Cecilia Serra Universités de Genève et de Lausanne

1. Expert Seminar on the« Added Value of Multilingualism and Multilingual Education »3 – 4 June 2010, Leeuwarden/Ljouwert, Fryslân, The NetherlandsMetalinguistic processing in CLIL: an interface for cognitive and linguistic development in L1 and in L2 Cecilia Serra Universités de Genève et de Lausanne

2. Premise • Studies on bilingualism and on CLIL-type programmes agree that metalinguistic capacities and cognitive development are more advanced in bilinguals and in CLIL-type students than in equivalent monolingual groups; (Baetens Beardsmore, 1993; Bialystok, 1991; European Commission 2009; Garcia 2009); • However, when it comes to the specific role of « bilingual speech » (Grosjean 1985), i.e. the joint use of L1 and L2 needed to activate underlying cognitive competence, such as metalinguistic awareness, findings and opinions diverge according to the settings: • The use of L1 and L2 is a highlight of bi-plurilingual communication • The role played by L1 in bilingual education is minimized as a transitory side effect of L2 developing competence, and « boundaries have to be kept between the languages »(Baker 2006: 235).

3. Questions • How are thought and language related, that is what is the function of language in the acquisition of concepts? • Is it possible to construct concepts in a developing L2 without the necessary linguistic competences to hand? • What is the impact of learners’ previous knowledge and of L1 in the developmental process?

4. Organization of languages in CLIL • L1 and L2 are the linguistic repertoire shared by the class; • L1 and L2 form a linguistic continuum, where both languages are in the mind, even if the focus is more on L2; • Movement along the continuum gives rise to translanguaging (Garcia 2008), or contact phenomena (code-switching, borrowing, etc.), which allow deeper understandings of subject meaning and linguistic competence to be co-constructed (Gajo & Serra 2000; Serra 2007); • Translanguaging is exploited through metalinguistic activities.

5. The metalinguistic activity • Translanguaging is more than translating L2 by means of L1: Transfer [...] can be considered to be a much broader process than just the extension from one language system to another. It also involves the generalization or use of knowledge from one domain to another(Bialystock & Hakuta 1999: 168) • Alternating L1/L2 in CLIL, fulfils an indexical function (Serra 2009): the choice of the language and the way in which resources from the language are juxtaposed becomes part of the message and not just a vehicle for it(Clyne 2003: 44) • Reformulating in L1 and in L2 are metalinguistic activities of form and meaning negotiation, leading to the meta-cognitive treatement of subject content.

6. History lesson: 1st year of college, L1 = French; L2 = German T Deutschland SCHULdet Frankreich . Wiedergutmachung . Wiedergutmachung . réparation . Deutschland muss für seine . Schuld . . SCHULD . auf Französisch (L2) Germany owes damages to France . damages . (L1) réparation (L2) Germany must for its guilt . guilt in French S1 coupable (L1) guilty T coupable die Schuld genau also schuldEN . die Schuld heisst la culpabilité ok . ich schulde dir etwas . je te DOIS . quelque chose . devoir wie (L1) guilty (L2) guilt right now to owe . Shuld means (L1) guilt ok(L2) I owe you something . (L2) I owe you something. toowe (L2) as S2 Schuld ist auch eine Dette ein Dette une dette (L2) guilt is also a debt (L1) a debt T Schulden sind auch genau huh Geld dass ich ihnen zurückgeben muss genau auch es ist meine Schuld (2 sec) ich schulde dir Geld . es gibt mehrere Aspekte und das Verb schulden ich schulde dir . zehn Franken das heisst ich muss dir noch zehn Franken eh zurückgeben eh ich schulde dir Respekt ich muss respektvoll zu dir sein ok also Deutschland SCHULDET . Frankreich Wiedergutmachung das heisst . das ist eine obligation XX muss das machen Debts are also right huh money that I have to give them back right also it is my debt . I owe you money . there are several aspects and the verb to owe I owe you . ten franks that is I still have to give you ten franks back eh I owe you respect I have to be respectful towards you ok now Germany owes . France damages that means . this is an (L1) obligation (L2) XX must do this

7. Constructing concepts in L2: Vygotski’s scientific concepts • Scientific concepts are consciously developed during teaching/learning content-matter knowledge, but they are not teacheable; • Conceptual development is a process of categorization in which meaning is systematically worked out by way of generalizations towards an integrated web of concepts; • The metalinguistic activity opens up to generalization by successive comparisons and distinctions in a gradually decontextualized use of language; • Scientific concepts are constructed on practical knowledge, or out of spontaneous/everyday concepts.

8. Constructing concepts in L2 withL1: Vygotski’s spontaneous/everyday concepts • Spontaneous/everyday concepts are formed in communicative practice and are neither conscious nor systematic: they are used but not analyzed; • They are relatively underdeveloped relations of language and generality that become increasingly embedded in a network of logical and semantic inter-connections in the process of the development of scientific concepts (Cummins 2000: 61); • L1 conveys not only language, but learners’ spontaneous/ everyday concepts based upon their own experience and prior knowledge, and provides a foundation for interpreting textual and instructional meanings; • The contribution of L1 to the process of conceptual development in L2, and to the related development of the language, can be summarized as conceptual and linguistic mediation.

9. T adesso mi metti mezzogiorno S halb . . T halb . was? [silent] T was ist giorno?9 S Tag T allora? S halb Tag T was ist halb Tag S aha Mittag T [L2] and now you put [the hands on] midday S [L1] half. . T [L1] half... [L2] what? S [silent] T [L1]what is [L2] day? S [L1] day T [L2] then? S [L1] half day T [L1]what is half day? S [L1] ah midday 1st year of primary school: L1 = German; L2 = Italian

10. Organizing concepts and languages in CLIL spontaneous/everyday concepts scientifics concepts metalinguistic activity generalize decontextualize categorize unconscious not analyzed not systematic conscious analyzed web of logic & semantic interconnections L1 familiar transparent not analyzed L2 unfamiliar opaque analyzable code-switching

11. How to improve students’ L1 through CLIL • Categorizing can be taught to arouse students’ representations (everyday concepts) and transform them into scientific concepts by means of conceptual mapping and semantic clusters, in (inter)disciplinary activities (Val d’Aoste); • Metalinguistic development of language pushes students to put their own continuum in use and to test its pertinence (Ecole internationale de Genève, Ecole Montessori); • Making the school’s L1 “unfamiliar” develops competence in this language; • Plurilingual practice and translanguaging in class legitimatize students’ own experience, and supports ethnic and family use.

12. References • Baetens Beardsmore, H. 1999. Consolidating experience in plurilingual education. In : D. Marsh and B. Marsland (eds), CLIL Initiatives for the Millennium. University of Jyväskylä : Continuing Education Centre, 24-30. • Baker, C. (2006). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Clevedon : Multilingual Matters, 4th. • Bialystok, E. 1991. Language processing in bilingual children.Cambridge: Cambridge UP. • Bialystock, E. & Hakuta, K. 1999. Counfounded Age : Linguistic and Cognitive factors in Age Differences for Second Language Acquisition. In : Birdsong, D. (ed) Second Language Acquisition and the Critical Period Hypothesis. New Jersey, London : Lawrence Erlbaum Ass., 161-181. • Clyne, M. (2003) Toward a More Language-Centred Approach to Plurilingualism. In : Dewaele, J.-M., Housen, A. & Li Wei (eds.) Bilingualism : Beyond Basic Principles. Clevedon : Multilingual Matters, 43-55. • Cummins, J. (2000). Language, Power and Pedagogy. Clevedon : Multilingual Matters. • Gajo, L. and Serra, C. (2000). Bilingual Teaching: Connecting Language and Concepts in Mathematics. In: So, D.W.C. and Jones G.M. (eds.) Education and Society in Plurilingual Contexts. • Garcia, O. 2009. Bilingual Education in the 21st Century. A Global Perspective. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. • Grosjean, F. 2001. The bilingual's language modes. In Nicol, J. (ed). One Mind, Two Languages: Bilingual Language Processing (pp. 1-22). Oxford: Blackwell. • Maillat, D. et Serra C. 2008. Bilingual Education and Cognitive Strategies: Can the Obstacle Be the Advantage?. International Journal of Multilingualism,6:2,186 - 206. • Serra, C. 2007. Assessing CLIL at Primary School : A longitudinal Study. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 10/5, 582-602.