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Why context matters: social inclusion and multilingualism in an Austrian school setting
[journal article]
Abstract This article draws attention to language choice and language use of Austrian bi- and multilingual school children. We explore some implications of their linguistic practices with regard to social inclusion in an Austrian educational school setting. Pursuing a Dynamic Systems and Complexity Theory ap... view more
This article draws attention to language choice and language use of Austrian bi- and multilingual school children. We explore some implications of their linguistic practices with regard to social inclusion in an Austrian educational school setting. Pursuing a Dynamic Systems and Complexity Theory approach, we hypothesise that before language users actually use a language within a certain context, they have to evaluate the respective communicative situation by taking multiple contextual factors into consideration, meaning language users choose to use, or not to use, a language based on the socio-contextual information at hand. We consider these contextual factors to be most relevant as they provide the basis on which speakers can actually make use of a certain language within a given context. By drawing on examples of empirical data obtained through a language background survey, we examine some of the complex and dynamic interactions of contextual parameters influencing language choice and language use in the formal educational setting of classroom instruction. Based on the results of this study, we display a selection of the dynamic and complex interactions of pupils' language use in one specific context as well as their language preferences and how these relate to social inclusion.... view less
Keywords
multilingualism; schoolchild; education; inclusion; social integration; language acquisition; language; language usage; sociolinguistics; complexity; context analysis
Classification
Sociology of Communication, Sociology of Language, Sociolinguistics
Document language
English
Publication Year
2017
Page/Pages
p. 87-97
Journal
Social Inclusion, 5 (2017) 4
Issue topic
Multilingualism and social inclusion
ISSN
2183-2803
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed