Developing intentionality and researching multilingually: An ecological and methodological perspective

TL;DR: It is suggested that the combination of an ecological perspective and a focus on intentionality provides a unique methodological understanding of researching multilingually.

Abstract: This paper uses an ecological perspective to understand a researcher's developing intentionality vis-a-vis her multilingual engagement with research processes, namely, ‘researching multilingually’. The paper discusses ecological thinking in Applied Linguistics, ecological themes present in the literature addressing aspects of researching multilingually, and the particular understanding of intentionality we have employed. The potential of intentionality as an heuristic for understanding researching multilingually is explored with reference to a recent research experience of one of the authors – Xiaowei Zhou. This includes analyses of Xiaowei's developing awareness of linguistic possibilities, associated research-relevant affordances, and her articulation of the intentionality of researching multilingually. We suggest that the combination of an ecological perspective and a focus on intentionality provides a unique methodological understanding of researching multilingually. 本文从生态视角出发，对一个研究者在开展研究的多语探索——亦即“使用多语开展研究”——过程中不断发展的意向性进行探讨。本文对应用语言学中的生态思考、与使用多语开展研究相关的各类文献中的生态主题、以及我们对意向性的具体理解进行逐步讨论。本文接着以作者之一——周晓薇——的近期研究经历为个案，阐述意向性可怎样作为一种有用的启发式研究法帮助理解使用多语开展研究的过程。此部分陆续分析晓薇在语言选择方面逐步发展的意识、对与之相关的研究可供性的探索、以及对使用多语开展研究的意向性所进行的表述。我们最后提出，将生态视角和对意向性的注重相结合，可以为理解使用多语开展的研究过程提供一个独特的方法论视角。