Publication Date

Spring 5-6-2020

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Master of Arts in TESOL)

First Advisor

Elka Todeva

Second Advisor

Leslie Turpin

Abstract

This thesis is an attempt to contribute to the deconstruction of the monolingual myth that has dominated language attitudes and the language classroom in the U.S. for centuries. Its main proposition is that by promoting and advocating for translanguaging and trans-semiotizing in the classroom and in daily life, we can affirm the linguistic and cultural identities of students, individuals, and groups that are marginalized or oppressed by hegemonic monolingual ideologies and improve our language teaching practices. Through literature review and personal narrative, the author has endeavored to demonstrate how translanguaging offers potential solutions to some current linguistic conflicts and how monolingualism undervalues all language users, no matter the number of languages spoken. The author contends that all speakers practice translanguaging and trans-semiotizing when making meaning dialogically. Suggestions are then offered for what educators and individuals can do in the classroom and in their personal lives to incorporate and more fully embrace translingual practices and thus begin to change the linguistic narrative.

Disciplines

Applied Linguistics | Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education

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