A Refugee-Background Somali Bantu's Multilingual Practice in the United States: A Translanguaging Perspective

• In Event: Constructing Identities Across Language and Literacy Experiences

Abstract

Framed by translanguaging theory and multilingualism, this ethnographic case study draws on and extends a larger study to analyze the translanguaging and multilingual experiences of a refugee-background Somali Bantu after resettlement. This study explores the Somali Bantu’s multilingual and translanguaging practices, linguistic challenges in adapting to the U.S. K-12 schools, and the levels of language and literacy support provided by the schools. This study indicates that the Somali Bantu’s translanguaging and multilingual practices function as a tool for his linguistic, cultural, and educational identity construction and negotiation.

Author

• Xia Chao, Duquesne University