By Dr Raqib Chowdhury
Posted Tuesday 3 December, 2024

From the remote mountain villages in far north Vietnam to the tiny remote islands in far east Indonesia, I have spent months travelling. As a language educator with a passion for exploring diverse cultures, I have had the splendid opportunity to bring my personal travel experiences into the academic world. Over the past several years I have been teaching courses on bi- and multilingualism, where I have found that my extensive travels across linguistically diverse countries have significantly enriched my teaching practices. These experiences have allowed me to connect theoretical concepts to real-world contexts in ways that resonate deeply with my students, many of whom have multilingual backgrounds themselves. This story narrates how these travel experiences have informed my teaching and how they have helped students reflect on their own linguistic identities.

The ethnographer in me: Learning from diverse cultures

Teaching a unit like Bi/Multilingualism, which explores the linguistic identity of language learners, particularly in foreign language contexts, and examines how this identity influences their learning experiences can be difficult, especially when there are students from many linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The unit critically engages with the global cultural politics of language, highlighting the hierarchisation of languages based on their perceived economic value. By harnessing the sociolinguistic and cultural diversity of students, the course highlights the significance of their first language while addressing the risks and implications of language loss. Over the years, I’ve encountered students from as many as 14 different linguistic backgrounds in a single classroom. With such a rich tapestry of cultural diversity, I have found that relying solely on theoretical knowledge does not suffice. Ideas such as how the structural and mechanical features of one’s first language can influence thought, or shape cognitive bias, or how minority languages can be at a risk of dying due to systemic neglect, can be difficult to grasp for students who speak the majority language in their countries. Instead, I bring in real-life ethnographic experiences that I have gathered from my travels, which have become a core aspect of my teaching approach.

During my four-month long-service leave in Indonesia, Vietnam, and South Korea, I immersed myself in different languages and cultures, taking notes, interviewing locals, and observing the impact of national policies on minority and endangered languages. These experiences provided invaluable insights into how language policies can affect both individuals and communities. For instance, in my travels through rural Vietnam, I met indigenous communities struggling to preserve their native languages in the face of increasing national pressure to adopt Vietnamese in education. Surprisingly though, these people spoke in intelligible English, acquired through years of close engagement with English-speaking tourists

I have been privileged to engage in encounters that have profoundly challenged my understanding of language acquisition and its complex sociopolitical underpinnings. In the remote village of Ta Phin, North Vietnam, I conducted extended interviews entirely in English with ‘illiterate’ individuals—people who have never set foot in a school, let alone learned to read and write in their own national language, yet managed to communicate fluently in English. I marvelled at the English language of skilled Tongkonan craftsmen in Toraja, South Sulawesi, and conversed with ‘uneducated’ tourist guides in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. I listened to women in Sapa, Vietnam, delicately crafting ethnic handicrafts, as well as septuagenarian fisherman Sefnat Watem from the Island of Waigeo in West Papua, who speaks five languages with remarkable fluency, while his grandchildren, Lince and Samuel, speak only two, including English. These conversations have revealed layers of linguistic richness that defy conventional educational paradigms. I immersed myself in the life of a primary school child in Tan Hiep, a village in the Mekong Delta, witnessing firsthand the ease with which these children navigate multiple languages.

Yet, behind this natural multilingualism lies a disquieting truth—their linguistic diversity is constantly threatened by national education policies that privilege certain languages at the expense of others. Each of these encounters has unsettled my theoretical knowledge, leaving me in awe of how individuals, often labelled as ‘uneducated,’ possess extraordinary linguistic abilities shaped by their unique social and cultural environments and the fragile balance between linguistic empowerment and the systemic forces that risk eroding it.

I have used these encounters to shape discussions in class around topics like linguistic imperialism and minority language revitalisation. The photos and interviews I gathered on these trips have proved to be powerful tools in my teaching, giving students a relatable lens through which to understand complex sociolinguistic theories. These immersive, real-life stories have resonated with students and encouraged them to think critically about their own linguistic identities and experiences.

Bringing the world into the classroom: A global perspective

My travels have not just enriched my knowledge—they have also helped me connect with my students on a personal level. In many ways, they see my experiences as an extension of their own multilingual journeys. When I discuss the implications of minority language suppression, such as the experiences I observed in South Korea with Korean dialect speakers, my students often see parallels in their own lives. This global perspective brings a human face to the political and educational debates around language.

One of the most compelling examples of how this approach works in the classroom comes from a student named Lin, who shared her reflections on the suppression of the Mongolian language in China. Lin, a quiet, majority Han Chinese student from Inner Mongolia, opened up about how her early education had systematically erased her Mongolian language skills in favour of Mandarin. By drawing parallels between Lin’s experience and my observations from Indonesia and Vietnam, we were able to open up a broader discussion in the classroom about language as a tool of power and control.

These discussions challenge students to reflect on their linguistic identities and the socio-political structures that shape them. For many, it’s the first time they have critically engaged with the role that language policies play in shaping access to education and opportunities. Through these stories, my teaching becomes more than just a lesson—it’s an invitation for students to explore their own positionality within the linguistic landscape.

Sparking critical consciousness: Personal stories of language suppression

One of the most rewarding outcomes of this teaching approach is seeing my students develop a deeper, critical consciousness about language. Lin’s story was particularly impactful in this regard. As we explored how national policies in China were actively suppressing Mongolian culture and language, and as I talked about my fear of the loss of ethnic languages in Indonesia and Vietnam from my experiences, Lin began to see herself not just as a passive participant but as someone who had been complicit in the erosion of her own cultural heritage. This realisation had a profound effect on her, as she shared during a class discussion: “I am worried about the Mongolian culture, but I also realised that I am a perpetrator of culture erosion… This unit makes me understand why ‘language is power.’”

“I am worried about the Mongolian culture, but I also realised that I am a perpetrator of culture erosion… This unit makes me understand why ‘language is power.’”

This shift in understanding is exactly what I aim to achieve in my courses. By providing students with relatable, real-life examples of how language suppression works globally, I can help them to critically evaluate their own experiences. Lin’s engagement in this unit prompted her to reflect deeply on her own linguistic journey and sparked critical discussions in class about the tension between national language policies and the survival of minority languages. Her transformation—from a passive observer of language policies to a critical thinker—highlights the power of incorporating travel and ethnographic research into my teaching.

Reflecting on our own linguistic identities: A collaborative journey

As an educator, my goal is not only to teach about language policies but also to create spaces where students can reflect on their own linguistic identities. Through my travels and the stories I bring into the classroom, I encourage students to think about how their own experiences with language are shaped by broader socio-political forces. Whether they come from multilingual backgrounds or have faced language barriers themselves, students often find that these stories resonate deeply with their personal narratives.

One of the most powerful aspects of this approach is how it fosters collaboration and open dialogue. In one class, Lin’s willingness to share her story sparked a series of reflective discussions among her peers, many of whom also came from multilingual backgrounds. These conversations revealed not only the complexities of linguistic identity but also the emotional weight that comes with navigating different languages and cultures.

By providing a platform for these stories, I help students to develop empathy for one another’s experiences while also critically examining their own. This approach helps students become more conscious of their own linguistic privileges or disadvantages, making them more thoughtful and informed participants in global conversations about language and education.

Travelling the world, transforming the classroom

My extensive travels have profoundly shaped how I teach, particularly in courses on bi- and multilingualism. By bringing ethnographic insights and real-life experiences into the classroom, I provide students with a global perspective on language policies and their effects on individuals and communities. This approach not only enhances students’ understanding of sociolinguistic theories but also encourages them to critically reflect on their own linguistic identities and experiences.

In the end, teaching is not just about delivering content—it’s about creating meaningful, engaging spaces for learning. And for me, travelling the world has been a way to bridge the gap between theory and practice, helping students see the real-world implications of what they are learning. Through this journey, I hope to continue inspiring my students to think critically about language, culture, and power, wherever their own linguistic paths may take them.

In the end, teaching is not just about delivering content—it’s about creating meaningful, engaging spaces for learning. For me, travelling the world has been a way to bridge the gap between theory and practice, helping students see the real-world implications of what they are learning.