Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: For many years it had been considered axiomatic that in the \nforeign language classroom exposure to the target language should be \nemphasized, and that the learners’ native language should be banned. \nHowever, in recent years, the analysis of classroom discourse has \nunravelled some essential pedagogical functions of the learners’ native \nlanguage in foreign language teaching (Macaro, 2009). In line with this, \nthe term ‘translanguaging’ has been introduced in the international \nliterature with reference to the drawing on all of the linguistic resources \nthat one has in order to ‘make sense’ (Garcia, 2009), and to improve \nlanguage learning processes and outcomes (Lewis, Jones & Baker, 2012). \nTaking a sociocultural discourse analysis approach, this contribution \nshows how Maltese learners of Italian and their teachers interact \nbilingually to fulfil pedagogical requirements such as the assimilation of \ngrammar points, explaining new vocabulary items, and shifting from \nformal to informal language. We give examples of how the teacher \nguides the learners in interaction toward target language approximation.
Source: OAR@UM (University of Malta)
Language: English
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2757360161