Negotiating figurative language from literary texts: second-language instruction as a dual literacy practice

Abstract

The aim of this article is to contribute knowledge about how figurative language from literary texts is negotiated through oral interaction in second-language instruction. The material consists of transcriptions of recordings from a classroom study of basic adult second-language instruction involving two teachers and their two student groups. Theories of semantic waves and discursive mobility are used to explore and visualize discursive shifts between concrete and condensed abstract meanings. The results show a varied use of linguistic resources, where students' contributions often serve as a bridge between the teachers' concrete examples and abstract paraphrases in which lexical metaphors interplayed with grammatical metaphors. In some exchanges, characters and events in the literary texts were significantly expanded upon in the interaction as they were used as contextual resources. The study sheds light on second-language instruction as a dual disciplinary literacy practice, involving both language learning and the study of literary texts.

Joining the adventures of Sally Jones – Discursive strategies for providing access to literary language in a linguistically diverse classroom

“…This variable describes activities in specific areas of lived experience, such as seafaring, and the people and things involved in these activities. A more general feature of literary texts is the use of literary descriptions, involving metaphors and expanded noun groups ( Martin & Rose, 2008 ;Walldén & Nygård Larsson, 2021a ). One example from the book used in the study is "the most exclusive districts of Istanbul".…”

“…One of the changes in a recently implemented revision of the national curriculum specific for Swedish as a second language 1 (SSL) ( Skolverket, 2022 ) is that the teaching should focus on the "words and expressions" of literary texts. The wording is not present in the corresponding curriculum from subject Swedish, which indicates the extra linguistic support expected in teaching the majority language from a second-language perspective ( Hedman & Magnusson, 2020 ;Walldén & Nygård Larsson, 2021a ). While this seems to align with a literacy paradigm in language arts education ( Gourvennec et al, 2020 ), there is nothing in the curriculum indicating either the nature of these words and expressions or how they should be highlighted in teaching practice to support engagement with literary texts in linguistically diverse classrooms.…”

“…An important resource for this learning is the oral interaction in peer group and whole-class settings, in which subject-related wordings can be "unpacked" and "repacked" and various discourses and modes can be bridged through interactional scaffolding ( Gibbons, 2006 ;Macnaught et al, 2013 ;Maton, 2014 ;Nygård Larsson, 2018 ). This discourse-bridging interaction can be considered especially beneficial for second-language learners' meaning making and language development, since it promotes and sustains a dual focus on disciplinary content and the linguistic resources necessary to participate in disciplinary literacy practices (e.g., Walldén & Nygård Larsson, 2021a ). The ability to move between and within discourses has also been described as a discursive mobility ( Nygård Larsson, 2011, which can be seen as both a teaching strategy in lin-guistically diverse classrooms and feature of all meaning making through language and other semiotic resources.…”

“…Our approach in the present study differs since we focus on discursive strategies used by teachers to support students' understanding of literary language that may be common in classrooms but unexplored in research. In part, we build on a previous study ( Walldén & Nygård Larsson, 2021a ) that showed discursive shifts when adult second-language students and their teachers were engaged in explanations of figurative expressions encountered in literary texts. The participating teachers employed several discursive strategies, such as repeating the expressions, rephrasing them concretely and abstractedly, and making meaningful connections to the literary texts.…”

Revamping Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle in Classroom Practice: Negotiating Stereotypes, Literary Language, and Outdated Values

“…In such classrooms, it is important to consider how the negotiation of linguistic hurdles plays a part in the re-appropriation of old books. Robert Walldén (2020;Walldén & Nygård Larsson, 2021), in his study of adult second language education, highlighted how the social practice of reading a novel in the target language revolved to a considerable extent around the need to understand words and expressions in the book. In contrast to the frequently expressed concerns that literature has been reduced to a vehicle for language development (e.g., Carroli, 2008), the study found that the teachers' explanations of the literary language seemed central to the students' making meaning of the book.…”