Translanguaging views multilingualism as a single integrated repertoire rather than separate languages
In short: Researchers who examined two bilingual students found that their teachers viewed each student's languages as separate, incomplete systems rather than one connected whole. Drawing on this qualitative analysis, the authors argue that treating a student's full range of language and communication as a single repertoire, rather than two incomplete ones, is linked to a less deficit-based view of multilingual learners.
The analysis draws on two detailed case studies to show how separating a bilingual student's languages into distinct, 'incomplete' systems can obscure what they can actually do with language. Weaving the student's full linguistic repertoire together instead, the authors argue, challenges ideologies that frame multilingual students as deficient and supports a decolonizing approach to language teaching.
Because the findings come from close qualitative observation of just two students, they illustrate a perspective rather than establish how common this pattern is across classrooms.
Why it matters: How teachers think about bilingual students' languages can shape whether they are seen as capable or deficient.
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Sources
- Source: Research: Wei and Garca (2022). Not a First Language but One Repertoire: Translanguaging as a Decolonizing Project. RELC Journal. · cc-by
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