Multilingualism triangulated: A systematic method for analysing multilingual contexts

Abstract

In this article we outline a methodology for researching multilingual contexts – the triangulation of analyses. The key point of the methodology is to triangulate analyses carried out by different parties. It is a systematic way of incorporating different perspectives of the same documented communicative event in order to attempt a more holistic understanding of multilingual practices. We propose that the method can be useful to any researcher of multilingualism and applicable in any setting the world over. We describe the method illustrating step-by-step how we use it to investigate multilingual language use in the Casamance, Senegal with examples from our respective research. We conclude discussing how the triangulation method goes hand-in-hand with reflective practice, and thus offer insights into our changed thinking on how to study multilingualism using sociolinguistic, ethnographic-based methods, but most importantly incorporating different points of view.