From monolingual decoding to translingual semiotics: a Hallidayan framework for multilingual literacy development

This theoretical framework proposal articulates a developmental model for multilingual literacy, grounded in Hallidayan systemic functional linguistics (SFL). Rather than presenting empirical validation, the work employs illustrative cross-linguistic cases to explicate how metafunctional mediation (ideational, interpersonal, textual) structures translingual meaning-making. Positioned explicitly as a theoretical construct, it outlines key mechanisms of semiotic negotiation across linguistic boundaries while proposing a roadmap for future empirical scrutiny. Central to this framework is the recognition that adaptive modifications are requisite for contextual validity – particularly across typologically diverse language pairs and sociocultural contexts. Case analyses, such as French-English idiomatic translation and Spanish-English discourse realignment, illustrate how SFL's tripartite functions may mediate cognitive transitions, revealing multilingual literacy not as linear skill accumulation but as a synergistic interplay of linguistic and extra-linguistic sign systems. The study advances SFL's application in multilingual contexts and contributes to anti-essentialist language education policies by demonstrating how cross-lingual competence emerges from the dynamic interplay of ideational, interpersonal, and textual functions.