In an age characterized by globalization and mobility, societal dynamics across the world have experienced dramatic changes in terms of cultural and linguistic diversity. The increase in the flows of populations, discourses, and materials has been further accelerated by the technological advances. The new, digital ways that we use to communicate, interact, and manage our social relationships have led researchers to think about new ways of approaching texts, resources, and social interactions. Referring to globalization, deep transformations in society, and resulting sociolinguistic impacts, Coupland (2003) and Blommaert (2003) call for a rethinking of the ways sociolinguistics attempt to address globalization. This call has precipitated various theoretical and methodological suggestions, which have appeared in monographs, journal issues, and edited volumes (e.g., Blommaert, 2010; Coupland, 2010; de Fina & Perrino, 2013; Pennycook, 2010; Thurlow & Jaworski, 2010). However, the study of digital practices at the intersection of heterogeneity and mobility in the age of digital diversity has been minimally addressed (See Androutsopoulos & Juffermans, 2014).In an attempt to shed light on digital activities of multilingual individuals in online participatory spaces, the current study investigates the social networking site (SNS) practices of international graduate students (IGSs) who are experiencing transnational mobility. Theoretically informed by sociolinguistics and new media studies, the current interdisciplinary study analyzes multilingual students' new media literacy (NML) practices, use of semiotic resources, and digital practices of sharing transcultural content in connection with the construction and management of various aspects of their identities in contexts of superdiversity. For this purpose, the collected data, which is triangulated with an online survey, semi-structured interviews, and SNS data, is both quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. The findings show that despite having what could be considered' truncated NMLs' (i.e. having different levels of literacies), IGSs successfully interact within participatory spaces. The quantitative and qualitative results indicate that multilingual students frequently engage in linguistic and multimodal practices by mobilizing a great diversity of linguistic and multimodal resources in identity performances. Furthermore, IGSs mediate transcultural content by means of semiotic resources to negotiate their membership in various home country and host country communities. It is concluded that multilingual students form, foster and maintain transnational identities in superdiverse digital contexts by mobilizing their often 'truncated repertoires' (Blommaert, 2010), which may include semiotic tools afforded by SNSs, language resources, and NMLs. This dissertation aims to make a value-added theoretical contribution to the current thinking of online superdiversity; a methodological contribution by employing Social Network Analysis as a data collection and analysis technique; and a pedagogical contribution by proposing that 'SNS Literacies', a set of social practices that are essential for navigation and participation of learners in superdiverse networks, be explicitly addressed within educational contexts.

Superdiversity has reached the EFL classroom and consequently language acquisition’s starting point has changed from one to various native languages. EFL teachers in Sweden meet a broad spectrum of students, varying from nearly bilingual when it comes to English, to students, who have to learn both English and Swedish from scratch. Meanwhile, the Swedish school system aspires to provide all students with an equal education. In addition to the increasingly diverse student body, EFL teachers also face the dilemma of steering documents that can be perceived as favouring the traditional monolingual principle of language teaching, while at the same time EFL teachers are asked to support students’ development into plurilingualists that embrace linguistic and cultural diversity. This thesis seeks to investigate EFL teachers’ reasoning concerning linguistic diversity and inclusion methods in the EFL classroom, as a part of school practice. Furthermore, this thesis aims to give a picture of the current situation in Swedish schools and seeks to find indications of whether further training is required in order to embrace the diversity of the globalized classroom. Mixed methods are used to examine the current situation and the results are based on the answers of 35 EFL teachers in Sweden. The findings indicate that most EFL teachers rarely include students’ L1 in the EFL classroom and that the inclusion of students’ L1 is for many participants related with weaker proficiency in English. Additionally, the necessity of enhancing the benefits of translanguaging pedagogy for all students, and consequently further education for EFL teachers can be identified, because the very important aspect of identity that matters when it comes to school success has hardly been considered.

Globalization and sociopolitical factors impact migration patterns all over the world. In Puerto Rico, these factors created superdiverse environments where languages users have pushed the boundaries of language in order to make sense of their worlds. Even though this language dynamic is natural for locals, it is those who visit from different countries, specifically international graduate students, that have a difficult time adjusting to Puerto Rico’s rich use of English and Spanish. Understanding how international graduate students perceive the language used at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez (UPRM) upon arrival is essential to provide a better experience for future students. As of this writing, this study is the first to investigate the language perceptions of incoming international graduate students at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. This descriptive exploratory case study explores language perceptions of first semester international graduate students with an assistantship. I interviewed 3 first-semester students at a large, public, research university, located on the west coast of Puerto Rico. I carried out two semi-structured individual interviews and one semi-structure focus group interview. I employed data triangulation and member checked to ensure validity and trustworthiness of data. Study findings reveal that participants did not initially perceive English as being the main language of use during their graduate studies. Participants mentioned struggles throughout their semester due to the heavy presence of English in their coursework and assistantship. Participants suggested that the university should provide more English language support to ensure the success of incoming international students. In this study, I addressed gaps on translanguaging at superdiverse universities, and international teaching assistants’ perceptions of language at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus. Based on the findings, I offer English course suggestions to enhance academic and professional opportunities for international students at UPRM.

Since the publication 20 years ago of reports, which identified parallel living between diverse communities in northern towns, including Bradford, there has been increasing concern about how difference can be accommodated alongside commitment to a collaborative, national enterprise. I examine this conundrum, with the assistance of a cohort of 18 people whose families hail from India and Pakistan, from the perspective of the Council of Europe’s recognition of the duty of the immigrant to integrate. I do this by considering how a sense of ethnic social group identity may constrain meaningful engagement in wider society. Framing this sense of ethnic social group identity is distance of the heart, the term coined by one of the cohort to explain ongoing emotional ties to homeland, long after migration, which have the potential to distract from total commitment to society here. My primary question was: what factors, inherent in ethnic social group identity, and elaborated by the term distance of the heart, may have shaped the experience of integration of Asian communities in Bradford? My secondary research questions explore how sense of belonging and home, parallel living, religion, heritage language usage, cultural endogamy, and caste and clan allegiances may impact integration. Utilising a critical realist approach I identify factors, or mechanisms, underpinning ethnic social group identity, which help to sustain minority exclusivity and result in a sense of living on the edge. However, my findings challenge assumptions about the dangers of parallel living by suggesting these can be trumped by agential choice. I found that while cohort members have a strong sense of ethnic identity, and commitment to minority community, they also engage with people from other communities and describe a British identity, which encompasses their ethnic identity. This demands a more nuanced response to parallel living, which treats it as a characteristic of, rather than a barrier to, cohesion.

Cette recherche doctorale examine le lien entre l’apprentissage d’une langue et la construction identitaire à travers l’expérience d’apprentissage du français de quatre hongkongaises. L’étude adopte la perspective post-structuraliste de l’identité (Norton, 2000; Bucholtz & Hall, 2005). Selon cette perspective, l’apprentissage d’une langue est considéré sous l’angle d’un procédé de construction identitaire qui reflète « le désir des apprenants d’étendre la gamme de leurs identités et d’accéder à des environnements plus larges » (Pavlenko & Norton, 2007, 670). En utilisant une méthodologie de type « narrative inquiry » (Clandinin & Connelly 2000) que l’on pourrait qualifier d’« étude de récits de vie par enquêtes approfondies », l’étude met en lumière l’expérience individuelle ainsi que les différents aspects de l’apprentissage de langues à l’ère de la « superdiversité » (Vertovec, 2007). A partir d’un corpus composé en partie d’entretiens approfondis et de « language learner histories » (Mercer, 2013), cette étude a pour but d’illustrer que même les langues « minoritaires » (tel que le français à Hong Kong) ont un rôle à jouer en terme de construction identitaire. Les quatre participantes ont toutes appris le français dans un cadre institutionnel mais elles ont aussi développé leur intérêt pour cette langue au cours de leur expérience professionnelle ainsi qu’en voyageant voyages ou au cours de leurs activités en ligne. L’étude montre le côté unique et personnel de l’expérience d’apprentissage de langues et met en avant différents aspects de cette expérience et sa signification en terme de construction identitaire en faisant valoir que ces aspects sont souvent négligés en didactique des langues. Ce qui ressort de cette étude est que, premièrement, apprendre une langue « minoritaire » joue un rôle important dans la construction indentitaire en dépit d’un niveau de maîtrise linguistique qui, conventionnellement, serait jugé limitée. Deuxièmement, l’étude montre que le développement de la connaissance interculturelle incite à réfléchir à son environnement culturel, ce qui agit sur l’identité. En conclusion, l’étude souligne le besoin de prendre en compte la « diversité ou multidimensionalité » des apprenants de langues dans les dispositifs d’apprentissage de langues (voir Byrd Clark, 2010) ainsi que le phénomène de de-territorialisation des langues à l’ère de la superdiversité (Jacquemet, 2005). Les notions pédagogiques de ce qu’est et représente une langue doivent être également être repensées et réfléter la créativité et la diversité des pratiques langagières des personnes multilingues, ce qui amène aussi à repenser la notion de compétence en langues. L’étude offre donc des pistes méthodologiques, théoriques et pédagogiques / This doctoral research examines the relationship between language learning and identity construction, focusing on four Hong Kong adults and their experiences of learning French. The study adopts a poststructuralist perspective on identity (Norton, 2000; Bucholtz & Hall, 2005). From this perspective, language learning is a process of identity construction which reflects ‘the desire of learners to expand their range of identities and to reach out to wider worlds’ (Pavlenko & Norton, 2007, 670). Using a narrative methodology known as ‘narrative inquiry’ (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000), the study highlights the personal experiences of learners and illustrates various aspects of language learning in the age of ‘superdiversity’ (Vertovec, 2007). Using data gathered from a range of sources including in-depth interviews and language learner histories, this inquiry aims to illustrate how even ‘minor’ languages (such as French in Hong Kong) can be significant in terms of identity. The four participants investigated in this study have all studied French in formal settings, but their engagement with French has also developed through workplace and travel experiences, as well as through online interaction. The study was able to highlight the unique and personal experiences of learners and illustrates various aspects of language learning and their significance for learner identity, aspects that are often overlooked from a conventional language didactic perspective. Two major findings are that, firstly, learning ‘minor’ languages can play a significant role in learner identities despite limited levels of conventional proficiency. Secondly, the process of language learning is revealed as being one of growing intercultural awareness, an awareness that is brought to bear upon the learner’s own cultural environment and also has relevance for identity. The study concludes by highlighting the need to acknowledge the ‘diversity or multidimensionality’ of language learners in curriculum and language classrooms (e.g. Byrd Clark, 2010) as well as an increased de-territorialisation of language under conditions of superdiversity (Jacquemet, 2005). Also, pedagogical notions of language and languages need to be reconceptualised to reflect the creative, diverse and complex language repertoires of language of multilingual learners and speakers, which means rethinking the notion of language competence. The study thus offers orientations for methodology, theory and pedagogy

Abstract I study language discourses of Japan Finns: the ways they talk about languages. This research is a part of the language-in-motion studies. Informants are native Finns who are born in Finland and have moved to Japan. There are 14 informants in this study, and the recorded data consists of fourteen interviews and seven pair conversations. The amount of data is about 24 hours altogether. Firstly, the aim is to find out what kind of roles and meanings informants give to Finnish, Japanese and English respectively. In other words, what kind of language discourses they construct. Secondly, I study, whether corpus assisted discourse analysis is suitable for analyzing Finnish spoken data. In the context of globalization, languages are no longer tightly connected to time and space but they move along with people. Globalization changes views about languages and multilingualism, hence new concepts are needed to describe them. I observe language discourses in the context of globalization as well as in the social and language ideological context of Japan. Discourses construct reality and I understand them as social and shared entities. In the analysis, corpus methods and discourse analysis are combined: clusters and semantic preference help me to detect how discourses consist of linguistic features. Cluster analysis reveals different roles of languages. Finnish is a language of identity, Japanese is described as a skill and English as a tool. Clusters create contrasts, voices and estrangements, that tell about relations between languages and speakers’ relationship with a language. Semantic preference shows, how language choices and language identity are context bound. Possibility of change is seen in discourses, though self-expression and emotions and importance of language are preserved in migration. / Tiivistelmä Tutkin väitöskirjassani japaninsuomalaisten kielidiskursseja eli kielistä puhumisen tapoja. Työni on osa liikkuvuuden sosiolingvistiikkaa käsittelevää tutkimusta. Informanttini ovat Suomessa syntyneitä ja Japaniin muuttaneita suomalaisia. Aineistona on 14 haastattelua ja 7 parikeskustelua eli yhteensä noin 24 tuntia nauhoitetta. Selvitän ensinnäkin, millaisia tehtäviä ja merkityksiä informantit antavat kielille – suomelle, japanille ja englannille – eli millaisia kielidiskursseja he rakentavat. Toiseksi tarkastelen, miten puhutun suomenkielisen aineiston korpusavusteinen analyysi toimii ja millaisen kuvan se antaa kielidiskursseista. Kielet eivät globalisaation myötä ole aikaan ja paikkaan sidottuja vaan liikkuvat ihmisten mukana. Globalisaatio muuttaa käsitystä kielistä ja monikielisyydestä, joten nykyistä monikielisyyttä luonnehtimaan tarvitaan uusia käsitteitä. Tarkastelen informanttieni kielidiskursseja paitsi globalisaation näkökulmasta myös Japanin yhteiskunnallisessa ja kieli-ideologisessa kontekstissa. Diskurssinäkemykseni pohjautuu siihen näkökulmaan, että kieli rakentaa todellisuutta, ja näen diskurssit sosiaalisina ja jaettuina. Menetelmäni on diskursseja ja korpustutkimusta yhdistävä: klustereiden ja semanttisen preferenssin avulla hahmotan, mistä lingvistisistä osista diskurssit koostuvat. Klusterianalyysi paljastaa kielten työnjakoja. Suomi on identiteetin kieli, mutta japanista puhutaan kielitaidon ja englannista välineellisyyden kautta. Klustereissa luodaan kontrasteja, ääniä ja etäännytyksiä, jotka kertovat kielten välisistä suhteista sekä puhujan suhteesta kieliin. Semanttisen preferenssin analyysissa näkyy kielivalintojen ja -identiteettien kontekstisidonnaisuus. Diskursseissa on läsnä muutoksen mahdollisuus, mutta itseilmaisu, tunteet ja kielen merkitys säilyvät siirtolaisuudessa.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-01-15T13:28:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 marinasilvamaximiano.pdf: 1968362 bytes, checksum: 0854a3c6f31026104f52cfad32f01923 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-01-25T17:39:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 marinasilvamaximiano.pdf: 1968362 bytes, checksum: 0854a3c6f31026104f52cfad32f01923 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-25T17:39:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 marinasilvamaximiano.pdf: 1968362 bytes, checksum: 0854a3c6f31026104f52cfad32f01923 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-08 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Este é um trabalho de natureza qualitativa e interpretativa, de cunho etnográfico, cujo foco se concentra nos discursos de indivíduos envolvidos no ambiente escolar – alunos, professores, gestores e funcionários – de duas escolas da cidade de Juiz de Fora/MG, uma municipal, José Calil Ahouagi, na qual a pesquisadora atuou em um projeto de iniciação científica intitulado Ensino de línguas para crianças na escola pública: abordagem CLIL, e outra estadual, Delfim Moreira (Grupo Central), na qual a pesquisadora atua como professora de inglês desde 2013. São analisados discursos direta ou indiretamente ligados ao ensino de inglês na rede pública, os quais foram registrados em entrevistas e em notas expandidas da professora-pesquisadora. Os objetivos deste estudo consistem em: a) reconhecer nessas falas marcas de Discursos (relacionados às crenças) construídos a partir das interações sociais; b) observar de que maneira esses Discursos reconhecidos influenciam ou não o processo de ensino-aprendizagem de inglês; c) e, consequentemente, pensar em uma possível proposta que contribua para a melhoria desse processo. Para o cumprimento de tais objetivos, esta pesquisa tem como base o seguinte aporte teórico: a Análise do Discurso segundo Gee (1999); a noção de superdiversidade, referente à conexão mundial entre diferentes línguas, culturas e territórios, principalmente a partir de tecnologias da comunicação e da crescente mobilidade das pessoas pelo mundo (VERTOVEC, 2006); a educação bilíngue como forma de educar crianças no século XXI (GARCÍA, 2008). Podemos compreender, através deste trabalho, que o que as pessoas dizem sobre determinado assunto, muitas vezes, não se trata de uma opinião individual, mas de um pensamento construído socialmente, o que interfere nas maneiras de pensar e agir de grupos de pessoas. Assim, os Discursos relacionados ao ensino de inglês na escola pública também se tornam, de certa forma, responsáveis pelo modo como ele se estabelce. / This is a qualitative and interpretative work of ethnographic nature, which focuses on analyzing discourses of individual involved in the school environment – students, teachers, school managers, and functionaries – of two schools of the city of Juiz de Fora/MG, a municipal one, “José Calil Ahouagi”, in which the researcher acted in a scientific research project called Ensino de línguas para crianças na escola pública: abordagem CLIL (Foreign language teaching for children in a public school: CLIL approach), and a state one, “Delfim Moreira” (also known as “Central”), in which the researcher acts as an English teacher since 2013. Discourses directly or indirectly linked to English teaching in public education were registered in interviews and expanded field notes by the teacher-researcher and will be analyzed in this work. The aims of this research consist in: a) recognizing in the speeches traces of Discourses (related to beliefs) built through social relationships; b) observing how these recognized Discourses influence or not the process of learning and teaching of English; c) and, consequently, thinking about a possible proposal that could contribute for the improvement of this process. For accomplishing these aims, this work counts basically on this theoretical approach: Discourse Analysis according to Gee (1999); the notion of superdiversity, which refers to the worldwide connection among different languages, cultures and territories, mainly through technology of communication and the increasing mobility of people throughout the world (VERTOVEC, 2006); bilingual education as a way of educating children in this twentieth century (GARCÍA, 2008). We can understand through this research that what people say about a subject sometimes is not only an individual opinion, but a thought socially built, and it interferes in the manner groups of people think and act. So, the Discourses related to English teaching in public schools also become, somehow, responsible for the way it is established.

Denna studie utgår från perspektivet att alla elever i den svenska gymnasieskolan på ett eller annat sätt är flerspråkiga. Den virtuella kontexten och globalisering har bidragit till att ungdomar i gymnasieåldern möter och engagerar sig i sociala kontexter där engelskan fyller ett viktigt kommunikativt syfte. Det teoretiska underlaget för studien är sociolingvistisksuperdiversitet vilket är en vidareutveckling av Vertovecs (2007) teori om hur migration påverkar och utvecklar språket. Data samlades in genom en videoinspelning omfattande ungefär två timmar när deltagarna spelade spelet It Takes Two, ett co-op spel som bygger påatt spelarna samarbetar. Data bearbetades via en teoridriven innehållsanalys som fokuserade på att identifiera och analysera funktionen av engelska i kommunikationen mellan två svensktalande personer. Resultatet av studien visar att kommunikationen sker genom ett transspråkande där deltagarna fritt varierar och blandar och använder sig av alla sina tillgängliga språkliga resurser. Detta resultat är viktigt för driva frågan om språkundervisning enbart ska drivas på målspråket. Digitaliseringen och globaliseringen har bidragit till att engelskan blir ett allt mer vardagligt språk för elever i 2020-talets svenska skola. Detta är en resurs som skolan inte tillvaratar. På så vis måste frågan lyftas om vilket språk som ska tillåtas i svenskundervisningen då språkanvändarna fortsatt, som alltid, skapar språket som de behöver. / Tämän tutkimuksen perustana toimii näkökulma, jonka mukaan jokainen ruotsalainen lukiolainen on tavalla tai toisella monikielinen. Tutkimus perustuu teoreettiseen käsitteeseen sosiolingvistinen superdiversiteetti, joka on jatko Vertovecin (2007) teoriaan siitä miten muuttoliike vaikuttaa ja kehittää kieltä. Tiedot kerättiin noin kaksi tuntia kestävän videotallenteen kautta, jossa osallistujat pelasivat yhteistyöhön perustuvaa ja vaativaa videopeliä It Takes Two. Tietoja käsiteltiin teorialähtöisellä sisältöanalyysillä, joka keskittyi tunnistamaan ja analysoimaan englannin kielen käyttöä kahden ruotsinkielisen lukiolaisenvälisessä viestinnässä. Tutkimuksen tulokset viittaavat siihen, että englannin kielen käyttö on suuri osa kommunikaatiota. Se joka tulee esiin limittäiskielisyydessä jossa osallistujat vapaasti vaihtelevat ja sekoittavat kieliä, ja käyttävät kaikkia saatavilla olevia kieliresurssejaan kommunikoidakseen. Tämän tutkimuksen tulos kyseenalaistaa näkemyksen, jonka mukaan kielenopetus pitäisi aina tehdä kohdekielellä. Yhteiskunnan digitalisoituminen ja globalisoitumen on johtanut siihen, että englannin kieli on tullut oppilaille enemmän ja enemmän arkikäyttöön 2020-luvun koulussa Ruotsissa. Tämä on resurssi, jota koulu ei hyödynnä. On siis nostettava esiin kysymys siitä, kieli pitäisi sallia ruotsin äitinkielenopetuksessa, kun kielenkäyttäjät jatkavat tarvitsemansa kielen luomista myös jatkossa. / This study is based on the perspective that each student attending the Swedish upper-secondary education is bilingual. This bilingualism stems from the fact that young in the digitalized world of the 2020s spend more time in social activities, such as videogames, or other forms of media with English as the primary language. Based on the theoretical framework of sociolinguistic superdiversity which is an evolution of the theory first introduced by Vertovec in 2007. Data was collected through a two-hour-long video recording when the participants played the video game It Takes Two, a co-op game that requires cooperation and teamwork to progress. The data were analyzed through theory-driven content analysis which focused on identifying and analyzing the function of English in communication between two Swedish-speaking students. The results suggest that the use of English constitutes a large part of the communication, this takes its form through translanguaging as the participants used all of their available linguistic resources to create meaning. The result of this study challenges the view that language education should always be conducted in the target language. In the digitalized and globalized society of the 21st century, the use of English is becoming more widespread and is already an integral part of most students’ everyday vocabulary. Therefore, it is important to question the current, mostly negative, views on translanguaging in first language education (L1 education).

No description available.