LINGUIST List 34.2436

Tue Aug 08 2023

Review: Multimodal Communication in Young Multilingual Children

Editor for this issue: Maria Lucero Guillen Puon <luceroguillenlinguistlist.org>



Date: 28-Jun-2023
From: Eric ALVAREZ <eric.alvarez.perezgmail.com>
Subject: Applied Linguistics: Kiaer (2023)
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Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/34.369

AUTHOR: Jieun Kiaer
TITLE: Multimodal Communication in Young Multilingual Children
SUBTITLE: Learning Beyond Words
SERIES TITLE: Bilingual Education & Bilingualism
PUBLISHER: Multilingual Matters
YEAR: 2023

REVIEWER: Eric ALVAREZ

SUMMARY

Jieun Kiaer’s longitudinal study “Multimodal Communication in Young Multilingual Children: Learning Beyond Words” considers through a translanguaging perspective (Wei, 2018) how children growing up in multilingual environments use their languages multimodally. Kiaer’s investigation is anchored on her two daughters who are growing up in a Korean-English (henceforth KE) household in England, an underrepresented group. As she explains, “the main body of evidence in this book is videos of my own family communicating together.” (p. xiii). The author depicts how multilingual children use their languages through verbal means, and how they deploy various non-verbal communication strategies in spontaneous interaction. This process is not only dynamic, but also bidirectional (Beckner et al., 2009; King & Fogle, 2013), where children and parents collaboratively co-construct meaning. By transcending languages and cultures not only are multilingual identities forged within the family, but so too do unique language practices emerge since “no one family’s linguistic environment is the same” (p. 124). The findings show how multilingual families create a sense of unity through their use of multilingual and multimodal resources. The implications are notable and provide rich interactional data for anyone curious about multilingual language development in children.

The book includes a preface, eight chapters, and an epilogue. In the preface Kiaer underscores that the study documents her family’s linguistic journey. In this language learning environment, the lines between students and teachers are blurred since everyone constantly learns from each other through family, neighborly, or friendly social encounters. The author likens their KE language style to their cooking, a rich blend of both Korean and English that depends on real-time resource availability. The author also highlights the role of gesture and prosody “in the process of tailoring language” (p. xv). Finally, Kiaer insists on the importance of one’s culture. The family’s multilingual language practices are enriching, reflecting their identity and solidarity.

In Chapter 1, entitled “Everyday Talk: Beyond Languages and Cultures”, Kiaer shows how “most people’s family histories are complex and diverse” (p. 1) by briefly presenting two multinational neighborhood families. She describes how their children communicate in multilingual contexts where language mixing is normal. Translanguaging, following García & Li (2014), is thus introduced as “multilingual individual language and literacy practices (that) flexibly and creatively interweave various linguistic features from two or more languages” (p. 2). Non-verbal resources are also “intrinsically (…) linked” (p. 9) to the oral modality. For Kiaer, multilingualism is experienced-based and supports a holistic, multidimensional approach. However, multilingual research is largely Euro-centric despite census data from various English-speaking countries showing that diverse Asian languages are largely used. Following Montanari and Quai (2019), the author proposes moving away from this vision since “understanding Asian-English is not easily translatable in Eurocentric approaches due to complex, pragmatic aspects that are rich in Asian languages unlike English and other European languages” (p. 4). Kiaer then discusses the emergence of family languages in the home and the community, how translanguaging is a form of linguistic and cultural hybridity, and how it may indeed favor bilingualism (Gorter, 2013). The author’s data collection is longitudinal and naturalistic, consisting mainly of video and audio recordings of her family from 2014-2022 where multimodal (oral-visual), written, and computer mediated aspects are analyzed. To a lesser extent she also includes observations and interviews. Finally, transcription conventions are briefly discussed before overviewing Chapters 2 through 8.

“Linguistic Tapestry of a Multilingual Family” is the theme of Chapter 2. It introduces autoethnography, a research method that gives Kiaer a participant-observer role and grants her unique insight into the “nuanced meaning in each multilingual encounter” (p. 15). The author introduces the Kiaer family: Ian (English husband), Sarah (eldest daughter), and Jessie (youngest daughter). Although they mostly speak English, both Korean and English are culturally integral to their lives. Through reading and eating activities Kiaer explores their translanguaging competence, or the ability to creatively “manipulate their linguistic resources to make each interaction work” (p. 40), and that develops across the lifespan in multilingual families. The use of multimodal resources to accommodate Jessie renders communication efficient and creates solidarity.

Focused on a mother-child reading activity, Chapter 3 is called “Learning Together: A Case Study”. It shows how meaning is co-constructed bidirectionally, and multimodally, i.e., using technology and visual aids. Moreover, Kiaer suggests that children of immigrant families tend to learn the host country’s language faster than their caretakers. This places these young language learners in the role of teachers as they aid their parents in navigating a wide range of social, cultural, and linguistic encounters. For the author “children may have to play the role of language broker or cultural mediator for their parents” (p. 41), and through their agency actively contribute to adult society.

Chapter 4 raises the issue of “Attitudes and Emotions”, and it considers interviews both with Jessie and with other KE children. Kiaer thus discusses children’s metalinguistic awareness as they are rooted in their multilingual language learning environments. The author shows “how KE children negotiate the differences between Korean and English through the practice of translanguaging” (p. 59) even if they did not learn these distinctions in school. Based on a range of socio-interactional factors, including interlocutor age, status, nationality, etc., children try to use their languages to accommodate the needs of others. However, Kiaer also recognizes that while language awareness may engender solidarity, it may also be a source of conflict.

Chapter 5 is called “Politeness Matters” and Kiaer apprehends the pragmatic distinctions between English and Korean verbal and non-verbal forms of politeness. Korea maintains strict rules for interactions between two or more participants, including the use of honorifics and gesture to show varying levels of respect or intimacy. As such, Korea is a high-context culture. Kiaer shows that for heritage children this may be challenging since “second-generation individuals find it hard to tune into Korean politeness” (p. 80), especially when visiting their heritage country. Following Lakoff (1990), politeness is meant to minimize potential conflict inherent in all social encounters and multilingual children are quite capable of navigating these complex cultural norms.

“Talking with Parents” is the focus of Chapter 6, and it examines the unique language practices in the home. Kiaer presents a few examples that highlight bidirectional parent-child interactions. For the author, even if parents tend to set the tone for home language use, family members may also be involved in the negotiation process. Indeed, “at home, family members experiment, negotiate, concede and create a dynamic, ever-changing system of co-existence” (p. 107). The author thus considers the different language policies that KE families deploy by analyzing interviews between KE children and their parents. Kiaer also accounts for what motivates parental language policy, namely for their children “to at least know they are Korean” (p. 111).

In Chapter 7, entitled “Talking with Grandparents, Wider Family and Carers”, Kiaer considers translanguaging behaviors at the crossroads of interpersonal relationships. Central to shaping a child’s identity are grandparents and other caretakers since they may be additional sources of heritage culture and tradition. However, despite the lack of research in the area, “grandparents, in particular, have a great desire to be connected, and so are influential in children’s language acquisition – both their heritage language(s) and translanguaging develops through the cultural conflicts (…) in interactions with grandparents” (p. 125). The chapter is largely focused on Jessie and her English-speaking grandfather and their use of multimodal expressions. For example, gaze and pointing were more frequent “when understanding was not being achieved through verbal strategies alone” (p. 141).

Chapter 8 concludes the study by considering “Sibling and Peer Talk”. In it, Kiaer examines how KE children talk to each other in the absence of adults. The author analyzes KE children’s social interactions, their language mixing, and how they help and challenge one another. Based on interactions between the author’s two daughters and their friends, talk among children is a fertile ground for studies of language development because “the presence of siblings in multilingual families can significantly influence home language and literacy events” (p. 147). For example, pretend-play opens a space for children to experiment with language both linguistically and pragmatically. Following Nelson (2014), Kiaer argues that “peer culture is central to cognitive development and language advancement” (p. 149).

In the epilogue, “Towards a Culture of Translanguaging”, Kiaer resumes translanguaging as a creative bidirectional process that involves the family across the lifespan. Other semiotic factors impact the co-creation of meaning like gesture, age, context, relation, etc. From these cues, multilingual children decide what language to use in addressing their interlocutor. For translanguaging competence to emerge from interaction, the role of non-verbal behavior, and attitude, or emotion are critical. In these unique language learning environments, children tailor their output, and translanguaging may be fitting. To better understand multilingual societies where all languages and cultures are valued, Kiaer thus argues for a more nurturing view of translanguaging culture.

EVALUATION

Jieun Kiaer’s compelling monograph meets its objective: to explore how an underrepresented population of multilingual children uses multiple languages and various multimodal communication strategies. Multimodality is understood both in terms of visual-gestural cues and in the use of technology and visual aids in interaction. Kiaer’s longitudinal work shows that parents and children not only learn from each other, but also that in doing so they shape their unique family language practices to create solidarity, or shared ethnicity (Holmes, 2000) across generations (Chung, 2010).

Language mixing discussed within the translanguaging paradigm is non-transitional, hybrid, and an efficient mode of communication for multilingual children. Translanguaging is not always experimental, i.e., where mixed language patterns disappear. In multilingual interaction languages may be mixed at the construction level and conventionalized within a community (Alvarez, 2020). Moreover, “language use (…) characterized by extensive CS often reflects just one of the registers in the repertoire of speakers” (Aalberse et al., 2019: 82), such as Mexican-American bilinguals in Southern California (Bustamante-López, 2008). Translanguaging enhances the meaning-making process as it transcends language and culture even though language mixing has been perceived as “degenerative” (Mar-Molinero, 2010: 174) or even attributed to “laziness” (Gardner-Chloros, 2009: 14). Nevertheless, Kiaer fulfills the aim of explaining why it is crucial to foster a culture where translanguaging is accepted and nurtured in the home and in society at large.

The objective of filling a gap in the literature is also achieved. Kiaer gives unprecedented insight into multilingual children’s language development within their multi-layered communities of practice. Kiaer accounts for the various parents in her study, but also reaches beyond and analyzes siblings, grandparents, and friends, etc. These interlocutors all form part of a child’s unique language learning environment, but they are often unaccounted for in heritage language research. The study is at the intersection of family, society, emotion, gesture, culture, and transnationalism in language learning. While mostly naturalistic video and audio recordings were used, some observations, pictures, letters, and interviews were also included. Kiaer, through her attentive and respectful analyses, thus meets the goal of assessing multilingualism multimodally.

The book will undoubtedly become a valuable resource for the traditional readership, i.e., students, researchers, and teachers. Moreover, Kiaer’s study is not overwhelmingly scientific, and most of the theoretical concepts are clearly explained. Thus, the book may also be readily accessible to the public interested in multilingualism, or to caretakers who are in the process of raising multilingual children. The book is not overly lengthy, it is well organized, and the brief chapter summaries were appreciated. Kiaer throughout her work brings the reader with her on a multilingual and multimodal journey. The reader’s immersion is intensified as we witness the author in interaction with her children, but also as she presents and analyzes the rich multimodal (technology and visual aids) data.

One main drawback of the investigation is related to the very notion of multimodality and gesture. Early in the book Kiaer advances the observation that “it is rare to see the non-verbal features of language acquisition closely examined alongside their verbal counterparts” (p. 9). Therefore, the reader would expect a broader and more in-depth examination of the oral-gestural modality, but this is not the case. The analyses seemed to be limited mostly to pointing with other gestures like gaze sometimes mentioned in parenthesis within the transcript. Therefore, the study is left with a wide range of visual-gestural resources that are unaccounted for, including “signs, gaze, facial expressions, postures, (which) are all part of our socially learned, communicative system” (Benazzo & Morgenstern, 2014: 173).

The discussion on Translanguaging Competence (Chapter 2.3) is tricky, especially for a study with a pragmatic approach to multilingualism. Building on Pinker’s (1994) notion of instinct, the term “translanguaging instinct” is suggested for multilinguals, which is close to the term “translanguaging competence” and, for Kiaer, it is “an innate property of human language (in) Chomskian linguistics” (p. 26). Indeed, linguistic competence has been viewed as innate (Chomsky, 1965), but input and interaction have been considered peripheral in the UG paradigm. Therefore, one wonders if translanguaging competence as Kiaer’s work nicely defends is more fitting within a cognitive-functional linguistic perspective that sees language not as an instinct (Tomasello, 1995), but rather as emerging through use (Tomasello, 2003), input, and social interaction.

Kiaer’s book provides a unique snapshot of children growing up with Korean and English in a cosmopolitan setting. The length and variety of the data exploring the family’s multimodal communication is impressive, and truly expands the literature. Only a few studies, for example Alvarez (2023), have explored multilingual practices multimodally in immigrant contexts. Autoethnography as research is also noteworthy. Bilingualism scholars (Wei, 2000; De Houwer, 2009; Pauwels, 2016) argue that advanced knowledge of any language under investigation is essential. Bilinguals’ linguistic behavior may only be apprehended with insider knowledge of the community where said behaviors are practiced, and with an understanding of the circumstances that lead to such behavior (Garner-Chloros, 2009). Kiaer gently underscores a social justice perspective (Ortega, 2019), advocating for a culture that embraces translingual practices in private and in public spaces. The present multimodal study of multilingual children advances interdisciplinary inquiry into heritage bilingualism research. Future research could further explore the parental discourse strategies (Lanza, 1997; De Houwer & Nakamura, 2021) used to maintain multilingualism in ever-shifting participation frameworks (De León, 2011) common in these types of immigrant communities.

REFERENCES

Aalberse, S., Backus, A., & Muysken, P. (2019). Heritage Languages: A language contact
approach. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Alvarez, E. (2020). Partially Schematic Constructions in Multilingual Interaction: A Vector for Intergenerational Transmission? In M. T. Calderón-Quindós, N. Barranco-Izquierdo, & T. Eisenrich (Eds.), The Manifold Nature of Bilingual Education (pp.105–126). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Alvarez, E. (2023). Third-generation heritage Spanish acquisition and socialization in Los Angeles, California. A cognitive-functional and socio-interactional mixed methods case study of Spanish-English bilingualism. [Ph.D. Dissertation: Unpublished].

Beckner, C., Blythe, R., Bybee, J., Christiansen, M. H., Croft, W., Ellis, N. C., Holland, J., Ke, J., Larsen-Freeman, D., & Schoenemann, T. (2009). Language Is a Complex Adaptive System: Position Paper. Language Learning, 59, 1–26.

Benazzo, S., & Morgenstern, A. (2014). A bilingual child’s multimodal path into negation. Gesture, 14(2), 171–202.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Eric Alvarez holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from Sorbonne Nouvelle University. His research interests include heritage bilingualism, language maintenance and shift, language contact, language mixing, and corpus linguistics. Eric's Ph.D. is a longitudinal cognitive-functional and socio-interactional mixed methods case study of third-generation heritage Spanish acquisition and socialization in Los Angeles, California.




Page Updated: 08-Aug-2023


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