Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная
лингвистика
и
лингводидактика
–
Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
The impact of multilingualism on language learning and
teaching in ELT context
Makhliyo POLVONNIYOZOVA
Uzbekistan State World Languages University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received June 2024
Received in revised form
10 July 2024
Accepted 25 July 2024
Available online
25 August 2024
This article investigates the impact of multilingualism on
language learning and teaching in the context of English
Language Teaching (ELT). As globalization reshapes
communication dynamics, the growing prevalence of
multilingual individuals presents both challenges and
opportunities for educators and learners. This study explores
how multilingualism affects learners' cognitive processes,
motivation, and cultural awareness, ultimately shaping their
language acquisition. Additionally, it highlights pedagogical
strategies that utilize students' linguistic backgrounds to
enhance engagement and foster a deeper understanding of
English.
2181-3701
/©
2024 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol2-iss2
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
multilingualism,
language learning,
English language teaching
(ELT);
cognitive processes,
motivation,
cultural awareness,
pedagogical strategies,
linguistic backgrounds,
learner engagement.
Ko
‘
p tillilikning tilni o
‘
rganish va ingliz tilini konteksda
o
‘
qitishga ta
’
siri
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar
:
ko'p tillilik,
til oʻrganish,
ingliz tilini oʻrgatish (ELT),
kognitiv jarayonlar,
motivatsiya,
madaniy xabardorlik,
pedagogik strategiyalar,
til foni,
talabalarning faolligi
Ushbu maqola ingliz tilini o'qitish (ELT) kontekstida ko'p
tillilikning til o'rganish va o'qitishga ta'sirini o'rganadi.
Globallashuv muloqot dinamikasini o'zgartirar ekan, ko'p tilli
odamlarning tobora ko'payib borayotgani o'qituvchilar va
talabalar uchun ham qiyinchiliklarni, ham imkoniyatlarni
taqdim etadi. Ushbu tadqiqot ko'p tillilik talabalarning kognitiv
jarayonlariga, motivatsiyasiga va madaniy ongiga qanday ta'sir
qilishini, natijada ularning tilni egallashini shakllantirishini
o'rganadi. Bundan tashqari, u faollikni oshirish va ingliz tilini
chuqurroq tushunishga yordam berish uchun talabalarning til
1
Teacher, Uzbekistan State World Languages University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. E-mail: pmlune@mail.ru
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
2 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
206
fonidan foydalanadigan pedagogik strategiyalarni ta'kidlaydi.
Влияние многоязычия на изучение языков и
преподавание английского языка в контексте
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
многоязычие
,
изучение языка
,
преподавание
английского языка (ELT)
,
когнитивные процессы
,
мотивация
,
культурная
осведомленность
,
педагогические стратегии
,
языковой фон
,
вовлеченность учащихся.
В этой статье исследуется влияние многоязычия на
изучение и преподавание языка в контексте преподавания
английского языка (ELT). Поскольку глобализация изменяет
динамику
общения,
растущая
распространенность
многоязычных людей представляет как проблемы, так и
возможности для педагогов и учащихся. В этом исследовании
изучается, как многоязычие влияет на когнитивные
процессы, мотивацию и культурную осведомленность
учащихся, в конечном итоге формируя их усвоение языка.
Кроме того, в нем освещаются педагогические стратегии,
которые используют языковой фон учащихся для
повышения вовлеченности и содействия более глубокому
пониманию английского языка.
INTRODUCTION
We live in a multilingual world. English serves as the lingua franca for education,
trade, and employment, and is an essential skill for anyone wanting to succeed
professionally or academically in the 21st century. English offers enormous
opportunities, and language policy rightly focuses on how to give more equitable access
to high levels of English language proficiency so that these opportunities can be inclusive
rather than exclusive, and open to all socioeconomic groups. But English is not enough.
[1, 95].
Properly managed language policy can help to ensure that English can be taught
effectively and incorporated into society without hurting the first language, culture and
local identity of the learners of English. An understanding of English and multilingualism
is especially important in an age of increased and rapidly growing international
migration. People migrate for many reasons
–
escaping oppression and war, searching for
better opportunities
–
but the languages that they have access to or aspire to use can
greatly influence the pattern of migration and the success with which migrants can
integrate and contribute to their host societies. [2, 34]
This underlines the need for a language policy worldwide that provides people
with the languages and the language skills that they need both at home and in future
global destinations. Education should provide a varied language repertoire and an
understanding of which languages we should learn for what purpose. This suggests a
language policy that improves the quality of curriculum, teaching, and learning in state
education, as well as a policy that helps to position the role of multiple languages in a
more positive and protected context.
The reality of the multilingual and multicultural society is that languages overlap
and collide. The work on translanguaging and code-switching demonstrates the often-
messy practice in our multilingual families, schools, and cities. From this lived experience
we need to learn how to prepare people with the language skills they need for a
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
2 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
207
multilingual society, and how to train people to develop the necessary sensitivity
towards the cultural and linguistic needs of their fellow citizens. [3, 61]
DISCUSSION AND RESULTS
The role of compulsory education is critical and we need a language education
policy which both respects mother tongue heritage and also prepares young people for a
globalized world with English as a lingua franca. This has implications for teacher
education and curriculum design for state education at both primary and secondary level,
and it is clear that more research is needed to discover how to accelerate the
development of high-level language proficiency in young people, perhaps with new
pedagogical models that avoid the low spoken proficiency outcomes of many current
foreign language programs.
Multilingual learners often demonstrate improved cognitive abilities, such as
problem-solving and critical thinking skills. This cognitive flexibility can facilitate the
process of learning a new language, including English. Translanguaging allows learners to
use their entire linguistic repertoire to make sense of new concepts. In ELT, this practice
encourages students to draw on their native languages to enhance comprehension and
expression in English, promoting deeper engagement with the material.
Multilingualism fosters greater cultural awareness and sensitivity. In an ELT
context, teachers can leverage students' diverse backgrounds to create a more inclusive
classroom environment, enriching discussions and learning experiences. For multilingual
learners, the ability to integrate their linguistic identities into the learning process can
boost motivation. When students see their languages as assets rather than barriers, they
are more likely to engage actively in learning English.
Multilingual classrooms encourage collaboration among students who share
different linguistic backgrounds. Peer interactions can lead to more effective language
practice and support systems, enhancing overall learning outcomes. Teachers can adapt
their instructional strategies to accommodate the diverse linguistic needs of multilingual
learners. This differentiation can include using varied resources, incorporating visual
aids, and employing culturally relevant materials. [4, 61]
Multilingual students may experience positive transfer from their first languages
to English, especially in areas like vocabulary and grammar. Understanding these
transfer processes can help teachers anticipate challenges and leverage strengths. While
multilingualism has many benefits, it can also present challenges. Variability in language
proficiency levels may affect classroom dynamics, requiring teachers to develop
strategies to support all learners effectively. [5, 68]
Educational policies that recognize and support multilingualism can lead to more
effective ELT programs. Such policies may include bilingual education models or
curricular frameworks that value linguistic diversity. To effectively teach multilingual
learners, educators need ongoing professional development focused on multilingual
pedagogies. Training can equip teachers with strategies to foster an inclusive
environment that values all languages.
We live in an ever more complex globalized world. This globalization has a
paradoxical effect on our lives. On the one hand it increases conformity through the
power of the market (products, tastes, culture); on the other it leads to ever greater
diversity (assertions of local and regional identities, social and cultural conflicts). One
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
2 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
208
striking feature of globalization is the impact of multilingualism, and the related
phenomenon of multiculturalism. [6, 18]
Very few contemporary societies can be considered homogenous; they are
increasingly diverse, whether in the languages spoken or in the ways that people live and
express themselves (their cultures). Multilingualism
–
the normal human condition.
‘Speaking two or more languages is the natural way of life for three
-quarters of the
human race. [This] principle … has been obscured in parts of Europe as a consequence of
colonial history. We urgently need to reassert it, and to implement it in practical ways,
for, in the modern world, monolingualism is not a strength but a handicap.’ (David
Crystal 2006:409).
In one sense, it might be thought that linguistic diversity is in decline. Some
languages are dying out, some are spoken by smaller numbers of people, and there are
linguists who believe that the rise of English is accelerating this trend. [7, 28] Despite
this, however, one estimate suggests that there are still over 7,000 distinct languages
spoken by substantial populations as first or mother tongues, and many more countries
than is commonly known need to operate in multiple languages. At the same time, the
rise in identity politics across the world appears to be supporting a renewed sense of
confidence in and wish to maintain local, regional and national languages.
On being Welsh ‘To be Welsh is an experience. To both be and speak Welsh is a
related, more robust experience. Each time we erase one of those options from the world
of human experience, we lose an incomprehensibly complex realm of knowledge. We lose
a way of thinking about the world. We lose a way of being in our world. For to live with a
language is to live as part of an organic, long-
developed tradition and identity.’ (Conor
Williams 2015).
Multiculturalism is less easy to define and can be a controversial term. If, though,
we understand culture in a broad sense as the way that people live their daily lives (the
food they eat, the way they dress, their preferred entertainment) and also the way that
they see the world, we can say that different cultures coexist but also that cultures
become increasingly mixed. Language is an important aspect of this culture
–
especially
as it determines identity. But language and culture are not always identical. [8, 31]
In the new economy not only does technology enable networking across distance
but the populations in each locality are increasingly diverse. The flows of population and
their impact are greater, and also the types of movement in terms of gender, status, age,
and professional category are different from what has been historically the case.
Although current migrations can be seen as the continuation of a historical trend of
population movement from the country to the city, they also differ significantly in that
they are global
–
multicultural, multilingual
–
and on an unprecedented scale. [9,14]
Also different are the directions of movement, so that nations whose recent image
is of emigration now are solidly nations of immigration. Ireland and Italy are classic cases
of this, but there are many others. So while the vast movements of people are highly
differentiated, there are some common tendencies, affecting virtually all parts of the
globe. In particular, this movement is taking place at an accelerating rate, and it involves
many different kinds of population transfer (in terms of timing, motivations, and legal
status for example). This was the case even before the current mass migrations from the
Middle East and Africa.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
2 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
209
The fifth-
largest country ‘Over the past 15 years, the number of people crossing
borders … has been rising steadily. At the start of the 21st century, one in every 35
people is an international migrant. If they all lived in the same place, it would be the
world’s fifth
-
largest country.’ (BBC News Online 2009). Migration also has a significant
impact on general policy
–
both the idea of migration as well as its rate and numbers
provoke political responses, from planning and integration policies to rejection and
hostility. This has become a major challenge in Europe since 2012, but it is not limited to
Europe. [10, 47]
Thus while the period of the consolidation of nation states involved making
internal cultural patterns homogenous, the combined effects of the Age of Migration with
the Information Age, both motivated by the new economy, have produced more
communication-rich workplaces and communities, linked across multilingual spaces and
themselves more communication-dependent and multilingual. These changes are having
a major impact on societies more generally.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the impact of multilingualism on language learning and teaching in
the English Language Teaching (ELT) context is profound and transformative.
It enhances cognitive skills, fosters cultural awareness, and encourages a more inclusive
classroom environment. By embracing translanguaging practices, educators can leverage
students' linguistic repertoires to deepen understanding and engagement with English.
Moreover, multilingualism promotes collaboration among peers, allowing for
richer interactions and shared learning experiences. While it presents certain challenges,
such as varying proficiency levels, these can be addressed through differentiated
instruction and targeted support strategies.
Ultimately, recognizing and valuing multilingualism in ELT not only enriches the
learning experience but also prepares students to thrive in a globalized world.
By adopting policies and practices that celebrate linguistic diversity, educators can create
dynamic, effective, and inclusive language learning environments that benefit all
learners.
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1.
García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and
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Cummins, J. (2000). Language, Power, and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the
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Crystal, D. (2000). Language Death. Cambridge University Press.
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Canagarajah, A. S. (2011). Translingual Practice: Global Englishes and
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Heller, M. (2007). Bilingualism: A Social Approach. Palgrave Macmillan.
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Pennycook, A. (2010). Language as a Local Practice. Routledge.
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Grosjean, F. (2010). Bilingual: Life and Reality. Harvard University Press.
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