Plurilingual Practices in Translingual Classrooms

Theory and Practice

Abstract

This study analyses plurilingual practices in a classroom where Urdu and English are the preferred languages. In order to explore this phenomenon, a three dimensional model of language variation has been applied on dialogues uttered by the teacher in the translingual classroom at the tertiary level. Of 11 lectures, a total of two lectures have been chosen for this study. It is found that a user using the oral mode tends to use varying codes in the specialized discourse defined by classroom interaction. During this kind of interaction, ethnicity and the national and local languages influence the users’ talks. It is also found that student-response tends to be minimal, while teachers play an important role in making the academic environment plurilingual.