The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of implementing the language socialization approach in multimodal literacy practices. This paper begins by briefly introducing and discussing the language socialization paradigm, such as the brief history, methodological principles, and research contexts. Then, it is discussed how language socialization research has studied multiple semiotic resources of meaning-making in terms of two broad categories: linguistic- and multimodal resources. Additionally, the paper presents how analytic attention to multiple semiotic modes is used and contributes to language socialization research. Finally, the paper discusses how language socialization research theory, methods, and findings relate to multimodality; it address ways in which the language socialization approach frames multimodality, and vice versa.

The contributions of teachers in building foundation of social processes, promoting learners’ agency and engagements have been constantly highlighted. This study explores language socialization of English Language Learners (ELLs) in an elementary school in U.S., focusing on the role of an ESL teacher. It examines how the ESL teacher provides linguistic and cultural scaffolding, and creates a learning environment conducive to ELLs’ socialization into American school academic discourse (Gee, 1999). A prevalent approach for linguistic scaffolding was through using questions. Questions were used for assessment, identifying prior knowledge, current understanding level, and potential level for future development, and to train ELLs to think critically and analytically. Cultural scaffolding was made through classroom scripts, such as whole group and small group activities, individual work with teacher assistance, and working locations in the classrooms. The classroom script projected American values of power functioning, respect for individuals, and freedom of choice. The findings imply that ESL learners need more than linguistic scaffolding and having the knowledge of cultural learning dynamics could be crucial in multicultural students’ socialization into the mainstream American school discourse.

Ahn June-hui. 2016. “Language socialization of politeness in a Korean preschool”. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 24(1). 175~211. This paper examines language socialization practices regarding politeness in a Korean preschool. In particular, it analyzes linguistic and paralinguistic features of politeness that teachers emphasize in their everyday discourses with children, and examines the ways that children reproduce or reconstruct these features and other linguistic resources in their peer talk. The analysis of teacher-children discourses shows that teachers emphasize pragmatic features of politeness such as polite forms of request, politeness routines, soft voices, high pitch, and rising intonations while not correcting inappropriate and ungrammatical uses of honorifics. Moreover, the analysis of children's peer talk demonstrates that children strategically use various linguistic and paralinguistic features of politeness to address goals of their culture-laden peer worlds such as pursuit of power and authority, alliance formation, or evasion of adult control. These findings are discussed in relations to language socialization research, studies on Korean politeness, and research on peer talk.

Lee, Gi-ven․Song, Mi-jeong. 2011. Language Socialization Practices of Seven Adolescents of Korean Heritage in the US. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea, 20(1). pp. 135-159. This study explores cultural and linguistic practices, identity negotiation, and power dynamics manifested in language socialization practices in a recreational setting of seven high school and college students of Korean heritage currently residing in the US. In conjunction with interviews, audio-tapings and observations of these students' weekly basketball games serve as the data sources. Analyses of data demonstrate that the basketball game offers a prime context for these students to speak Korean, practice Korean sociocultural values and rules, negotiate their identity, and establish their own position in the group. While they all speak English for the majority of time in their day-to-day interactions, the students mostly use Korean in the basketball setting, particularly when talking about Korea-related topics. In terms of negotiating their ethnic identity, the Korean-born students seem to negotiate their identity more strictly than the US-born students, who appear to negotiate their identity more ambiguously and flexibly. Also, the power and authority to control the interaction seems to depend upon the symbolic and material resources that the students own.