Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

English

Advisor

Ira Shor

Committee Members

Amy J. Wan

Jessica Yood

Keywords

composition / rhetoric, translingualism, pedagogy, writing studies

Abstract

This project looks to understand the linguistic and rhetorical concepts grouped under the labels of “translingualism” and “translanguaging” by situating these ideas within debates within the philosophy of language and social performativity. The goal is to understand what the theoretical implications are of the claim that named national languages do not exist linguistically, and, in turn, to conceptualize how uses of language that exceed—or go beyond—the borders of named national languages function within social and institutional settings. I suggest that linguistic practices that are meaningful and do not cohere to the conventions of named national languages are best understood within their highly contextualized conditions of production and reception. I finally outline a pedagogical theory that aims to ground composition and rhetoric education within a rhetorical framework premised on the development of students’ metacognitive skills.

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