Willingness to Communicate, Multilingualism and Interactions in Community Contexts

By (author) Alastair Henry, Dr. Peter D. MacIntyre

Publication date:

10 October 2023

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

234x156mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781800411944

This book presents the findings of an in-depth qualitative longitudinal investigation into the willingness to communicate (WTC) of individuals who, through varying migration channels, left one cultural/linguistic context to make a new life in another. It examines communication behaviours and language choice in multilingual community contexts and emphasises how even the most trivial of communication events are embedded in histories of previous communication and are influenced by emotions connected with a person’s overall life situation. The book fills a gap in contemporary WTC research by examining how WTC operates in multilingual community contexts. Through the use of a complexity lens and the presentation of a revised 3D pyramid model, the authors demonstrate the dynamic nature of WTC and shed new light on processes that affect communication, migration and well-being. This book will be of interest to researchers seeking to explore individual differences using context sensitive and temporally focused designs.

Figures and Tables

Acknowledgements

Jean-Marc Dewaele: Foreword: From Two to Three Dimensions in WTC Research

Part 1: The WTC Construct and the Research Frontier

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. The Pyramid Model and the Dynamic Turn in WTC Research

Part 2: The Research Project

Chapter 3. Language Choice and Willingness to Communicate in a Swedish Context

Chapter 4. The Project Design and the Research Process

Chapter 5. The Participants

Part 3: Stories of Interactions in Community Contexts

Chapter 6. Developmental Dynamics: Kesu, Maria and Jessie

Chapter 7. Linguistic Self-Efficacy and Communication Willingness: Wafaa

Chapter 8. Willingness to Communicate and the Challenges of Tied Migration: Olivia and Titly

Chapter 9. Willingness to Communicate and Translanguaging Ideologies: Pranisha and Sabrina

Part 4: Syntheses, Conceptualisations and Ethics

Chapter 10. At a Specific Time, with a Specific Person or Persons, Using a L2 (or Mix of Languages)

Chapter 11. Introducing a 3D Model of the WTC Pyramid

Chapter 12. The Probability of Initiating Communication, Given Choice and Opportunity

Chapter 13. The 'Ethics of Walking Alongside': Ethical Engagement When Studying a Process in Motion

Conclusion

References

Index

This is an outstanding report of qualitative longitudinal case studies that illuminate L2/L3 WTC development in immigrant women. Momentary fluctuations in WTC are zoomed in on and then out to showcase stories embedded in macro-social contexts. The expansion of the WTC Model to multilingual 3D graphics is a stimulating addition to WTC literature.