Bilingualism and multilingualism in classrooms in Hong Kong and Singapore: Code-switching and translanguaging

Bilingualism and multilingualism in classrooms are common phenomena in bilingual education programs that involve different languages as medium of instruction or as medium of local (home) cultural practices. This chapter reviews, from a holistic perspective on bi/multilingualism, research on translanguaging in bilingual classrooms as a pedagogical practice. It first provides a historical/ conceptual overview of the development of the concepts of code-switching and translanguaging and discusses the different theoretical assumptions underlying them. It then surveys recent research on patterns of translanguaging with a particular focus on the pedagogical, cultural, and social functions of translanguaging. In discussing the use of two or more languages as well as semiotics in classrooms as a dynamic and fluid communicative and pedagogical means, the chapter also reviews how "named" languages are conceptualized as discrete "codes" with clear boundaries and how different languages are valued and privileged in relation to the political, economic, and linguistic-historic context of language use in general. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the potential challenges and advantages of using translanguaging in classrooms, seen from language development and cross-cultural perspectives. It will point out future research directions and make suggestions for research possibilities.