This paper presents methodological reflections from a study using language portraits combined with interviews with a multilingual child over a three-year period. We highlight the connections between the child's linguistic repertoire and her lived experience of her own languaging, identifying challenges and possibilities with the language portrait method.
In this paper, we present methodological reflections on using language portraits to study a child's talk about her multilingual repertoire. Language portraits comprised one method in a larger longitudinal study of the child, Laura. We explored how language portraits could help us understand the connections between Laura's own concepts of her linguistic repertoire and her lived experience of her own languaging as part of her identity construction. We engaged Laura in the task of coloring language portraits five times over a period of three years, from ages 7 to 9. While Laura approached the task of coloring language portraits seriously and thoughtfully, we identified several methodological issues when using language portraits with a child. First, it was clear that we needed time to establish good contact with her, engaging in discussions on other topics before, during and after the task. Through an established relationship, we gained Laura's trust, allowing us more insight into her situation (e.g., school, family, travel). Thus, it was evident that language portraits combined with interviews provided a better understanding of her thoughts and experiences. Second, we identified difficulties in knowing how Laura understood the instructions, terms, and symbols related to the method, and especially if she could imagine a relationship between the body and the linguistic repertoire. This highlighted the researcher's role during the task. Finally, a comparative analysis of the completed language portraits revealed that a development in her approach cannot be discerned, but instead the changes in the portraits mainly concern her way of relating to the task and the purely visual result. Since the language portrait method is often used to a limited extent to illuminate individuals' linguistic repertoires, we call for further studies of the challenges and opportunities the method entails for research into the linguistic repertoires of young multilingual children.
