Sustainable Multilingualism / Darnioji daugiakalbystė

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MANUSCRIPTS

2024-05-25T23:22:59+03:00

Articles follow the 7^th edition of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA[1]) and are subjected to double peer-review and selected for publication on the basis of the following criteria:

the study is thematically relevant to the aim of the journal;
original, previously unpublished, not submitted to other journals during the evaluation process, ethical parameters highlighted;
presents empirical analysis or in-depth theoretical consideration;
contains basic structural elements:

o Empirical study – introduction, background, aim, research parameters (sample, method, instrument), ethics, findings, discussion, conclusions, implications, references.

o Conceptual study – introduction, background, aim, method, ethics, reflection and discussion, conclusions, insights, references.

focuses on an acute research problem;
is of adequate stylistic and linguistic quality.

[1] https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/

EDITORIAL

2024-05-25T23:12:58+03:00

Dear Sustainable Multilingualism community,

welcome to the twenty-fourth issue of Sustainable Multilingualism. In his book Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind (2014), Yuval Noah Harari argues that fiction allows us not only to imagine things, but to do so collectively and, above all, flexibly – something unprecedented and characteristic of the human species. He claims that this is the very ability that has enabled Homo sapiens to dominate the world. It is widely accepted that human cooperation developed thanks to the mastery of language. Lorenzo (2008) highlights several features of language that have contributed to a more versatile and flexible way of communicating compared to other species. These include the ability to articulate utterances about both the past and the present, the capacity of minimal units of the linguistic system to generate further meanings, and the ability to discuss the characteristics of the language itself (as described by Hockett, 1958). Undoubtedly, language is the tool that makes possible a social organization tailored to complex and ever-changing needs. Without this resource, as we understand it in society, communication and the transmission of content would probably take place through a different code, with different relational implications. Communities have always adapted and shaped their language systems in different contexts (Brinker, 1997): private (such as personal relations within the family or circle of friends), official (such as relations with institutions), and public (such as relations through the media). Another form of adaptation is observed in communicative genres (Luckmann, 1986), which reflect how speakers construct routine and consolidated structures that provide more or less binding solutions to concrete communicative problems. Every language makes it possible to organize and regulate social relations in an acceptable way. It is therefore crucial to prioritize how language use is managed in order to adequately guarantee the rights and obligations of individuals.

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, proclaimed by the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission in 2000, emphasises the right of citizens not to suffer linguistic discrimination and the importance of respecting linguistic diversity, as stated in its preamble and in Articles 21, 22 and 41. In the light of this objective, it is essential to legislate on language policy and planning in a Europe with more than 24 official languages, 60 languages spoken in regions or by specific groups, three different alphabets and a diverse immigrant population representing at least 175 nationalities (European Commission). These data paint a complex picture of language management, especially considering that languages are not governed by empirical parameters and should not be left alone (Wickström, Gazzola & Templin, 2018). The European Commission has consistently stressed the importance of language skills through measures such as the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2000) and the Erasmus+ mobility scheme (1987). It has also sought to promote multilingualism, recognized as one of the eight key competences necessary for personal fulfilment, through initiatives such as the recommendation to learn two foreign languages (Barcelona European Council, 2002) and the promotion of multilingual classrooms (2018). The impact of these measures can be seen in increased social awareness and higher rates of second language learning (Eurobarometer 386). However, despite these efforts, much remains to be done. The linguistic landscape in Europe shows a growing trend towards the use of English at the expense of other official and local languages. Everyday languages are gradually giving way to others that do not necessarily reflect the linguistic diversity of certain communities (see both Mazlum, Shadman & Khademnabi and Luchenko, Doronina & Chervinko in this volume). Examples include universities where technical degrees and masters are taught almost exclusively in English, even though English is not an official language.

No government should neglect Europe's linguistic and cultural diversity, as this would ignore the fundamental needs of its citizens. We need more tools to continue to defend values and rights as fundamental as linguistic ones (see Sabaliauskienė & Cortés Gañán in this volume). Political action must legislate and promote fair use according to local circumstances, even if economic parameters often dictate such measures (Wickström, Gazzola & Templin, 2018; Conceição, 2020). Certainly, economic factors cannot and should not be ignored in any society, but they must be balanced with the rights of citizens to express themselves in their own language, or at least in the language of the community in which they live. I would almost dare to compare this situation to that of city dwellers, whose habitual places are gradually being displaced by unsustainable tourism, forcing them to constantly adapt their habits. 2024 is an election year in Europe. Linguists and society in general will have to pay close attention to how the linguistic rights of the inhabitants of the European Union are managed. If we want a fairer Europe, we need a real promotion of multilingualism that goes beyond good intentions. We need policies that promote local and regional languages, while raising awareness of the value of language as a tool for cultural expression and management.

For all the above reasons, it is to be welcomed that this issue of Sustainable Multlingualism addresses many of the aspects involved in developing and managing languages. Its first section "Society. Identity. Language Preservation and Revival" presents two studies touching on key aspects of identity and social language management. The first highlights the importance of heritage language proficiency for understanding cultural heritage, fostering identity development, and building social connections within both heritage and majority communities in a study of the heritage language of Korean American adolescents (Mi Yung Park). The second paper (Pittman & Glimois) discusses language management in multilingual family contexts and emphasizes the need to raise awareness among such families about the implementation of a Family Language Policy (FLP). Based on the reflections of two parents in multilingual families, the paper explores parental awareness of their family's multilingual practices and policies, as well as strategies for supporting children's language development. The findings point to the need for continuous updating of FLPs.

In the second section, "Language use and education in multilingual and multicultural settings", four other articles focus on different learning situations. The first study (Luchenko, Doronina & Chervinko) examines the use of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in the teaching of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). It looks at the practices of JFL teachers from fifty-seven predominantly non-English-speaking countries and investigates the demographic, linguistic and contextual factors that influence their use of EMI. The results reveal several significant parameters, including teachers' work experience, highest level of education, educational level, geographical region, native language group, Japanese language proficiency, and knowledge of other languages. A second study (B. Nangle, López Parreño, C. Nangle, Valūnaitė-Oleškevičienė & Gulbinskienė) analyses the most common English errors made by Lithuanian high school and university students in written tasks focusing on business and finance. The research suggests that detailed and personalized feedback can help to minimize errors in writing tasks, especially if it is accessible during the task. A third study examines the challenges of ESL learning in the context of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). As highlighted by the authors (Shaaban & Amr), there is a lack of research in an area that requires the involvement of parents, educational leaders and teachers. The study sample consisted of qualitative interviews with parents and teachers of children diagnosed with ASD. According to the findings of the research, teaching English as a second language to children with ASD using visual aids, modelling and repetition has been shown to be effective in improving the language and social skills of autistic children. The final study in this section (Ballıdağ & Dikilitaş) presents a case study of the bilingual Turkish-English education of a 5-year-old child using a 'non-native parent (NNP) strategy' in a community where English is not the first or majority language. The results show that even limited exposure to a second language can lead to its acquisition through the NNP strategy and parents' efforts to avoid code-mixing in their own discourse.

In the third section on Romance languages, an article by Sabaliauskienė & Cortés Gañán aims to analyse the situation of foreign language teaching and learning at the Institute of Foreign Languages of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU). The study examines how the university's language policy contributes to the EU's goal of multilingualism. Key feedback from students suggests that there is room for improvement in the university system to promote multilingualism. Factors such as lack of awareness of the importance of languages, the increasing dominance of English, lack of motivation and negative learning experiences have a significant impact on the decline of interest in other foreign languages and pose a major threat to the implementation of multilingualism policies. In relation to the Spanish language, a second study (Serapinienė) focuses on formulaic language. Using the Sketch Engine software and a corpus from the EUR-Lex database, it was found that the grammatical meaning of these light verbal constructions is mostly represented by the supporting verbs tener, poner, dar, tomar and hacer.

The final section, devoted to translation, presents two studies. The first (Mazlum, Shadman & Khademnabi) deals with the relationship between globalisation and translation. The authors argue that globalisation has led to an inexorable expansion of the English language around the world. Contrary to expectations, however, it has been found that, based on the opinions of Iranian translators, the need for translation services has not only not decreased but, on the contrary, has increased. Analysis of the data has revealed important factors in the Iranian context, namely the limitation of the target language (English) and the preference for Persian over English, as well as ideological issues. Finally, the second article in this section (Vaičenonienė) aims to answer the question of the distribution and translation into English of dual pronouns in Lithuanian fiction. It argues that dual pronouns, as a characteristic feature of the Lithuanian language, should be less common in translations.

All in all, issue 24 of Sustainable Multilingualism brings together analysis and research on real-life evidence in which language plays a key role, impacting the people in the communities. Let’s enjoy all of them.

DYNAMICS OF LANGUAGE TEACHING AT THE INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES OF VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES

2023-10-30T13:21:49+02:00

The aim of this article is to analyze the situation of foreign language teaching and learning at the Institute of Foreign Languages of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), within the framework of the promotion of multilingualism in the European Union and the language policy of VMU. Knowledge of the mother tongue and at least two foreign languages at a sufficient level for effective communication is an aspiration set out in the European Union documents. In this study, we examine how the university's language policy contributes to the goal of EU multilingualism and the challenges posed by its implementation. For this purpose, data on language teaching at VMU Institute of Foreign Languages over the last ten years are analyzed. In addition, a survey conducted in spring 2022 is presented which aimed at finding out which factors influence the students’ learning of other languages. The results of these two investigations reveal that, while students acquire the proficient user level in English, there is a steady decline in the interest to study other languages apart English, and the number of students who choose other languages has been decreasing. Only a small percentage of them reach the proficient user level (B1–B2 on the CEFR scale), whereas the majority of them become familiar with a new language and end their studies at initial levels (A1–A2 on the CEFR scale). The students' responses suggest that there is room for improvement in the university system to promote multilingualism; the lack of awareness of the importance of languages, the increasing predominance of English and the lack of motivation, as well as the negative experiences associated with learning, have a significant influence on the decline of interest in other foreign languages, thus constituting a major threat to the implementation of multilingualism policies.

THE USE OF SPANISH LIGHT VERB CONSTRUCTIONS IN THE ADVOCATE GENERAL’S OPINIONS OF THE COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

2024-02-29T21:48:11+02:00

Over the past few decades, increasing attention has been devoted towards the study of formulaic language, both in Lithuania and abroad. It is assumed that stable word combinations, rather than single words, are preferred in speaking and translating processes, which makes this study increasingly relevant. The idea of formulaic language is well reflected by light verb constructions as one of the collocation types, therefore this article aims to describe the use of these constructions in the analytic Spanish language. The article provides a theoretical overview of light verb constructions, their identification using the Sketch Engine computer program, and their usage in a representative-size corpus, compiled from the EUR-Lex database of documents from the original Spanish texts of the Advocate General’s Opinions of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The analysis of the use of Spanish light verb constructions in the analyzed text provided large objective data on their use, revealing the light verb constructions and their patterns typical to administrative Spanish. It has been found that the grammatical meaning of these light verb constructions is mostly represented by the following support verbs: tener, poner, dar, tomar and hacer. In combinations with nouns, these support verbs mark grammatical aspects such as mood, tense, person, and number. The frequent repetition of light verb constructions in the corpus indicates a standardized lexicon within the Spanish administrative language. In general, the high number of light verb constructions in the corpus reveals their importance in analytic Spanish, especially in the administrative legal language of the Advocate General‘s opinions.

HERITAGE LANGUAGE USE AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION: A STUDY OF TWO KOREAN-AMERICAN BILINGUAL ADOLESCENTS

2023-04-19T19:15:37+03:00

This study examines heritage language use and identity construction of two Korean-American bilingual adolescents who have acquired a high level of proficiency in the heritage language. An analysis of the interview narratives showed that the high level of their heritage language proficiency played a crucial role in understanding the heritage culture and its people, developing a strong sense of self, and building social relationships with members of the heritage language and mainstream communities. In addition, it was found that their ethnic identities were co-constructed and reshaped over time not only by their individual choices but also by various sociocultural factors — the environment, their surroundings, and their relationships with others. However, although both participants agreed that their heritage language and culture were fundamental parts of their identities, the forces and processes that shaped each participant’s identities were different. One participant developed his dual identities by maintaining cultural boundaries and group differentiation whereas the other participant tried to combine two cultural characteristics in creating a new self, having invested in dual identities — Korean and American — which she would assume in the private and public spheres of her life, respectively. The findings shed light on the complex process of bilingual adolescents’ identity construction.

INTENTIONALITY AND ADAPTABILITY IN FAMILY LANGUAGE POLICY

2024-02-23T07:38:45+02:00

Heritage language maintenance is affected by many different factors. Particularly for families in subtractive bilingual environments, it is crucial to have a well-defined family language policy (FLP). Even with an established FLP, major disruptions and changes, as well as smaller shifts in families’ lives, can significantly affect children’s multilingual development and threaten heritage language maintenance. These shifts can be sudden or gradual. This study focuses on the importance of bringing the need for a FLP into multilingual families’ awareness and explores the challenges of sustaining it. More specifically, this study uses two parents’ reflections regarding their own families’ language policies to gain a better understanding of the challenges and to make recommendations to other families. It is guided by the following questions: To what extent are parents aware of their family’s multilingual habits and policies? How can parents support their children’s heritage language development in the face of significant disruptions or even subtle life changes? Two linguists raising multilingual children in different contexts agreed to become accountability partners to gain a better understanding of their own dynamic situations and support each other to become more intentional in their family multilingual development. Data were collected over a six-month period. Findings suggest that intentionality increased due to the accountability partnership. Furthermore, this study challenged several of the researchers’ assumptions, particularly regarding the amount of heritage language spoken, how transitions affect the family, what it takes for linguistic changes to occur, and the ease of tracking one’s own family’s linguistic habits. This study suggests that having a FLP is not sufficient, but that it requires periodic updating, and changes need to be implemented to match the evolving plan.

POSSIBLE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE WILLINGNESS TO USE ENGLISH IN TEACHING JAPANESE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE BY NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS

2024-03-14T11:59:49+02:00

In recent years, teachers have had students from diverse language and cultural backgrounds in their classrooms due to increasing human migration in many countries. Therefore, multilingual learning and teaching have become a widespread phenomenon. Research on English language teaching and learning in multilingual contexts has gained great importance. However, teaching languages other than English and foreign language teachers’ practices in this specific context have received little attention so far. Teaching the highly contextualised Japanese language poses challenges in multilingual classrooms, and teachers more frequently resort to using English as the medium of instruction. To shed light on Japanese non-native teachers’ practices, the study explored and analysed two hundred and seventy-four teachers' responses to the questionnaire “Teaching the Japanese language in multilingual classrooms – English medium instruction approach (EMI)”. The research attempts a worldwide study on using EMI in teaching Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). It examines a broad geographic scope of JFL teachers' practices from fifty-seven predominantly non-Anglophone countries. The present article focuses on investigating various factors affecting JFL teachers’ willingness to use EMI that can be classified into demographic, linguistic, and contextual. The results revealed several factors of significant influence, such as JFL teachers’ work experience, the highest education level attained, educational stage, geographic region, native language group, Japanese language proficiency, and knowledge of other languages (multilingualism). The factors that appeared to be of insufficient influence were age, study of teaching methods/linguodidactics and level of Japanese taught. The factor of JFL teachers’ language proficiency (both English and Japanese) falls into a separate category of influence, where a significant difference was noted for proficient and near-native levels.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE MOST COMMON L1 INTERFERENCE GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY AND SYNTAX ERRORS OF LITHUANIAN LEARNERS IN WRITTEN ENGLISH

2023-08-17T15:27:43+03:00

The paper describes a study on the most common English mistakes among Lithuanians in written tasks on the topic of business and finance. The study was conducted with high school students and university students, and the effectiveness of error feedback in reducing the occurrence of errors was also examined by comparing 2 written texts of each participant. Grammatical errors related to the use of articles and punctuation were found to be the most common types of errors, and feedback on errors was found to be an effective tool in increasing learner motivation and understanding, reducing common errors but not reducing the most common types of errors. The research showed that detailed, personalized feedback can help minimize mistakes in writing assignments, especially if it can be accessed during or in between tasks. However, it is uncertain whether this method will have long-lasting benefits or if improvements are dependent on continual feedback reference. Participants were advised to keep their error feedback forms and utilize teachers' feedback as a constant guide for improvement. We plan to utilize data on frequently occurring errors to conduct additional research on tackling and enhancing language errors that have become ingrained, employing various strategies. Based on the findings, directions for future research were identified. In the future we intend to carry out a study, using controlled texts with a pre-determined number of errors in diagnostic testing. This would allow us to more precisely analyse learners’ improvements in the use of given structures, through a more extensive research.

PROMOTING MULTILINGUAL SKILLS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM: PARENT AND TEACHER PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHING ESL

2024-01-25T11:29:59+02:00

Research on autistic children who grow up in multilingual environments remains sparse, despite more than half of the global population being multilingual. Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by severe impairments in communication and language skills. Many ASD parents ask specialists for advice about whether their child should study both languages simultaneously in a bilingual environment. The study investigated the challenges faced by teachers and parents in educating children with ASD in learning English as a Second language (ESL). The study sample consisted of nine parents and five teachers of children with ASD who were interviewed using a qualitative approach. According to the findings of the study, teaching English as a Second Language to children with autism spectrum disorders with visual aids, modeling, and repetition has been shown to be an effective method to enhance the language and social abilities of children with autism. While it is difficult to develop teaching strategies that are effective for children with autism spectrum disorders, teachers have found that these children are extremely proficient in acquiring new languages. Additionally, to ensure successful language learning programs for children with ASD, it is essential that educators and parents collaborate in order to make the programs successful. Moreover, this study demonstrates various methods that educators and parents could use in order to assist children in achieving bilingualism. The study recommends that more research is needed to fully comprehend the difficulties that ESL teachers face when they are trying to teach children with ASD how to learn languages.

NON-NATIVE PARENTS RAISING A BILINGUAL CHILD IN TURKEY

2024-04-15T12:02:10+03:00

This case study explores the bilingual upbringing of a 5 year 2 months old child in Turkish and English through “non-native parents (NNP) strategy” within a context where English is neither the first nor the majority language of the community. Drawing on the Parental Discourse Hypothesis (Lanza, 1992) and Modeling Hypothesis (Comeau et al., 2003), the researchers examined not only the development of the child’s English, but also the approach of the father towards the child, and his self-perception as a father seeking opportunities to raise a bilingual child. The data were collected by means of a series of video recordings of the interaction between the child and the father, as well as via two semi-structured interviews with the father. The findings show that even quite limited exposure to a (second) language may lead to the acquisition of that language thanks to strict adherence to NNP strategy, and the parents’ concentrated efforts at refraining from code-mixing in their own speech.

NEED FOR TRANSLATION SERVICES IN THE GLOBALIZED WORLD: A PERIPHERY-INFORMED EXPLANATION

2024-03-01T07:45:04+02:00

The relationship between globalization and translation is one of the new areas of research in Translation Studies. Globalization has led to unstoppable spread of the English language across the globe. Yet, contrary to expectations, not only has the need for translation services not diminished, but it also has increased. This, according to Pym (2003), sounds paradoxical since as the global use of English is on the increase, the need for translation should be waning. In other words, in spite of the fact that the use of English is triumphant and English is already considered the language of the global village, not only has the number of translations not decreased, but the demand for them is increasing. The present study was an attempt to investigate Iranian translators’ views on this paradox. In other words, the study sought the perspectives of translators in the periphery on the paradox to see how the paradox proposed by Pym can be explained from the point of view of Iranian translators. Using snowball sampling, twenty-two translators (all holding an MA or a PhD in Translation Studies) were selected. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interpretive analysis of the data revealed that there are numerous reasons that raise the status and role of translation and translators in the Iranian context, which were categorized under three broad categories, namely the limited target language (English), a preference for Persian over English and ideological issues. As regards the limited English language knowledge, the in-depth interviews showed that the younger generation’s proficiency is mostly confined to oral skills and cannot cover all aspects of the English language. In other cases, technical differences between the two languages were pointed out, which was taken as a barrier for feeling at ease with using English. Additionally, the pervasiveness of English words and phrases in society, and especially technological tools, makes people with little English proficiency feel the need for the translation of these foreign words and phrases. Another broad category concerns the preference of Iranians for Persian over English. Throughout the interviews, even PhD holders pointed out that they were not that much at ease with English, and some mentioned in the interviews that if they had both the English and the Persian version of a text, they would probably prefer the Persian version. Another reason for such preference was shown to be their lack of confidence in their knowledge of English even though they had an advanced level of understanding English texts/talks. The final category dealt with ideological issues at both macro- and micro-level. At the macro-level, some participants referred to the government policy that prioritizes the Persian language over foreign languages in society. At the micro-level, one participant believed that some individuals intentionally use Persian words and phrases to prevent the marginalization of the Persian language.

A CORPUS-BASED STUDY OF DUAL PRONOUN TRANSLATION

2024-01-25T11:11:48+02:00

This article aims to answer the following questions: what is the distribution of dual pronouns in original and translated Lithuanian fiction texts; what English language patterns are rendered by Lithuanian dual pronouns; and how Lithuanian dual pronouns are translated into English. In line with the unique items hypothesis, it is hypothesized that dual pronouns, as a characteristic feature of the Lithuanian language, should be less frequent in translations, as English texts do not have an obvious translation stimulus. Corpus based methods were used for data extraction and analysis. Firstly, from the morphologically annotated ORVELIT corpus, all occurrences of pronouns in original and translated fiction were identified, and all dual forms were extracted. Parallel concordances of dual pronoun translations were obtained from the Lithuanian-English Corpus of Prose LECOP and the Parallel Corpus (English-Lithuanian translation direction) using the ParaConc software (Barlow, 2009). The most frequent forms of personal pronouns were chosen for further analysis: mudu, judu and jiedu. It has been found that differently from initial prediction, Lithuanian translations have similar or slightly higher numbers of dual pronouns in comparison to original Lithuanian texts. The data from English-to-Lithuanian translations shows several patterns rendered by dual pronouns, for example, when English plural personal pronouns describe two referents or when a combination of a personal pronoun and another referent is used with the conjunction and. When translating duals from Lithuanian into English, translators choose English plural forms of pronouns or use the formula ‘pronoun + referent/referent + pronoun’. To compensate for the loss of information about the number of referents or their proximity, translators use the number two. In original English texts, unlike in translated English texts, this usage was not frequent or common.