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Article published In: Language, Culture and Society
Vol. 7:2 (2025) ► pp.144–169

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Insider perspectives and ontological curiosity

A critical look at translanguaging

ORCiD logo with link | Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education University of Waikato
 | Research Strategies Australia
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

This article was made Open Access under a CC BY 4.0 license through payment of an APC by or on behalf of the authors.

Published online: 13 January 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/lcs.25030.gur
Abstract
In this paper, we engage with the concept of translanguaging, situating it as a potentially transformative approach within linguistics, particularly in contexts where the limitations of monolingual and monoglossic frameworks are not only misaligned with, but also detrimental to, the complex realities of language use. However, while translanguaging challenges these frameworks, it risks becoming another form of universalism if not critically examined, and if unthinkingly applied across all contexts. Instead, we advocate for a conception of language as inherently multiple: a simultaneous multiplicity. We propose that language exists in a dynamic, varied array of forms, contingent on its enactment and context. We emphasise the importance of recognising linguistic diversity in its full complexity, moving beyond binaries and attempting to perceive language as it is conceptualised, practiced and performed. This approach calls for a rethinking of linguistic theory, encouraging us towards a more grounded, open and curious understanding of what language is, or might be.
Article outline
  • Introduction: The emergence of translanguaging
    • On translanguaging
    • Translanguaging as a practical theory
    • Translanguaging as critique and emancipation
    • Critiques of translanguaging
  • Insider perspectives and ontological curiosity
    • The way out of the labyrinth: Language as a simultaneous multiplicity
  • Notes
  • References
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