Language awarenss and agency in the context of migration
What is it about?
When locals and immigrants meet, interlocutors draw from more or less restricted repertoires of language to assist their interaction. Based on a case study on refugee-local encounters in Vienna, this paper examines what it means 'to language' this specific context. The results suggest a relationship between the speakers' degrees of language awareness and the degrees of agency they may assume. The paper argues for re-evaluating the speakers' role as constructors of what we traditionally understand as 'language'.
Why is it important?
The paper gives insight into how contextual factors (e.g. interlocutor, setting, language frameworks) become meaningful to the individual participant's language practice. With their focus on their experiences, the results allow for a better understanding of the speakers' embeddedness in specific situational contexts and the wider context of migration. This is important, as it helps to spot where speakers feel restricted by established (language) practices and how they ressolve emergent challenges of communication.