Plurilingual Chinese learners of French Lx: agentic assembling of semiotic resources for learning
-
Sunny Man Chu Lau
,
Caroline Dault
Abstract
This paper reports an interview study with Chinese international students in an Anglophone university in Quebec, Canada, exploring their use of language and cross-language learning strategies to support their learning of French Lx (third language and beyond). Drawing on plurilingualism, Dynamic Model of Multilingualism, and language learning strategies, this article examines how Chinese learners made dynamic, creative, and, at times, unexpected links among Chinese and other additional languages and mobilized previous learning and professional experience to strategically enhance their French language learning. As a logographic language, Chinese is typologically distant from Latin-based languages. The focal participants, however, generated multilingual, multidirectional, and multimodal connections among the languages they knew. Their agentic assemblage of communicative repertoires for language learning contests the abyssal thinking behind the deficit-oriented label of “allophones” (those whose mother tongue is neither French nor English) that is used widely in the country. The study urges teachers and researchers to rethink language pedagogies that respond to and take full advantage of these student-directed strategies for better learning. Particularly, the paper argues for greater attention to students of non-alphabetic language backgrounds to recognize and co-learn with them about these self-initiated plurilingual strategies in order to build on their metalinguistic resources and create equitable classroom spaces for more effective teaching and learning.
Funding source: Bishop’s University
Award Identifier / Grant number: 102292 (SRC Interdisciplinary Team Grant)
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all students who participated in this project and their university’s support for this research study.
-
Research funding: Bishop’s University Senate Research Committee’s Interdisciplinary Team Grant (Award number: 102292).
-
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
-
Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
-
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
-
Ethical approval: The study had obtained approval from Bishop’s Research Ethics Board (File no. 102331).
Participant Profiles:
| Students | Age | F/M | Major | Year | Languages | Previous education/work (In China if otherwise indicated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Calvin | 27 | M | M. Ed | 2nd | Mandarin, Cantonese, English, French | B.B.A. in Accounting Interned at a mechanical production technology company |
| 2. Siu | 38 | F | M. Ed | 2nd | Mandarin, English, Dongbeihua, French |
Teacher Certification in ESL; IELTS teacher |
| 3. Chu | 48 | F | M. Ed | aCompleted | Chinese, English, Japanese, French | M.Ed. ESL teacher |
| 4. Lan | 39 | F | M. Ed | Completed | Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, English, French | Teacher Certification in ESL Taught ESL; worked in an import & export company |
| 5. Den | 40 | F | M. Ed | 1st | Mandarin, English, French | ESL instructor at a university |
| 6. Hou | 32 | F | M. Ed | Completed | Mandarin, English, French, Japanese |
Journalism Financial journalist |
| 7. Zoe | 38 | F | M. Ed | 2nd | Mandarin, English, French | Science of Law Legal counsel in a state enterprise |
| 8. Hope | 32 | M | M. Ed | Completed | Mandarin, English, Japanese, French | Teacher Certification in ESL B.A. in Cultural Communication (Japan) |
| 9. Candy | 33 | F | M. Ed | Completed | Mandarin, English, French | Journalism |
| 10. Witt | 24 | M | M. Sc. | Completed | Mandarin, English, French, Japanese | Information Technology |
| 11. Qing | 26 | M | BSS – Economics | 3rd | Mandarin, Shanghainese, Hangzouhau, Cantonese, English, French | |
| 12. Xiao | 24 | F | B.Sc. – Computer science | 3rd | Mandarin, English, French | 1 year of ESL at a Toronto language school; part-time technician for a Canadian bank |
| 13. Yao | 41 | F | B.A. Hons. – French | 1st | Chinese, English, French | Associate scientist in a graduate school of agricultural science; Just obtained a certificate in Brewing Sciences (at our university) |
| 14. Jeremy | 27 | M | B.B.A | Completed | Mandarin, English, French | Diploma in Automotive Business (at a college in Ontario) |
-
aCompleted – Degree completed within a year prior to the interview.
References
Auger, Nathalie. 2008. « Comparons nos langues »: Un outil d’empowerment pour ne pas oublier son plurilinguisme. In Michel Candelier, Gina Ioannitour, Danielle Omer & Marie-Thérèse Vasseur (eds.), Conscience du plurilinguisme. pratiques, représentations et interventions, 185–196. Rennes: PUR.Search in Google Scholar
Bardel, Camilla. 2019. Syntactic transfer in L3 learning: What do models and results tell us about learning and teaching a third language? In María Martínez-Adrián Francisco Gallardo-del-Puerto M. Juncal Gutierrez-Mangado (ed.), Cross-linguistic influence: From empirical evidence to classroom practice, 101–120. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.10.1007/978-3-030-22066-2_6Search in Google Scholar
Bardel, Camilla & Ylva Falk. 2012. The L2 status factor and the declarative/procedural distinction. In Jennifer Cabrelli Amaro, Suzanne Flynn & Jason Rothman (eds.), Third language acquisition in adulthood, 60–78. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.10.1075/sibil.46.06barSearch in Google Scholar
Bérubé, Daniel & Stefka Marinova-Todd. 2012. The development of language and reading skills in the second and third languages of multilingual children in French Immersion. International Journal of Multilingualism 9(3). 272–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2011.631708.Search in Google Scholar
Busch, Brigitta. 2015. Expanding the notion of the linguistic repertoire: On the concept of Spracherleben—the lived experience of language. Applied Linguistics 36(4). 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amv030.Search in Google Scholar
Cai, Hansong & Luna Jing Cai. 2015. An exploratory study on the role of L1 Chinese and L1 English in the cross-linguistic influence in L3 French. International Journal of Language Studies 9(3). 1–30.Search in Google Scholar
Castellotti, Véronique & Danièle Moore. 2015. La compétence plurilingue et pluriculturelle. Genèses et évolutions. In Philippe Blanchet & Patrick Chardenet (eds.), Guide pour la recherche en didactique des langues et cultures. Approches contextualisées, 291–302. Paris: Éditions des archives contemporaines.Search in Google Scholar
Cenoz, Jasone & Durk Gorter. 2011. A holistic approach to multilingual education: Introduction. The Modern Language Journal 95(3). 339–343. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01204.x.Search in Google Scholar
Charmaz, Kathy. 2014. Constructing grounded theory, 2nd edn. London: SAGE.Search in Google Scholar
Cohen, Andrew D. 1996. Second language learning and use strategies: Clarifying the issues. Minnesota: Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota.Search in Google Scholar
Cohen, Sarah. 2011. Making room for identity in second language writing: The promise and possibilities of dual language identity texts. Writing & Pedagogy 3(1). 217–239. https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v3i2.217.Search in Google Scholar
Coste, Daniel, Danièle Moore & Geneviève Zarate. 1997/2009. Plurilingual and pluricultural competence. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.Search in Google Scholar
Creswell, John & Vicki Plano Clark. 2011. Designing and conducting mixed methods research, 2nd edn. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.Search in Google Scholar
Dault, Caroline & Laura Collins. 2017. Comparer pour mieux comprendre : Perception d’étudiants et d’enseignants d’une approche interlangagière en langue seconde. Language Awareness 26(3). 191–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2017.1389949.Search in Google Scholar
de Sousa Santos, Boaventura. 2018. The end of the cognitive empire: The coming of age of epistemologies of the South. Durham: Duke University Press.10.1215/9781478002000Search in Google Scholar
Dewaele, Jean-Marc & Li Wei. 2013. Is multilingualism linked to a higher tolerance of ambiguity? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 16(1). 231–240. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1366728912000570.Search in Google Scholar
Dmitrenko, Violetta. 2017. Language learning strategies of multilingual adults learning additional languages. International Journal of Multilingualism 14(1). 6–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2017.1258978.Search in Google Scholar
Falk, Ylva & Camilla Bardel. 2011. Object pronouns in German L3 syntax: Evidence for the L2 status factor. Second Language Research 27(1). 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658310386647.Search in Google Scholar
Fals Border, Orlando. 2006. Participatory (action) research in social theory: Origins and challenges. In Peter Reason & Hilary Bradbury (eds.), The handbook of action research, 27–37. Los Angeles: SAGE.Search in Google Scholar
Furlong, Aine. 2009. The relation of plurilingualism/culturalism to creativity: A matter of perception. International Journal of Multilingualism 6(4). 343–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790710903124997.Search in Google Scholar
Gouvernement du Québec. 2021. Conditions de sélection pour le volet Diplômés du Québec. https://www.quebec.ca/immigration/programmes-immigration/programme-experience-quebecoise/conditions-selection/diplomes-quebec (accessed 10 January 2023).Search in Google Scholar
Griffiths, Carol. 2013. The strategy factor in successful language learning. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.10.21832/9781847699428Search in Google Scholar
Griffiths, Carol & Rebecca Oxford. 2014. The twenty-first century landscape of language learning strategies: Introduction to this special issue. System 43. 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.12.009.Search in Google Scholar
Grosjean, François. 2008. Studying bilinguals. Oxford: Oxford University Press.10.1093/oso/9780199281282.001.0001Search in Google Scholar
Heller, Monica & Bonnie McElhinny. 2017. Language, capitalism, colonialism: Toward a critical history. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press.Search in Google Scholar
Herdina, Philip & Ulrike Jessner. 2002. A dynamic model of multlingualism: Perspectives of change in psycholinguistics. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.10.21832/9781853595547Search in Google Scholar
Hofer, Barbara & Ulrike Jessner. 2019. Assessing components of multi-(lingual) competence in young learners. Lingua 232. 102747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2019.102747.Search in Google Scholar
Jessner, Ulrike. 2006. Linguistic awareness in multilinguals: English as a third language. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.10.1515/9780748626540Search in Google Scholar
Jessner, Ulrike. 2008. A DST model of multilingualism and the role of metalinguistic awareness. The Modern Language Journal 92(2). 270–283. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2008.00718.x.Search in Google Scholar
Kanno, Yasuko & Bonny Norton. 2003. Imagined communities and educational possibilities: Introduction. Journal of Language, Identity & Education 2(4). 241–249. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327701JLIE0204_1.Search in Google Scholar
Kemp, Charlotte. 2007. Strategic processing in grammar learning: Do multilinguals use more strategies? International Journal of Multilingualism 4(4). 241–261. https://doi.org/10.2167/ijm099.0.Search in Google Scholar
Kubota, Ryuko & Jeff Bale. 2020. Bilingualism—but not plurilingualism—promoted by immersion education in Canada: Questioning equity for students of English as an additional language. Tesol Quarterly 54(3). 773–785. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.575.Search in Google Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, Diane. 2019. On language learner agency: A complex dynamic systems theory perspective. The Modern Language Journal 103. 61–79. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12536.Search in Google Scholar
Malakoff, Marguerite & Kenji Hakuta. 1991. Translation skill and metalinguistic awareness in bilinguals. In Ellen Bialystok (ed.), Language processing in bilingual children, 141–166. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9780511620652.009Search in Google Scholar
May, Stephen (ed.). 2014. The multilingual turn: Implications for SLA, TESOL and bilingual education. New York & London: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Moore, Danièle, Sunny Man Chu Lau & Saskia Van Viegen. 2020. Mise en écho des perspectives on plurilingual competence and pluralistic pedagogies: A conversation with Danièle Moore. In Sunny Man Chu Lau & Saskia Van Viegen (eds.), Plurilingual pedagogies: Critical and creative endeavors for equitable language (in) education, 23–45. Switzerland: Springer Nature.10.1007/978-3-030-36983-5_2Search in Google Scholar
Naiman, Neil, Maria Fröhlich, Hans Heinrich Stern & Angie Todesco. 1996. The good language learner. Ontario, Canada: Multilingual Matters.Search in Google Scholar
Noakes, Taylor C. 2020. Allophone. The Canadian encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/allophone (accessed 10 January 2023).Search in Google Scholar
Oxford, Rebecca. 1990. Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Pub.Search in Google Scholar
Oxford, Rebecca. 2017. Teaching and researching language learning strategies: Self-regulation in context, 2nd edn. London: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar
Palinkas, Lawrence, Sarah Horwitz, Carla Green, Jennifer Wisdom, Naihua Duan & Kimberly Hoagwood. 2015. Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research 42(5). 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y.Search in Google Scholar
Piccardo, Enrica. 2017. Plurilingualism as a catalyst for creativity in superdiverse societies: A systemic analysis. Frontiers in Psychology 8. 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02169.Search in Google Scholar
Rivera-Mills, Susana & Luke Plonsky. 2007. Empowering students with language learning strategies: A critical review of current issues. Foreign Language Annals 40(3). 535–548. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2007.tb02874.x.Search in Google Scholar
Rothman, Jason. 2010. On the typological economy of syntactic transfer: Word order and relative clause high/low attachment preference in L3 Brazilian Portuguese. International Review of Applied Linguistics 48(2–3). 245–273. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral.2010.011.Search in Google Scholar
Rothman, Jason. 2011. L3 syntactic transfer selectivity and typological determinacy: The typological primacy model. Second Language Research 27(1). 107–127. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658310386439.Search in Google Scholar
Singleton, David & Muiris Ó Laoire. 2006. Psychotypologie et facteur L2 dans l’influence translexicale : Une analyse de l’influence de l’anglais et de l’irlandais sur le français L3 de l’apprenant. Acquisition et Interaction en Langue Étrangère 24. 1–13.10.4000/aile.1672Search in Google Scholar
Théophanous, Olga. 2001. Déviations lexicales de forme et de sens chez les apprenants de français langue étrangère. Revue Française de Linguistique Appliquée VI(1). 107–120. https://doi.org/10.3917/rfla.061.0107.Search in Google Scholar
© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Novice language teacher identity construction: similarities, differences, and beyond
- The expectations-reality dissonance in student teaching: a discourse analysis of one pre-service teacher’s perspective
- The knowledge-rich project, coloniality, and the preservation of whiteness in schools: a raciolinguistic perspective
- Quantity and quality of literacy instruction for English language learners in Indiana elementary schools
- Plurilingual Chinese learners of French Lx: agentic assembling of semiotic resources for learning
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Novice language teacher identity construction: similarities, differences, and beyond
- The expectations-reality dissonance in student teaching: a discourse analysis of one pre-service teacher’s perspective
- The knowledge-rich project, coloniality, and the preservation of whiteness in schools: a raciolinguistic perspective
- Quantity and quality of literacy instruction for English language learners in Indiana elementary schools
- Plurilingual Chinese learners of French Lx: agentic assembling of semiotic resources for learning
