translanguage

English

Etymology

From trans- +‎ language.

Verb

translanguage (third-person singular simple present translanguages, present participle translanguaging, simple past and past participle translanguaged)

1. (linguistics) To make use of multiple languages in a single discourse.
   • 2013, Christian Abello-Contesse, Paul M. Chandler, María Dolores López-Jiménez, Bilingual and Multilingual Education in the 21st Century, →ISBN:

     Finally, the discussion that ensues about the reading material often takes place in Spanish with children encouraged to translanguage as they try out their ideas with new language practices.

   • 2015, Jasone Cenoz, Durk Gorter, Multilingual Education, →ISBN, page 220:

     Whereas before she would often translanguage herself in whole-group lessons, now she calls on students with different language backgrounds to translanguage for clarification or meaning, but does not do it herself.

   • 2016, Ofelia García, Tatyana Kleyn, Translanguaging with Multilingual Students, →ISBN:

     To translanguage is to speak naturally and freely, without regard for the restrictions established by the boundaries of named languages, without heed for the constraints that give dual names and borders and limits to the bilingual's unitary competence.

Derived terms

• translanguaging