This volume presents evidence about how we understand communication in
changing times, and proposes that such understandings may contribute to
the development of pedagogy for teaching and learning. It expands
current debates on multilingualism, asking which signs are in use and in
action, and what are their social, political, and historical
implications. The volume's starting-point is Bakhtin's 'heteroglossia',
a key concept in understanding the tensions, conflicts, and multiple
voices within, among, and between those signs. The chapters provide
illuminating accounts of language practices as they bring into play,
both in practice and in pedagogy, voices which index students'
localities, social histories, circumstances, and identities. The book
documents the performance of linguistic repertoires in an era of
profound social change caused by the shifting nature of nation-states,
increased movement of people across territories, and growing digital
communication.
"Our thinking on language and multilingualism is expanding rapidly. Up
until recently we have tended to regard languages as bounded entities,
and multilingualism has been understood as knowing more than one
language. Working with the concept of heteroglossia, researchers are
developing alternative perspectives that treat languages as sets of
resources for expressing meaning that can be drawn on by speakers in
communicatively productive ways in different contexts. These
perspectives raise fundamental questions about the myriad of ways of
knowing and using language(s). This collection brings together the
contributions of many of the key researchers in the field. It will
provide an authoritative reference point for contemporary
interpretations of 'heteroglossia' and valuable accounts of how
'translanguaging' can be explored and exploited in the fields of
education and cultural studies." Professor Constant Leung, King's
College London, UK.
"From rap and hip hop to taxi cabs, and from classrooms to interactive
online learning environments, each of the chapters in this volume
written by well-known and up-and-coming scholars provide fascinating
accounts drawing on a wide diversity of rich descriptive data collected
in heteroglossic contexts around the globe. Creese and Blackledge have
brought together a compelling collection that builds upon and expands
Bakhtin's construct of heteroglossia. These scholars help to move the
field away from the view of languages as separate bounded system by
providing detailed examples and expert analyses of the ways bilinguals
and multilinguals draw upon their linguistic repertoires for effective
and meaningful communication." Wayne E. Wright, University of Texas at
San Antonio, USA.
