Language socialization

Language socialization, rooted in linguistic anthropology, is centrally concerned with how learning and growth takes place in and through language. It redefines what it means to know a language, advances an indexical (rather than correlational) view concerning language and culture, enables us to see the acquisition of language forms in a culturally accountable way, and takes ordinary interaction to be the primary sites for learning and socialization. Using ethnography and discourse analysis as its primary research methods, today the language socialization perspective is making significant contributions to applied linguistics by illuminating the process of language and cultural development in not only monolingual settings but also in multilingual, transcultural, transnational spaces by diverse populations, in different modalities, and with various individual and societal goals. It is well positioned to continue to unravel the language and learning trajectories in the increasingly complex realities of globalization, digitization, social change, and social justice.