Code Choice

The ability to use language is unique from one individual to another. Learners, like many other people, use language to express their feelings, desires and thoughts, but most of all to learn. Classrooms normally consist of learners from different language backgrounds and, therefore, what is happening in the classroom in terms of language used for learning requires rethinking. Interaction in the classroom could maximise the outcomes of learning if the language issue is approached in a manner that confirms the importance of each learner's language. This article explores the extent to which the use of a single code becomes a source of stress in a classroom that is multilingual. It argues that a multingual approach in the learning process can promote learner autonomy in the classroom. The multilingual approach I refer to in this article also affords learners the opportunity to realise the goals of learning and makes it possible for critical intercultural connections amongst learners.

There are documented variations in how, when, and the extent to which Norwegian English subject teachers use and allow the majority L1 (Norwegian), and use and promote L2 (English), in their classrooms. The present study aims to investigate what two such teachers on the lower secondary level report about their own language practices, and how these reports coincide with data on their actual practices. Additionally, it aims to explore whether these reports and practices reflect a specific language ideal. The overarching research question of the study is: How aware are two Norwegian English teachers of their own language practices, and do their beliefs and practices reflect language ideals? In order to investigate this the study employs three methods of inquiry: (i) qualitative teacher interviews containing an element of stimulated recall, (ii) video observation, and (iii) a qualitative questionnaire. 3.7 Credibility and ethical considerations _________________________________________________ 3.7.1 Validity ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 3.7.2 Reliability _________________________________________________________________________________________ 3.7.3 Ethical considerations ___________________________________________________________________________ 4 Findings _____________________________________________________________________________________ XII 4.1 Main findings ________________________________________________________________________________ 4.1.1 Main finding 1-Reports _______________________________________________________________________ 4.1.2 Main finding 2-Language awareness _________________________________________________________ 4.1.3 Main finding 3-Language ideals ______________________________________________________________ 4.2 Teacher interviews-no stimuli ________________________________________________________ 4.3 Teacher interviews-with stimuli _____________________________________________________ 4.3.1 Teacher interview, with stimulus-Thea ______________________________________________________ 4.3.2 Teacher interview, with stimulus-Michael __________________________________________________ 4.4 Findings from questionnaire _____________________________________________________________ 4.4.1 Questionnaire-Thea ___________________________________________________________________________ 4.4.2 Questionnaire-Michael ________________________________________________________________________

In the context of globalization and post-modern discourses, the debate about the relative status of local and dominant languages poses serious policy problems for post-colonial communities. Critics of minority language rights (MLR) generally point out that engineering a language shift on behalf of a vernacular language^motivated by the preservationist interests, collective rights and sentimental associations of an ethnic group^is futile, as the economic and social mobilities of individuals are bound to work against this enterprise. Proponents of MLR have gone to the other extreme of essentializing the linguistic identity of minority communities, generalizing their language attitudes, and treating local language rights as non-negotiable. This article addresses this debate in the context of the attempts to promote Tamil by the military leadership in the North and East of Sri Lanka. The paper brings together data gathered in sociolinguistic studies for four years in the Jaffna society in order to understand the reception of the language policy in everyday life. The leadership recognizes that language policy is a symbolic statement for political purposes and tolerates certain inconsistencies in policy and practice. While the community assures itself of ethnic pride and linguistic autonomy with the stated policies, it negotiates divergent interests in the gaps between the policy/practice divide. Scholars should recognize the agency of subaltern communities to negotiate language politics in creative and critical ways that transcend the limited constructs formulated to either cynically sweep aside or unduly romanticize language rights.

The large influx of Chinese language learners into the People's Republic of China from different countries shapes the Chinese as a foreign language classroom as a multilingual and multinational domain. However, how Chinese language teachers perceive their choice of codes for teaching and communicating with international Chinese language learners remains an under-researched area. To investigate Chinese language teachers' language beliefs toward code choice in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, 24 Chinese language teachers from four universities in Beijing were invited to participate in this study. Findings indicated that although Chinese language teachers endeavored to abide by a Chinese-only principle, English was regularly and strategically employed as an international lingua franca (English as a lingua franca, ELF) for explanatory, managerial and interactive functions. The study concluded by proposing an "ELF pedagogy" for Chinese language teachers to consider in increasingly multilingual classrooms.

The large influx of Chinese language learners into the People's Republic of China from different countries shapes the Chinese as a foreign language classroom as a multilingual and multinational domain. However, how Chinese language teachers perceive their choice of codes for teaching and communicating with international Chinese language learners remains an under-researched area. To investigate Chinese language teachers' language beliefs toward code choice in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, 24 Chinese language teachers from four universities in Beijing were invited to participate in this study. Findings indicated that although Chinese language teachers endeavored to abide by a Chinese-only principle, English was regularly and strategically employed as an international lingua franca (English as a lingua franca, ELF) for explanatory, managerial and interactive functions. The study concluded by proposing an "ELF pedagogy" for Chinese language teachers to consider in increasingly multilingual classrooms.

This study investigates code choice, code-switching, and script-switching involving English and Arabic and the Latin and Arabic scripts within discussion forums within the English-language section of a Jordanian website. The research questions sought to: 1) define the various code and script pairings i.e. the distinct linguistic codes available on the website, 2) establish their distribution across text types, forum topics, thread length, text types, and author posting frequency, 3) determine the distinctive topical, stylistic and discursive functions of the most prevalent codes, and 4) analyse specific instances of identity-creation among forum contributors via strategic use of these codes. A purposive sample of discussion threads, representing roughly 10% of the English website forum content was downloaded and annotated into a WordSmith 5.0-searchable corpus, with a secondary version created for SPSS-analysis. A subset of 75 messages from a linguistically-atypical thread was also investigated using discourse analysis methods to explore identity-related language use. The findings question the notion that English is the preferred language of the internet since Latin-scripted Arabic intermixed with English and Arabic-scripted Arabic were more prevalent than English-only messages in the corpus derived from the English-language website. They also demonstrate that vernacular Arabic has become a written variety in CMC, challenging the primacy of Modern Standard Arabic as the only form of written Arabic. Topically, Arabic-scripted Arabic occurred most often within Poetry, Humour, and Local Culture forums, Latin-scripted English within professional and academic forums, and Latin-scripted Arabic within General Discussion and Hobby-related forums. Arabic-scripted Arabic was used most for third-person, narrative type discourse, while Latin-scripted Arabic and Latin-scripted English were used most for involved, first-person and second-person expressive and phatic discourse. English was also used for taboo topics such as religious dissent, sex, and sexual orientation Discourse analysis demonstrated that a purposive sample of authors were able to create distinct identities through strategic code use, reflecting political biases with pro-establishment authors selecting formal language forms especially Modern Standard Arabic and Salafist-style English while anti-establishment authors preferred informal ones such as vernacular Arithmographemic Latin-scripted Arabic with English.