translanguaging

[ trans-lang-gwi-jing, tranz- ]

noun

1. Linguistics. the integrated use of all the languages an individual speaks in a single linguistic system, often involving the mixing of grammatical, morphological, or lexical features from more than one language or dialect.
2. Linguistics. a neurolinguistic or sociolinguistic theory of language in which a bilingual or multilingual speaker has a single integrated linguistic system, rather than two or more separate languages functioning independently.
3. Education. the practice of encouraging the seamless use of all languages spoken by the students and teacher rather than enforcing separation between the home languages of students and the language of instruction:

   Translanguaging in the classroom involves finding cognates and translating, but also means allowing group work in the students’ language of choice.

Word History and Origins

Origin of translanguaging¹

trans- ( def ) + languag(e) ( def ) + -ing ¹( def ); a translation of a Welsh word coined by Cen Williams (1946–2020), Welsh cartoonist, designer, and pedagogue, in his 1994 unpublished dissertation

Example Sentences

Ideally tech companies will also tackle code-switching and translanguaging, but loanwords are a logical first step.

From Slate

This is translanguaging—speakers using a single linguistic system that includes elements of what outsiders consider separate languages.

From Slate

Translanguaging is ubiquitous in everyday conversation in immigrant communities and in plenty of recordings that need captions, such as a comedy routine about Spanglish and the new Spanish-English audio production Romeo y Julieta.

From Slate