English Language Learners negotiating Japanese and English on an online social networking site.

摘要

This study examines multilingual interactions of ELLs on Facebook. Interviews were conducted with four native Japanese speakers, all studying at a university in the northwest United States, and followed by a series of online observations taking place over thirty days. All the participants engaged in types of multilingual negotiation including code-switching, translating, and translanguaging. The unique digital environment of social networking sites provided the ELLs with beneficial language interactions through textual exchanges using Japanese and English. Through these various multilingual negotiations, the participants exhibited their understanding of multiple languages and identities in an online environment. These interactions provided the ELLs with opportunities to have authentic and meaningful experiences with language. Through consistent usage of Facebook, the ELLs integrated themselves in an immersive experience that allowed them to explore, learn, and interact with their online audiences through multilingual negotiation.