Making Sense of Doble Sentido: A Translanguaging Perspective on the Verbal Creativity of Emergent Bilingual Students

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Pedagogical Practices (Table 13)

Abstract

In line with AERA’s 2023 call to search new modalities and sites for scholarly focus, I draw attention to the locus of linguistic humor created by minoritized Latin@ elementary students. This study exhibits the verbal aptitudes of 3rd-grade Latin@ emergent bilingual students and their implementation of doble sentido, or wordplay, within and across named languages to engage around the site of humor. By employing ethnographic methods to deepen the understanding of how these students generated, participated in, and mobilized their linguistic resources, I captured their ingenious usage of polysemous and homophonous intra- and interlanguage abilities through mirthful interactions. Employing a translanguaging framework, I aim to render visible the innovative and affiliative language skills of these emergent bilingual students.

Author

• Mitch Ingram, Texas State University
  Presenting Author