Linguistic Superdiversity and Translanguaging: The Dawn of a New Era in Applied Linguistics?

Professor Stephen May argued that linguistic hierarchies of prestige are yet to be fully challenged, despite key theoretical developments in the field. Highlighting the emergence of linguistic superdiversity and translanguaging, Prof May discussed linguistic racism in terms of monolingual dominance of minority languages.

Prof May stressed the complexity of indigenous language revitalisation and education and highlighted the need for a power-conscious pedagogy that balances local knowledge with vigilance against colonial language practices. He focused on the recent dominance of translanguaging, noting its critical reflexivity among its proponents regarding academic language mastery.

Participants actively engaged and discussed the potential of translanguaging in English as a Medium of Instruction contexts, with Prof May emphasising the importance of drawing on students’ full linguistic repertoires while questioning its distinctiveness from previous additive bilingual approaches.

Prof Stephen May is a professor in Te Puna Wānanga (Māori and Indigenous Education), Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand