Playing by Ear: Exploring Culturally Grounded Translingual Dispositions

• In Event: Exploring Critically and Socially Just Ways Forward in Language Education Through Collective Self-Study

Abstract

Objectives
This paper presents “culturally grounded translingual disposition” as a theoretical framework, which emerged from a conversation between the two authors about contact zones (Pratt, 1991), translingual disposition (Lee & Jenks, 2016), and theorizations of lived experiences. By making translingual dispositions explicit, the authors sought to develop a framework that would give tools to other scholars who have struggled to enter academic conversations.
Perspectives
The two authors of this paper explored how operating within a contact zone emphasized and promoted the "linguistics of contact" (Pratt, 1991, p. 29) where shared ways and tools for communicating were developed. The authors recognized in their experiences the emergence of tools within various educational contexts that allowed them to interact successfully. This exploration of past experiences and shifting identities revealed ways their communicative repertoires have been sustained while claiming their “translingual dispositions” (Lee & Jenks, 2016) in culturally grounded ways.
Mode of Inquiry
This paper explores the experiences of both authors as Mexican and Brazilian nationals in the U.S. academic context through their respective lenses termed as lírico and jogo de cintura. They build on the analysis of their teaching and learning experiences in the U.S. Their analysis traces back to previous experiences before arriving to the U.S., recognizes their shifting identities and roles in education, and provides space to understand and value students’ backgrounds and roles.
Substantiated Conclusions
Author 1, using his cultural background, reflected on the notion of acting líricamente. The word lírico is defined by the Real Academia de la Lengua Española as “anything belonging or relative to the lire, or in reference to anything appropriated for singing or lyrics.” This adjective may then describe a poet whose verses can be adapted for singing or it may refer to a literary piece with lyrical features also adapted for singing. The connotation has evolved to refer to a person who can tune in, perceive rhythms and respond accordingly, and thus enacts the spirit of music even though such person may have varying degrees to no formal musical training. Following the idea of lírico, Author 2 came across the Brazilian expression jogo de cintura. Literally meaning “waist game” or “waist play,” it refers to the capacity of being aware and flexible to best adapt to delicate situations or challenges, such as listening to an unknown song or rhythm attentively and having enough jogo de cintura to dance according to the music being played. Both authors explore their experiences through the lenses of líricamente and jogo de cintura.
Scholarly Significance
The authors of this paper recognize scholarly constructs such as translingual disposition in their own lived experiences, and name them in culturally grounded ways. They suggest this exploration can empower students who see themselves disconnected from their academic contexts, and provide examples that would position formal and informal ways of knowing in conversation. This paper is an invitation to scholars who may have not entered through all the formal channels but who demonstrate a spirit of scholarship that harmonizes with their surroundings.

Authors

• Abraham Ceballos, Michigan State University

• Maíra Lins Prado, Suffolk University