The plurilingual tradition and the English language in South Asia

Bibliographic Data

ID15348109
AuthorsSuresh Canagarajah (0000-0002-1292-2366, Pennsylvania State University, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume22
Pages5-22
Publication date2009-11-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAILA Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-0213 • E-ISSN: 1570-5595
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/aila.22.02can
OpenAlexW2037718262
LanguageEN
Citations received39

There has been a plurilingual tradition of communication in South Asia since precolonial times. Local scholars consider pluringualism as ‘natural’ to the ecology of this region. In plurilingualism, proficiency in languages is not conceptualized individually, with separate competencies developed for each language. The different languages constitute an integrated system to constitute a repertoire. After distinguishing plurilingualism from other forms of multilingual communication, the article shows how English has been accommodated in this tradition. What I label Plurilingual English is not an identifiable code or a systematized variety of English. It is a highly fluid and variable form of language practice. Speakers negotiate their different Englishes for intelligibility and effective communication. The article goes on to define plurilingual competence. For communication to work across such radical differences, it is important that acquisition and use go hand and hand. Such a competence is always in a state of becoming and, therefore, acquisition is emergent. Plurilingual communication works because competence does not rely solely on a form of knowledge, but rather, encompasses interaction strategies. In the final section, the article discusses how learner strategy training and language awareness go some way toward facilitating such interactional strategies and repertoire development

Art · Competence (human resources · Linguistics · Literature · Multilingualism · Pedagogy · Repertoire · Sociolinguistics · Sociology · Translanguaging · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Multilingual Education and Policy · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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