WP161 Monsters, myths and Multilingual Creativity

This article sets out the emergent sector of ?Multilingual Creativity?, the innovative range of initiatives which engage with the complexity and huge potential of multilingualism amongst young people. Instead of seeing multilingualism as simply the coexistence of different languages within the same space, Multilingual Creativity explicitly focuses on hybrid linguistic practices referred to as ?plurilingualism?. While dominant paradigms of language teaching (such as EAL, MFL and Community Languages) tend to envisage monolingual contexts for language use, the projects explored in this article allow for individuals? broader linguistic repertoires to be enlisted within creative endeavours, much as they are within the purposeful interactions of real everyday life. Using examples from different projects, I show how Multilingual Creativity can challenge established dogmas about languages and how they should be taught. I end by highlighting the need for more projects which acknowledge the complexities of multilingual learning, as well as more practitioners with the skills to implement them.