Language ecology in practice. Implications for language education in multilingual settings Claire Kramsch UC Berkeley

1. Language ecology in practice.Implications for language education in multilingual settingsClaire KramschUC Berkeley

2. Outline Changing times An example of language ecology in practice • At the Vietnamese grocer • At the Chinese grocer • At the Vietnamese butcher Language use as a complex, dynamic system Ecological analysis of the data Symbolic competence Implications for foreign language educators

3. Changing times Psych/CS 124 + Psychology 290G “This course is part of an emerging interdisciplinary effort at Berkeley to explore language within its individual, societal, cultural, and historical frameworks. We situate language in contexts of individual mental processes as well as contexts of interaction between individuals in a society and between social groups. We approach language learning and language use as a nonlinear, relational human activity, co-constructed between humans and their environment, contingent upon their position in space and history, and a site of struggle for the control of social power and cultural memory.”

4. Report of the MLA Ad hoc committee on foreign languages, 2007 The goal [of college and university foreign language majors]: translingual and transcultural competence. The idea of translingual and transcultural competence places value on the multilingual ability to operate between languages… In the course of acquiring functional language abilities, students are taught critical language awareness, interpretation and translation, historical and political consciousness, social sensibility, and aesthetic perception.

5. Precis du plurilinguisme et du pluriculturalisme (2007) (G.Zarate, D. Levy, C. Kramsch, eds.) Linguistic and cultural pluralism is more than the mere coexistence of various languages. It is primarily about the transcultural circulation of values across borders, the negotiation of identities, the inversions, even inventions of meaning, often concealed by a common illusion of effective communication… The teacher trainers of tomorrow will need to operate in a globalized space where verbal exchanges will be increasingly plurilingual and pluricultural.

6. Language ecology in practice • At the Vietnamese grocer Excerpt 1 • Juan: How much panza do you want? (tripe) 2. DF : voy a comprar cinco libras I’m going to buy 5 lbs de panza manana of tripe tomorrow 3. Juan: OK manana 4. DF: /\ ma’alob. good 5. Juan: _/OK! • DF: \/ Dios bo dik thanks • Juan: _/bo dik • DF: _/saama tomorrow • Juan: @@, • @@ • _saama • DF: ah

7. At the Chinese grocer • Excerpt 2 • DF: ((TO BUTCHER IN MAYA)) • Butcher: si si si • DF: ((TO CLERK)) buenas… • vengo <?> mi maestra I’m with my teacher • AW: <LO HI LO> • teacher • Clerk: OH [@] • DF: [ah] • es mi maestra\ she’s my teacher • ah • eh-nomas, este, pase a preguntar I just uh passed by to ask • la masa que agarro mi hijo the masa that my son • ochenta y ahora/ took, 80 and now . . . • Clerk si bien. Yes good. • le toco masa aca ahora he’ll take masa here now

8. At the Chinese grocer • Excerpt 3 31. DF: estamos de paseo con la= maestra we’re out walking with the teacher • por eso yo no/\vine that’s why I didn’t come 33. Clerk: ah/ 34. DF: si\ • ah 36 Clerk: ((to AW)) my Spanish is really limited 37 but I try to understand him 38 @ [@@@@] 39 AW: [that’s 40 good] 41 DF: [si ah ha]

9. At the Chinese grocer Excerpt 4 • DF: mucho trabajo. a lot of work • Older lady: ah @@@ • DF: eso es el ticher this is the teacher • Clerk: ((TO OLDER LADY IN CHINESE)) • Older lady: hi @@@ • AW: hi • Clerk: ((TO DF)) manana when you come [I give you no espanol] • Old lady: [@@@@@] • Clerk: [[solo English]] • DF: [[@@@]] • NO, <@ no @> • Clerk: Jose, tomorrow when you come in I don’t speak Spanish with you any more • DF: [@@@@] • AW: [no no I’m] not teaching him English. • I’m teaching him to read and writing in Spanish. • I’m not teaching him English. • Clerk: oh oh • read and write Span-[ish.] • AW: [yeah,] read and write Spanish • Clerk: that’s good ‘cause he like he not even recognize the numbers

10. At the Chinese grocer Excerpt 5 • AW: we’re going to learn to read the numbers • ((TO DF)) dice que vamos a aprender a leer los I said we’re going to learn numbers • numeros para que [puedas…] so that you can • DF: [ hm ] • Clerk: [that’s the most important part first: • one two three four five six seven eight nine ten . • AW: that’s right • yeah • where did YOU learn English? • Clerk: America • AW: [oh=] • Clerk:[many] years ago • <HI you know I start from beginning • I start from one two three four five. HI> • I never know it in my life because my mother come • when I come in 19 uh 80 • I still went to ESL program • I still learn • that’s why he [can too] • AW: [ yah] • yah yah • Clerk: ((TO DF)) when me aqui • twenty years early • nada speak English • DF: nada • Clerk: nada • todo English aqui • DF: ah

11. At the Chinese grocer Excerpt 6 • Clerk: learn first • ABCD • todo aqui • DF: ah entiendes Maya • ano mas • ah • entiendes Maya • AW: a lot of people speak Maya here, huh? • Lady: yeah • AW: you’re learning some Maya? • Lady:uh:: not much • Latinos is <LO??LO> • DF: ahi esta? • eh= en la tarde [y=/] • Clerk: [OK] • DF: bueno <?> • nos vemos • Lady OK • good to see you.

12. At the Vietnamese butcher Excerpt 7 • Butcher A: <you need two leg…20 pound each • so I order two • AW ((TO BELA)) • <HI preguntele si es mas barato HI> • Bela: si? • Butcher A: oh • habla espanol? • Bela: es mas barato • uh huh • Butcher A: oh ((SPEAKS TO OTHER BUTCHER IN WHAT SEEMS TO BE CHINESE )) • <he said OK> • Butcher B: uno cincuenta y nueve la libra • AW: uno cincuenta y nueve si compramos mas? • ok. (??) • Butcher B: quiere? • AW: ah.. • [vamos a] • Bela [next week] • AW: [[vamos a..]] • Bela: [[next week]] • Butcher A: [ok] • Bela: [next week] • Butcher A: cuando quiere? • next week cuando? • que dia? • AW: ah todavia estamos pensando <LO verdad Lo> • Butcher A: [ok] • Bela: [ya] • Butcher B: si bueno

13. At the Vietnamese butcher Excerpt 8 • Bela: What’s your name? • Butcher A: Felipe • Bela: Felipe (.) • /\ OK Felipe • Butcher B: Felipe sabe espanol muy bien ((LEANS OVER THE COUNTER TO GIVE BELA A CARD)) • Butcher A: this one with my name • Bela: @@ [@@] • AW: [thank you]

14. Language use as a complex, dynamic system • Relativity of Self and Other • Time scales • Emergentism • Unfinalizability • Fractals

15. An ecological analysis of the data • The ecology of multilingual spaces - In excerpt 1 - In excerpts 2-6 • The ecology of embodied time - the different timescales - staging event, styling the self - identities and speaking positions - what’s in a name?

16. Symbolic competence • Definition • Subjectivity or subject-positioning • Historicity or an understanding of the cultural memories evoked by symbolic systems • Performativity or the capacity to perform and create alternative realities • Re-framing

17. Implications for foreign language educators We are not teachers of a linguistic code but teachers of meaning • Meaning is relational/multidimensional • Meaning is mediated • Meaning is multiscalar and recursive • Meaning is emergent

18. 5. Meaning is unpredictable and double-voiced 6. Meaning is fractal 7. Meaning is subjective 8. Meaning is historically contingent 9. Meaning is reflexive

19. Conclusion • The 21st century is about meaning, relations, creativity, subjectivity, historicity and the inter- (as in interdisciplinary, intercultural etc.) • Curriculum guidelines and national standards are not everything, a monolingual worldview may be overcome, as long as cunning reigns.