37.2845, FYI: CFP: Representing Bilingualism on American Television (Edited volume)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2845. Tue Sep 08 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2845, FYI: CFP: Representing Bilingualism on American Television (Edited volume)

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Date: 04-Sep-2026
From: James G. Mitchell [james.mitchell at salve.edu]
Subject: CFP: Representing Bilingualism on American Television (Edited Volume)


>From codemixing to bullet captioning to enregisterment to full
dual-language or multilanguage productions, the ways in which
bilingualism is represented on television has begun to evolve. More
and more bilingual characters and content including bilingual
interactions have proliferated on the small screen. Indeed,
researchers, producers, and fans are all acknowledging the value of
multiple languages on the small screen for everything from cognitive
benefits to marketing to wider audiences, to more subtle and positive
portrayals of bilingual community members who do indeed watch (and
subscribe to) television.
When watching our favorite programs featuring bilingual portrayals, we
may wonder if current trends countervail previous instantiations of
bilinguals and bilingualism or do they reinforce previous ideas. Are
we seeing a shift from a deficit-based view of bilingualism as a
problem to a more positive, normalized portrayal of bilingualism as an
asset? What cultural messages do current depictions of bilingualism
convey? With these questions in mind, we invite book chapter proposals
from various (inter)disciplinary perspectives that consider
representations of bilingual speakers and bilingualism on American
television.* Topics may include but are not limited to, for example:
- Portrayals of interactions employing code-switching, code-mixing,
code-meshing, and/or translanguaging,
- Use of subtitles in bilingual interactions or how these uses and
users have changed over time,
- How portrayals of bilingualism are different today than they have
been in the past,
- Analyses of bilingual representation in current popular television
and streaming media,
- What messages the inclusion of bilingual characters or content
convey to audiences,
- How portrayals of bilingual speakers reinforce or challenge dominant
linguistic hierarchies,
- Representations of language policing, English-only policies, or
institutional attitudes toward bilingualism, and
- How bilingual viewers respond to television representations of their
languages and cultures, including critiques of authenticity and calls
for better representation.
This call is for an edited volume. We are in conversation with
potential publishers, and accepted abstracts may be included as part
of our formal proposal to them. We will keep contributors informed of
the volume's status as the proposal process moves forward.
Please send an abstract (max. 300 words) to both editors (e-mail
addresses below) by October 15, 2026. We will reach out to authors
within one month. If accepted, full chapters of 6000-8000 words will
be expected by January 31, 2027.
James G. Mitchell: james.mitchell at salve.edu
Anyeliz Pagán-Muñoz: apaganm at bayamon.inter.edu
* Our definition of American television is broad, including
traditional broadcast as well as streaming episodic series. Papers
that grapple with globalization and the concept of American television
are welcome, but they should focus on content directly available on
American streaming platforms and marketed on some level for American
audiences.  Thus, for example, a French television show available by
special purchase on a streaming platform does not count, but a French
television show featuring bilingual and American characters widely
consumed by U.S. audiences does. Also, studies of American audiences
consuming bilingual television from around the world may work. Contact
the authors for clarification.

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                     Discourse Analysis
                     General Linguistics
                     Language Acquisition
                     Sociolinguistics




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