Cross-linguistic pedagogy, which involves using multiple languages in classrooms to foster literacy development by providing a ‘bridge between languages,’ has recently gained significant attention in educational research (Ballinger et al., 2017, p. 46). An interesting notion emerged within this is of ‘pedagogical translanguaging’, which highlights the benefits of ‘planned and systematic use of two languages in the same lesson’, for teaching a second-language while also promoting biliteracy (Lewis et al., 2012, p. 643). Remarkably, traditional pedagogies within locally situated South Asian regions exemplify similar existence of diverse cross-linguistic method to teach languages to non-native speakers, leveraging their mother tongue as a ‘bridge’ or ‘scaffold’. This blog post summarises an exploratory study on a cross-linguistic pedagogical approach that integrates students’ mother tongue to teach Arabic reading (Bohra, 2024).

Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, an Arabic university in India, provided a typical context to explore the potential of a cross-linguistic pedagogy integrating Arabic with students’ mother tongue and a local community vernacular, ‘Lisan-al-Dawat’. Practised since the 18th century, its curriculum prioritises reading comprehension of classical Arabic texts through read-aloud exercises, supported by strategic translation in their mother tongue. Exploration of the pedagogy revealed various intricacies of this approach described by Syedi Najmuddin (1976, p. 23) as a ‘specially evolved method, tested over time for teaching Arabic’.

Developing biliteracy

The case study explored whether a cross-linguistic approach, bridging two typographically similar languages (that is, Arabic and Lisan-al-Dawat) through a strategic and concurrent use could potentially provide a scaffold for learning Arabic, while reinforcing mother tongue literacy as well. This was investigated by exploring instances of biliteracy development across four dimensions of Hornberger’s (2003) Continua of Biliteracy Model.

Figure 1: Hornberger’s Continua of Biliteracy Model

Source: Hornberger (2003)

First, the ‘contexts’ of language learning within Aljamea’s classroom reflect a sociocultural framework that promotes ‘additive bilingualism’, where cultural and academic significance of both languages promote biliteracy in policy and practice. Second, planned and structured exposure to both languages utilises the ‘media of biliteracy’ by highlighting structural and lexical similarities and leveraging students’ prior knowledge of script, phonetics and lexicon. This, in turn, reduces cognitive load during reading and comprehension, while concurrently developing proficiency in both languages. Third, the ‘content’ comprising culturally contextualised Arabic texts taught through the strategic translation/explanation method, enriches students’ literacy in both vernacular and literary forms. Finally, bilingual teaching/learning strategies of translation and cognate recognition promote positive transfer between languages, enhancing students’ linguistic repertoire and metalinguistic awareness. Overall, this aligns with Hornberger’s (2003, p. 26) notion that the more the contexts of language learning enable students to ‘draw on all points of the continua, the greater are the chances for their full biliterate development’.

‘Planned and structured exposure to both languages utilises the “media of biliteracy” by highlighting structural and lexical similarities and leveraging students’ prior knowledge of script, phonetics and lexicon.’

Implications and future directions

This study challenges critiques of ‘traditional methods’ of Arabic teaching in India, often undermined as grammar-focused and reliant on teacher-centric approaches (Facchin, 2019, p. 91). It highlights the scope to rethink the value of traditional pedagogies amid the growing interest in translanguaging and cross-linguistic approaches. While evidence-based practices like ‘scaffolding’ and ‘bridging’ are advocated in contemporary research on language education, locally situated educational spaces have applied such techniques for centuries; however, in their own cultural and legitimate context. Addressing challenges in multilingual classrooms and the attrition of minority languages, such exploratory studies on biliteracy could be valuable in reaffirming the value of traditional methods to provide potential ‘teachable’ and ‘learnable’ strategies for a ‘win-win situation of additive bilingualism’ (Reyes, 2012, p. 313).

Future research could also investigate cross-linguistic strategies for South Asian Arabicate languages (Green, 2023), or explore global contexts like Urdu and Persian, as well as typologically distant or similar native-target language pairs of global languages. Replicating this study across diverse linguistic contexts could further research on ‘translanguaging’, while also re-exploring the value of many vernacular ‘traditions’ within locally situated minority spaces. As Butzkamm and Caldwell (2009, p. 60) assert, ‘One can only wonder at the arrogance of modern writers who boldly claim that “traditional” methods have “failed“ without even knowing them.’

References

Ballinger, S., Lyster, R., Sterzuk, A., & Genesee, F. (2017). Context-appropriate crosslinguistic pedagogy: Considering the role of language status in immersion education. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 5(1), 30–57. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.5.1.02bal

Bohra, M. (2024). Developing biliteracy: An exploratory case study of teaching Arabic reading through a cross-linguistic pedagogical approach (Unpublished MA dissertation Brunel University of London).

Butzkamm, W. & Caldwell, J. (2009). The bilingual reform: A paradigm shift in foreign language teaching. Narr Dr. Gunter.

Facchin, A. (2019). Teaching Arabic as a foreign language: Origins, developments and current directions. Amsterdam University Press.

Green, N. (2023). Introduction: Arabic as a South Asian language. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 55(1), 106–121. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743823000442

Hornberger, N. H. (Ed.) (2003). Continua of biliteracy: An ecological framework for educational policy, research, and practice in multilingual settings. Multilingual Matters.

Lewis, G., Jones, B., & Baker, C. (2012). Translanguaging: Origins and development from school to street and beyond. Educational Research and Evaluation, 18(7), 641–654. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2012.718488

Reyes, I. (2012). Biliteracy among children and youths. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(3), 307–327. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.022

Syedi Najmuddin, Y. (1976). Arabic as a Language. In Wilson Philological Endowment Lectures 1976, University of Bombay.