Lexa Frail, our guest blogger this week, is always working on a writing project of some sort, be it linguistic analysis or some variety of found-family fantasy fiction. She recently earned her M.A. in Applied Linguistics from Concordia University, coming from a background in American Sign Language, translation, and interpretation. Her research interests include plurilingualism, critical sociolinguistics, language and identity, and language ideology.
Growing up in a monolingual English-speaking family in the United States, I was always envious of those who spoke multiple languages. I remember (half-jokingly) asking my parents why they didn’t teach me a second language as a child, something I believed to be a requisite for “perfect” bilingual fluency (neither had more than a few years of high school Spanish classes, so I’m not sure how they were supposed to achieve this goal). Nevertheless, other languages and cultures gripped me. When I envisioned the future, I concocted an image of myself speaking at least one additional language, travelling the world, maybe studying abroad. It all seemed a distant dream. I had no contact with speakers of languages other than English at that time. The very idea of a bilingual was mind-blowing, and my concept of it was typical for many: a person with equal competencies in multiple languages, across all domains, seamlessly switching from one to another. It was a flawed understanding of bi-/multilingualism that remains common, particularly among those who grew up in linguistic environments identical to mine.
When I was fourteen, I began studying American Sign Language (ASL) in high school. My fascination with additional languages fuelled a motivation to throw myself into learning. Almost immediately, I developed a habit of spelling out every word that popped into my head, imagining how to structure sentences, envisioning myself conversing smoothly, rapid-fire hands engaging in deep discussions that onlookers would not understand. One day, I swore I’d be able to craft mind-blowing ASL poems and song translations. But while I had motivation, I didn’t have enough contact with native signers at that point. There were a few local meetups that validated my efforts, but aside from that, I only had other L2 learners for feedback. I rose to the top of the class and based my entire perception of myself as an ASL signer around showing off to my peers. After all, I had always envisioned a multilingual version of myself as someone who could impress others.
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