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Article published In:
Current Perspectives on Codeswitching
Edited by Emma Vanden Wyngaerd, Renata Enghels, Mena B. Lafkioui and Marie Steffens
[Belgian Journal of Linguistics 35] 2021
► pp. 76–103

Beyond differences and similarities in codeswitching and translanguaging research

| The College of Wooster | Leiden University

In previous research, there has been an emphasis on differentiating and distancing translanguaging from codeswitching, partly on the basis that the latter refers to the combination of two discrete systems that correspond to named languages. While this is the mainstream view, there are codeswitching scholars who have proposed alternative views that align with some of the same observations and criticisms that have been raised by proponents of translanguaging. In this conceptual paper, I provide an overview of translanguaging alongside opposing views of codeswitching, and I underscore important similarities that have thus far been absent from present discussions regarding translanguaging versus codeswitching. Drawing on data from the understudied Spanish/English codeswitching variety spoken in Northern Belize, I discuss how bilingual compound verbs lend support to alternative views of codeswitching. Despite clear differences in their empirical goals, research conducted by both codeswitching and translanguaging scholars compels us to reexamine fundamental notions about language and linguistic competence. This reevaluation will not only contribute to theoretical advancement, but it will further elucidate our understanding of the complexity and dynamicity that characterizes bi/multilingual speech production and processing.

Keywords: codeswitching, translanguaging, bi/multilingualism, linguistic theory, bilingual education, sociolinguistics
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Translanguaging as an evolving concept and theory
    • 2.1What is translanguaging?
    • 2.2Translanguaging and CS: Differences and disagreements
  • 3.Codeswitching from different perspectives
    • 3.1What is codeswitching?
    • 3.2Mainstream view of codeswitching
    • 3.3Alternative views of codeswitching
  • 4.Bilingual compound verbs in Spanish/English CS
  • 5.Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 15 February 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/bjl.00065.bal
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