Using a perspective of the periphery, this paper argues that the phrase ‘multilingual turn’ in Applied Linguistics is a form of current intellectual movement that denies the existence of multilingual practices which were and have been highly vibrant not only in Western countries, but also in most post-colonial countries worldwide. Taking a specific case of a periphery
country (Indonesia), one of the world’s most multilingual and multiethnic countries, I show that the catchphrase ‘multilingual turn’ is a vacuous concept which stands in stark contrast to the multilingual reality of the country. The construct grassroot performativity is proposed to illustrate the complexity of
linguistic practices that people in the multilingual country engage in to display ‘mundane identity work’ (Blommaert 2013). |