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Bilingualism and Multilingualism in Classrooms in Hong Kong and Singapore: Code-Switching and Translanguaging

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International Handbook on Education Development in Asia-Pacific

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Abstract

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen

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  1. Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen
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Correspondence to Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Singapore Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore, Singapore

    Wing On Lee

  2. School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

    Phillip Brown

  3. Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

    A. Lin Goodwin

  4. Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK

    Andy Green

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Education, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen Ph.D

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Curdt-Christiansen, X.L. (2023). Bilingualism and Multilingualism in Classrooms in Hong Kong and Singapore: Code-Switching and Translanguaging. In: Lee, W.O., Brown, P., Goodwin, A.L., Green, A. (eds) International Handbook on Education Development in Asia-Pacific. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2327-1_25-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2327-1_25-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-2327-1

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