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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 23, No. 0, pp.818-838
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 30 Jan 2023
Received 05 Aug 2023 Revised 07 Oct 2023 Accepted 15 Oct 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.23..202310.818

Translingualism and its Transformative Potential: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Jung Sook Kim
Assistant Professor, Dept. of English Language and Literature Cheongju University jskim8015@cju.ac.kr


© 2023 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Translingualism has gained recognition as people begin to appreciate the value of multilingualism and linguistic diversity. It celebrates multilingual individuals’ diverse linguistic and semiotic repertoires while challenging monolingualism and standard language ideology. Numerous studies are being conducted on translingualism. However, their significance could be limited without proper integration. This article conducts a qualitative meta-synthesis review of the literature on translingualism to integrate key theoretical orientations and concerns emerging from translingual practices across diverse contexts. The goal is to offer novel interpretations that can deepen our understanding of translingualism and its transformative potential. The findings suggest that translingualism as an ideological stance can serve as both a critical intellectual movement and linguistic activism to raise awareness of restrictive language ideologies. Translingualism also brings about an epistemological shift in language studies towards a more holistic understanding of the linguistic repertoire, expanding to trans-semiotics. Translingualism provides substantive pedagogical potential for creating a more inclusive climate in education and broader society. However, practical issues need to be addressed to implement translingual pedagogy successfully. These include designing effective teaching methods and strategies, developing appropriate assessment techniques, preparing teachers adequately, and overcoming stakeholders’ reluctance to accept translingual practices as valid norms.

Keywords:

translingualism, translanguaging, trans-literacies, trans-semiotic repertoire, language ideology

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea/ the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2021S1A5A8073225)

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