysis methods and putting issues of ideology, variation, language contact and interaction centre stage. This book will be welcomed by researchers in sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, fieldwork studies, language documentation and language variation and change.

Language Learning and Teaching in a Multilingual World

Language Learning and Teaching in a Multilingual World
Author: Marie-Françoise Narcy-Combes
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2019-03-06
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1788922999

The majority of people around the world live in multilingual societies, and so it follows that plurilingualism should be considered normal. This book proposes a flexible and adaptive framework for designing and implementing language learning environments and tasks, which will be useful for practitioners working in classrooms where many languages are already spoken. The authors begin by presenting a state-of-the-art review of current research on language learning, language teaching and multilingual language acquisition. This is followed by a qualitative review of 37 multilingual research projects, which are treated as case studies to inform the practical guidance that constitutes the remainder of the book. The information and practical framework contained within this book will be of interest to researchers, teachers and teacher educators.

Literacy Development in A Multilingual Context

Literacy Development in A Multilingual Context
Author: Aydin Y. Durgunoglu
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2013-12-16
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135456267

During the past decades, literacy has gradually become a major concern all over the world. Though there is a great diversity in both the distribution and degree of literacy in different countries, there has been an increasing awareness of the number of illiterates and the consequences of being illiterate. However, literacy is no longer seen as a universal trait. When one focuses on culturally-sensitive accounts of reading and writing practices, the concept of literacy as a single trait does not seem very feasible. A multiplicity of literacy practices can be distinguished which are related to specific cultural contexts and associated with relations of power and ideology. As such, literacy can be seen as a lifelong context-bound set of practices in which an individual's needs vary with time and place. This volume explores the use of literacy outside the mainstream in different contexts throughout the world. It is divided into four sections. Section 1 presents an anthropological perspective--analyzing the society and the individual in a society. Section 2 presents a psychological perspective--focusing on the individuals themselves and analyzing the cognitive and affective development of young children as they acquire literacy in their first and second languages. Section 3 presents an educational perspective--highlighting the variations in educational approaches in different societies as well as the outcomes of these approaches. Section 4 summarizes the studies presented in this volume. Both theoretical issues and educational implications related to the development of literacy in two languages are discussed. An attempt is also made to open up new directions in the study of literacy development in multilingual contexts by bringing these various disciplinary perspectives together.

Communication and Sensory Loss

Communication and Sensory Loss
Author: Kathryn Crowe
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2024-08-14
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1040026184

This collection explores communication differences in individuals with sensory impairment/loss relevant to health and education students and professionals. Children and adults with hearing, vision, and dual sensory impairment/ loss may experience differences and/or difficulties with communication. This book goes beyond describing sensory loss to encourage readers to think about sensory loss and communication as part of a biopsychosocial view of health and the intersecting identities of the clients and families that they service. The book takes a strengths-based, evidence-informed approach and utilises the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization (WHO). Each chapter focuses on either children or adults with hearing, vision, dual sensory impairment/loss, or sensory loss and complex communication needs. Each chapter introduces the group described in the chapter and issues around appropriate use of terminology, followed by a discussion of the sensory impairment/loss and communication needs considered within each component of the ICF. Chapters conclude with case studies highlighting cultural and linguistic diversity, high-resourced and low- resourced contexts, and intersecting identities in which the framework of the ICF is applied. This book is a valuable resource for scholars, educators, and clinicians interested in evidence-based practices to support their work with individuals experiencing sensory loss.