A multimodal perspective on communicative competence in multilingual Afro-Surinamese speaker communities
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Tatjana Schnellinger
Abstract
The idea of communicative competence was introduced by Dell Hymes (1967, 1972). He stressed that communication goes beyond possessing grammatical proficiency and that formal knowledge of a language is significantly influenced by speakers’ social interactions and experiences (Young 2008: 94). Language socialization research has introduced a multimodal perspective that expands Hymes’ original notion of communicative competence. Given that many postcolonial societies involve multilingual practitioners with varying degrees of communicative competence, critics have argued that Hymes’ conception disregards the sociolinguistic implications of postcolonialism, mobility, and globalization. Referring to Suriname as a prime example of a multilingual ecology that is composed of speakers who display dynamic and heterogenous language practices, this chapter explores the interplay of semiotic resources in different Afro-Surinamese communities of practice. The case study presented here thus examines communicative competence by investigating how conventionalised and embodied practices, such as the kiss-teeth, are intertwined with the multilingual sociolinguistic reality of interlocutors. The data reported in this chapter originate from a three-month ethnographic study carried out in the urban area of Paramaribo, Suriname in 2022, drawing on field notes, participant observation, natural video recordings and interviews. More specifically, the analysis considers various interactional routines that are viewed as sites of language socialization. Altogether, the study contributes to a more inclusive approach to the theory of communicative competence by exploring the interplay of semiotic resources in social interaction to index cultural values, community membership, feelings and affective meanings. Further, the chapter aims to provide a better understanding of corporal competences in the multilingual arenas of postcolonial Suriname.
Abstract
The idea of communicative competence was introduced by Dell Hymes (1967, 1972). He stressed that communication goes beyond possessing grammatical proficiency and that formal knowledge of a language is significantly influenced by speakers’ social interactions and experiences (Young 2008: 94). Language socialization research has introduced a multimodal perspective that expands Hymes’ original notion of communicative competence. Given that many postcolonial societies involve multilingual practitioners with varying degrees of communicative competence, critics have argued that Hymes’ conception disregards the sociolinguistic implications of postcolonialism, mobility, and globalization. Referring to Suriname as a prime example of a multilingual ecology that is composed of speakers who display dynamic and heterogenous language practices, this chapter explores the interplay of semiotic resources in different Afro-Surinamese communities of practice. The case study presented here thus examines communicative competence by investigating how conventionalised and embodied practices, such as the kiss-teeth, are intertwined with the multilingual sociolinguistic reality of interlocutors. The data reported in this chapter originate from a three-month ethnographic study carried out in the urban area of Paramaribo, Suriname in 2022, drawing on field notes, participant observation, natural video recordings and interviews. More specifically, the analysis considers various interactional routines that are viewed as sites of language socialization. Altogether, the study contributes to a more inclusive approach to the theory of communicative competence by exploring the interplay of semiotic resources in social interaction to index cultural values, community membership, feelings and affective meanings. Further, the chapter aims to provide a better understanding of corporal competences in the multilingual arenas of postcolonial Suriname.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements V
- Contents VII
- Setting the scene: Informal language learning and socialization in additional languages 1
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Part I: Informal language learning in private contexts
- The impact of family and media on L2 development in early childhood in a multilingual society: The case of the Seychelles 19
- ELF and other languages in the family: Portraying multilingual repertoires at dinner tables across Europe 51
- Dynamic language repertoires: The case of an Italian-Turkish couple in Istanbul 87
- A multimodal perspective on communicative competence in multilingual Afro-Surinamese speaker communities 111
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Part II: Informal language learning in public contexts
- Communicative competence in the virtual breathing space: Minoritized language learning in social media 149
- Researching the benefits of integrating language and museum education on students’ linguistic, cognitive, affective, and intercultural development 171
- Bringing the outside in: Attitudes towards multilingual competence in Zambia and Tanzania 199
- Student teachers’ attitudes toward translanguaging in formal learning vis-à-vis informal interaction: A survey of a university in Kenya 231
- About the contributors 261
- Index of subjects 265
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements V
- Contents VII
- Setting the scene: Informal language learning and socialization in additional languages 1
-
Part I: Informal language learning in private contexts
- The impact of family and media on L2 development in early childhood in a multilingual society: The case of the Seychelles 19
- ELF and other languages in the family: Portraying multilingual repertoires at dinner tables across Europe 51
- Dynamic language repertoires: The case of an Italian-Turkish couple in Istanbul 87
- A multimodal perspective on communicative competence in multilingual Afro-Surinamese speaker communities 111
-
Part II: Informal language learning in public contexts
- Communicative competence in the virtual breathing space: Minoritized language learning in social media 149
- Researching the benefits of integrating language and museum education on students’ linguistic, cognitive, affective, and intercultural development 171
- Bringing the outside in: Attitudes towards multilingual competence in Zambia and Tanzania 199
- Student teachers’ attitudes toward translanguaging in formal learning vis-à-vis informal interaction: A survey of a university in Kenya 231
- About the contributors 261
- Index of subjects 265
