Carla Jonsson | Umeå University (original) (raw)

Papers by Carla Jonsson

Doing ethnography in multilingual schools : Shifting research positioning in response to dialogic... more Doing ethnography in multilingual schools : Shifting research positioning in response to dialogic methods

International Journal of Bilingualism, Sep 17, 2012

This article offers insights into how multilingual resources such as language mixing can be used ... more This article offers insights into how multilingual resources such as language mixing can be used in theater to address power relations such as, for instance, domination, resistance and empowerment. Three plays by Chicana playwright Cherríe Moraga ( Giving up the ghost, Heroes and saints, and Shadow of a man) will be used to illustrate language mixing in Chicano theater. Moraga’s work has been selected since she is regarded as a representative of Chicano theater both by people within and by people outside the Chicano community.Chicano theater arose in the United States during the 1960s as an act of resistance. The aim was to empower Chicanos/Mexican Americans by informing them about their rights in the society in which they resided. Chicano theater has thus since its inception been linked to issues of power.Theoretically, this article builds upon philosopher Michel Foucault’s view of power, which fits well with the study of Chicano theater since it acknowledges that power exists in all social relations and is negotiated in each relation and context. Foucault’s view of power also asserts that power and resistance go hand in hand. This, then, can be translated to the Chicano context, where struggles take place on different levels in order to resist power. Chicano theater, also referred to by Moraga as “theater of resistance” is one such form of resistance. However, power is not merely resisted. It is also reproduced in a new form. Foucault’s view of power and resistance and his emphasis on the productive functions of power allow for a possibility of empowerment.

Concomitantly this distinction between regular and bold text serves to signal instances of code-s... more Concomitantly this distinction between regular and bold text serves to signal instances of code-switching and code-mixing. However, it is important to mention that Moraga (1994a, b, c) does not use extra-linguistic visual markers in the text to mark Spanish or Chicano words. 2 I have chosen to underline instead of using sic since I do not wish to distract the reader from the flow in the original text and, more importantly, I do not wish to mark these distinctions as mere mistakes. 3 If Spanish or Chicano words are used in a text without being examples, e.g. in quotations, the translation follows in a footnote.

Moderna Språk, Jun 1, 2008

La literatura chicana bajo un enfoque didáctico-Cultura e interculturalidad Introducción La liter... more La literatura chicana bajo un enfoque didáctico-Cultura e interculturalidad Introducción La literatura chicana abre las puertas al mundo chicano, representando así un recurso inagotable que se puede utilizar en la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera (E/LE). La contribución de los autores que visualizan la cultura chicana, basada en experiencias individuales y/o colectivas, nos ofrece la posibilidad de trabajar con temas que tratan de la cultura chicana, integrando de este modo parte de la cultura del mundo hispanohablante en la enseñanza de español. Se puede utilizar esta literatura para discutir temas relacionados con la cultura chicana como, por ejemplo, la migración, la noción de la familia y la comida mexicana. Además, gracias a su enfoque multicultural, las obras literarias ofrecen posibilidades incontables para tratar temas interculturales, como por ejemplo, la construcción de identidades y la noción de pertenenciaasuntos que aportan a la competencia intercultural de los alumnos. Aparte de enfocar la interculturalidad en las obras se puede, paralelamente, abordar las diversas experiencias interculturales de los alumnos en la clase y, de esta manera, reconocer la diversidad de culturas que existe en la sala de aulas. Este artículo se basa en mi tesis doctoral sobre el cambio de código en obras chicanas (Jonsson 2005) y en mi presente investigación sobre el uso de la didáctica intercultural en la enseñanza de lenguas. El artículo se dirige a profesores de español y de inglés con el objetivo de sugerir ideas para tratar temas culturales e interculturales mediante el uso de la literatura chicana. En esta literatura suelen usarse dos lenguas: español e inglés. Por ello, las ideas presentadas serán especialmente útiles para profesores que enseñan los dos idiomas. También podrán ser utilizadas por profesores que quieren trabajar de modo interdisciplinario, colaborando con sus colegas de otras materias estudiantiles. Por ejemplo, profesores de español y de inglés pueden trabajar juntos con el tema de la literatura chicana. Las ideas presentadas en el artículo pueden ser adaptadas según el nivel de aprendizaje de los alumnos y las necesidades específicas de los mismos. También es posible adaptar los ejercicios sugeridos en el artículo a las necesidades de los alumnos que hablan el español como primera lengua/lengua materna. El término literatura será usado aquí para denominar diferentes tipos de literatura como teatro, poesía y obras en prosa (o ficción), por ejemplo, novelas. En el artículo presento la literatura chicana y doy sugerencias de cómo se puede aprovechar esta literatura en el aula. Como punto de

Journal of Pragmatics, May 1, 2010

The present study examines functions of code-switching in Chicano theater, i.e. in writing intend... more The present study examines functions of code-switching in Chicano theater, i.e. in writing intended for performance. The investigation focuses on local functions of code-switching. These are functions that can be seen in the text and, as a consequence, can be regarded as meaningful for the audience of the plays. In the study these functions are examined, focusing on five loci in which code-switching is frequent, namely quotations, interjections, reiterations, 'gaps' and word/language play. The data of the study consists of three published plays by a Chicana playwright. The study concludes that code-switching fills creative, artistic and stylistic functions in the plays and that it can be used to add emphasis to a certain word or passage, to add another level of meaning, to deepen/intensify a meaning, to clarify, to evoke richer images and to instruct the audience about a particular concept. Code-switching is also used to mark closeness, familiarity, to emphasize bonds, and to include or, on the contrary, to mark distance, break bonds and exclude. Complex identities of the characters as well as the plots of the plays are constructed and developed by means of language. Code-switching is thus used to enhance and support the representation of the characters.

Classroom discourse, Oct 1, 2019

ABSTRACT In a bilingual school, the linguistic and semiotic resources of students who speak one, ... more ABSTRACT In a bilingual school, the linguistic and semiotic resources of students who speak one, two or several languages can be used in classroom discourse in order to embrace and strengthen the multiplicity of voices and languages in teaching and learning. In this article, four English language lessons – where the medium of instruction mainly oscillates between Swedish and English, and where Spanish is also used – are analysed with the aim of generating knowledge about how translanguaging is or could be used as a pedagogical resource in the classroom. The data were collected through ethnographic fieldwork in a 5th grade class at a bilingual school in the Stockholm area and consist of recordings of classroom observations, photos and field notes.

International Journal of the Sociology of Language, Sep 26, 2017

This article sheds light on the issue of new speakerness via a case study focusing on one adolesc... more This article sheds light on the issue of new speakerness via a case study focusing on one adolescent-"Elle"and her efforts to claim and regain Sami, a national minority language in Sweden. Elle did not acquire Sami at home, but attended Sami school from first grade to sixth grade, where she learned to understand, read, and write the language. Ever since childhood, Elle has "struggled" to learn more Sami and to be acknowledged as a Sami speaker. It was only recently that Elle started using Sami actively in speech, reclaiming her Sami voice and breaking a silence to which she had been involuntarily submitted. A condition that for Elle could have resulted in language loss was, thus, by her efforts to regain the language, turned into a condition of language revitalization. This article shows how Elle's narratives are linked to language ideologies and language policies in Swedish society, to negative attitudes towards Sami culture, and to discrimination. By learning and actively using Sami in writing and in speech, Elle exercises agency, and by taking the important step to start speaking, Elle proclaims her right to speak Sami and to her representation. The agency that Elle exercises by using Sami is beneficial for her own language development, but could also potentially contribute to the language revitalization of Sami and to the linguistic empowerment of other speakers/learners of Sami.

International Journal of the Sociology of Language, Jan 20, 2013

A diary is often a personal and private matter, a well-kept secret. This article discusses findin... more A diary is often a personal and private matter, a well-kept secret. This article discusses findings from ethnographic research in which language diaries and diary-based interviews were used as a means to collect qualitative data. The article is based on case studies of six high school students who at the time of the study were enrolled at an international boarding school in Sweden. During the interviews, the students spoke about personal matters associated with lan guages, identities and discriminatory practices in school and in society. The aim of the paper is twofold: (1) to investigate and describe the students' language practices, their translanguaging practices and their multilingual literacies, and (2) to analyze diary-based case studies-based on language diaries and diary-based interviews-from a methodological viewpoint as a means to collect data. The study wishes to contribute to the growing body of ethnographic research on literacy that highlights and nuances the intricate ways in which languages are being used by bilingual and/or multilingual adolescents in their everyday lives in a globalized world. The diaries together with the diary-based interviews reveal significant findings about multilingualism both on a micro and macro level. On a micro level these findings relate to, for instance, the use of translanguaging that forms part of the students' multilingual repertoires and the construction of identities in a transnational space such as the school. On a macro level, the findings relate to, for instance, language ideologies, language policies and teaching and learning in a transnational space. The results of the study have implications for language policies and teaching practices in schools with bilingual/multilingual students. The study shows how the students' language practices differ from that of the school. Furthermore the study contributes to the methodological advancement of ethnographic research methods and shows how the use of language diaries can enable the production of self-reflection based on students' language practices.

" Code-switching," or the alternation of languages by bilinguals, has attracted... more " Code-switching," or the alternation of languages by bilinguals, has attracted an enormous amount of attention from researchers. However, most research has focused on spoken language, and the resultant theoretical frameworks have been based on spoken code-...

Literacies in the Age of Mobility, 2022

Routledge eBooks, Jan 12, 2023

Sociolinguistic Studies, 2014

In modern business organizations, digital practices are enacted daily, often when sharing texts, ... more In modern business organizations, digital practices are enacted daily, often when sharing texts, which is crucial for knowledge management. How professionals experience digital text sharing is an issue that is often overlooked. In this paper, we focus on a relatively new aspect of business digital literacy: the literacy practice of digital text sharing in workplaces. Our analysis was conducted on ethnographic data from business organizations. The results show that sociomaterial aspects are enacted by professionals by discussing 1) the protection of borders of their own and other organizations, and 2) the status and digital location of texts. The analysis highlights two means of expressing agency that indicate conflicting norms: joking and showing strong emotions. The study places the hitherto backgrounded literacy practice of digital text sharing in workplaces in the foreground, proposes methods for studying this phenomenon, and highlights issues concerning digital text sharing that...