Languaging

A sociolinguistic concept that reframes language as an ongoing activity rather than a fixed system. Developed by scholars including Alastair Pennycook and Li Wei, languaging treats communication as the dynamic use of all available linguistic and semiotic resources — words, gestures, images, body movements, and cultural references — to make meaning in a specific context. In accessibility and deaf studies, languaging challenges the assumption that sign language translation is a one-to-one mapping between fixed languages, and it underpins the related concept of translanguaging. Understanding languaging helps designers of sign language technologies move beyond rigid interpreting models.