Opinion: Language Difference in Writing--Toward a Translingual Approach

• Published in: College English Vol. 73; no. 3; pp. 303 - 321
• Main Authors: Horner, Bruce, Lu, Min-Zhan, Royster, Jacqueline Jones, Trimbur, John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Urbana National Council of Teachers of English 01-01-2011
• Subjects: Bilingual Education; Black Dialects; Civil Rights; Colleges & universities; Communication (Thought Transfer); Community colleges; Dialect Studies; English; English (Second Language); Immigration; Language Arts; Language policy; Language teaching methods; Language Usage; Language Variation; Learning transfer; Mass Media; Monolingualism; Multilingualism; Mythology; North American English; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Social Behavior; Social Class; Standard Spoken Usage; Syntax; Teaching Methods; Transfer of Training; Writing; Writing (Composition); Writing Instruction
• ISSN: 0010-0994; 2161-8178
• DOI: 10.58680/ce201113403

Arguing against the emphasis of traditional U.S. composition classes on linguistically homogeneous situations, the authors contend that this focus is at odds with actual language use today. They call for a translingual approach, which they define as seeing difference in language not as a barrier to overcome or as a problem to manage, but as a resource for producing meaning in writing, speaking, reading, and listening. (Contains 9 notes.)