Book review

Multimodal Conversation Analysis and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: A Methodological Framework for Researching Translanguaging in Multilingual Classrooms.

Kevin W. H. Tai

Routledge, 2023. 124 pages

ISBN: 9781032397146

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003351047

Reviewed by Alba Vivancos Sánchez ORCID

al403486@uji.es

Universitat Jaume I, Spain

I. INTRODUCTION

Kevin W. H. Tai, editor of the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (Routledge) and the Learning Instruction magazine (Elsevier), amongst others, graduated from Manchester in English Studies and got his MSc in Applied Linguistics and L2 Acquisition at the University of Oxford. His doctoral project at the UCL in London verses on Applied Linguistics and precedes him, as it grants him, despite his young age, prominence in the field of translingualism studies. Tai has already conducted several case studies about pedagogical translingualism, in Hong Kong and in the United Kingdom, but with this book, he amplified the spectrum of the current investigation status. Published at the beginning of 2023, Multimodal Conversational Analysis and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis observes two different focus methods of the in-situ study. Furthermore, through the presentation of two different studies based on the triangulated research of these two methods, Tai proves the importance of considering these two practical focuses when it comes to linguistic research and pedagogical translingualism analysis.

This is an essential reading for linguists and researchers who want to approach the translingualism theory. As the book starts explaining ground knowledge translanguaging theory, it is also aimed at those with the intention of conducting research in this field for the first time. Whether or not one considers Multimodal Conversational Analysis (MCA) and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) in triangulation, at the very least, it is engaging to see how Tai acquires and interprets the results, as it is to nurture from the literature in which he has based his theory to get to the conclusions that the book shows.

The structure of this book is the following:

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

II.1. Introductory chapter

The author approaches the speech from a subjective and personal point of view by speaking in the first-person singular. Tai commences with an introductory chapter that draws from the basics as he explains what translingualism is, the difference between it and code-switching, and why this lecture is interesting and groundbreaking. The principal difference between code-switching and translanguaging, as stated by Tai, is that the description of code-switching positions languages as separate entities and therefore assumes that each language has a specific place for them in our cognitive system. Authors like Wei and García (2022) and Yilmaz (2019) have also pointed out this perspective. Others, like Canagarajah (2013), have also suggested other terms (for example, code-meshing), that are more suitable for the theory of translingualism. Ultimately, all these theories emerge to support the idea that language is a spectrum. Like Paradis (2004) stated, bilingual aphasia shows the pointlessness of considering languages as discrete systems. To prove his theory, the author will present some piece of his investigation using multimodal conversation analysis along with interpretative phenomenological analysis. This is the first book to ever position MCA in triangulation with IPA as an initiative for discourse analysis.

In this introductory chapter, the author also exposes the types of multilingual pedagogical programs that are currently in use (CLIL, CBI, EMI, ESP, and ASP) and catalogues them based on their focal point. In this way, there is a distinction between content-based learning and language-based learning. According to Tai, in a hypothetical line in which these two main focuses are shining up, EMI would be the closest to the content focus and EFL the closest to the language focus, which leaves CLIL at the exact middle point, illuminated by the two focuses.

II.2. Chapter 2

In the second chapter, some bibliography is presented, relevant to the current “translingualism as a pedagogical tool” research and the principles that this perspective represents. He relies on Cenoz and Gorter, Blommaert, Norris, Jewis, García and Wei, among others, to explain the concept of language as a process, rather than an object, and the appliances of this theory to pedagogy, creating then what Cenoz and Gorter (2021) referred as pedagogical translingualism. Amongst the advantages that this new vision shall provide, Tai mentions the creation of trans-spaces, trans-systems (breaking the boundaries of the socially constructed languages), the appearance of new voices and speeches rather silenced until now, and the transdisciplinary consequences of the speech analysis. All of which are concepts emerging from García and Wei’s proposition of the trans era (García & Wei, 2014).

II.3. Chapter 3

In the third chapter, the MCA methodology is explained. The MCA is based on linguistic analyses of transcriptions of pedagogical encounters as a way to isolate the usage of translingualism. This method may also be interesting to bear in mind when it comes to linguistic politics, for the use and choice of one language will depend on linguistic norms and policies. Nonetheless, MCA should not be used merely for the identification of patterns, but rather to observe constructions and creative and critical resources transcending the social standards of political linguistics.

II.4. Chapter 4

On the other hand, IPA methodology, unfolded in the fourth chapter, is centered on the speaker’s conception as a subject in deep connection to the world, who makes use of their personal experience in order to get to know it. More than bringing up generalized results, IPA is a rather subjective method, based on being able to identify the results as generalizable or applicable in other situations. This is the main reason why this method is used in triangulation with the MCA. Further in the chapter, Tai exposes the methodology for data collection that the MCA analysis requires (video and transcription) and the one that IPA analysis requires (recall-based interviews).

II.5. Chapters 5 and 6

In the fifth chapter, we can see a part of Tai’s doctoral research, serving as an example for MCA in triangulation with IPA. Tai draws on Stake (1995), who stated that subjectivity can be a very powerful weapon, should the investigator be capable of recognizing their own bias. Finally, chapter six, preceding the appendix, concludes the book and suggests the accomplishment of a study that includes quantitative data of the subjects, to identify a possible link between the translingualism uses and the curricular development of the students.

III. General impressions and conclusions

At the end of every chapter, Tai presents a summary of the content and a reference section for each chapter, which brings an educational nature to the book. However, for me, what lights up the most is the defense of the methodological choice: Tai bases his arguments on the critics they have obtained, rather than writing a faithful, sectarian defense: he exposes the benefits he found in the analysis, along with the limitations he encountered. Data collection is impeccably clean and transparent, subjective interpretations are expressed so objectively that the possible generalization comes inevitably to my mind. However, we shall also bear in mind that, while performed correctly, there is still a part of this method which lies subjective to bias. The strength of this method, in fact, seems to rely on the acknowledgement of this weakness. In general, Tai’s analysis is a study that, undoubtedly, would be rather stimulating to compare with other studies carried out under different educational programs, such as CLIL or EFL.

To sum up, this is a potentially necessary reading for those who mean to accomplish case studies in the classroom settlement, not just in respects of translingualism, for these methodologies are also applicable to many other varieties of study, such as linguistic immersion, CLIL, etc. Triangulation is unquestionably the most popular practice amongst linguistic data analysis when it comes to the study of conversational and social behavior, and this innovative proposition brings a new perspective to the analysis. Tai decides to carry out the IPA based on recall-conversation interview so that he can investigate not only whether the professional team is aware of the techniques they might use, but also to find out if they use them without being able to define them or if, on the other hand, they do it following a concrete purpose. To continue with the investigation, a good starting point might be to compare results at a bigger scale, as well as study other parts of the student community, such as students with disabilities.

IV. REFERENCES

Canagarajah, S. (2013). Translingual Practice: Global Englishes and Cosmopolitan Relations. Routledge.

Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2021). Pedagogical Translanguaging. Cambridge University Press.

García O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism, and Education. Palgrave MacMillan.

Paradis, M. (2004). A neurolinguistic theory of bilingualism. John Benjamins.

Tai, K. (2023). Multimodal Conversation Analysis and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: A Methodological Framework for Researching Translanguaging in Multilingual Classrooms. Routledge.

Wei, L., & García, O. (2022). Not a First Language but One Repertoire: Translanguaging as a Decolonizing Project. RELC Journal, 53(2), 313-324.

Yilmaz, T. (2019). Translanguaging as a pedagogy for equity of language minoritized students. International Journal of Multilingualism, 18(3), 435-454.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2019.1640705

Received: 30 November 2023

Accepted: 21 December 2023