Mixing, switching, and languaging in interaction

This chapter provides an overview over current debates about multilingual and post-multilingual interaction. It provides a brief overview over the state of the art in research on multilingualism and introduces new theoretical developments that have challenged previous research, including concepts such as superdiversity and (trans-)languaging. The chapter then analyzes two ethnographic examples from the two fieldsites, which showcase different ways in which multiple semiotic resources are used jointly in interaction. Multilingualism refers to the knowledge or use of two or more languages by the same individual, in the same interaction, in the same community, and/or in the same country. Switching from one language or style to another within an interaction is generally described as codeswitching and can take a variety of forms. The term superdiversity was coined by Steven Vertovec to describe the changing demographics of urban spaces in Europe resulting from new waves of migration from the Global South.