Multilingual discourses and pedagogy in North India

Abstract

Multilingualism in the ethnolinguistically diverse country of India is a reality reflected in national-level policies but even more prevalent in daily conversations and classroom practices. Discourses regarding language in North India reflect a value placed on multilingualism and a distinction between discrete, standardized language and fluid, home-based spoken language. Use of language in pedagogical contexts also reflects this fluidity, providing spaces for multilingual practices irrespective of support from official language policies. These multilingual discourses and practices, when explored ethnographically, as in this chapter, bring to light local perspectives and local participation in language policy and planning (Ricento and Hornberger 1996; Hornberger and Johnson 2007).