Am I Multilingual? Or Zerolingual? Understanding Multilingual Identities Toward Translanguaging

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: (De)Coloniality of Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education (Table 4)

Abstract

Adopting a decolonizing perspective, this paper explores how multilinguals identify themselves within the context of prevailing language ideologies and monolingual policies that marginalize non-standard speakers. This research advocates translanguaging that validates the full linguistic capabilities of multilinguals, challenging traditional deficit-thinking beliefs. It critically reevaluates translanguaging as real-world language use beyond classroom contexts, reflecting the daily realities of multilingual speakers who navigate multiple languages and dialects influenced by sociocultural contexts. Ultimately, this research calls for a paradigm shift, viewing everyone as inherently capable of translingualism, navigating various linguistic registers and contexts. We are translanguagers.

Author

• Gayoung Choi, University of Nebraska - Lincoln