When linguist Sarita Monjane Henriksen arrived on campus as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, she was struck by the similarities between Rutgers-Newark and her homeland of Mozambique.
“I’ve been describing Mozambique as the most linguistically and culturally diverse place. But nothing had prepared me for what I’ve seen here,’’ said Henriksen, a professor at Universidade Pedagógica de Maputo in Mozambique.
Henriksen discovered there were nearly as many languages spoken in Newark as there are in her homeland, where Portuguese is the official language but more than 20 languages are spoken nationwide. These include African languages–Bantu is the most widespread– along with Gujarati, Punjabi, and Mandarin. European languages such as Spanish, German and French are also common.
In Newark, she was surprised to find that multilingual residents and RU-N students spoke many of the same languages, in addition to English.“It’s the most diverse place I’ve been to,’’ said Henrikssen. ”Newark is really the hub for someone who is interested in issues that have to do with intercultural and multilingual diversity,’’
At Rutgers–Newark, Henriksen’s teaching and public lectures explore how societies manage language use in schools, government, and everyday life, a field known as language policy.
“Language policy has to do with decisions that are made by the government, but also with the ways people use language,” she said.
This semester, Henriksen will teach two courses: one in the Department of Urban Education on language, culture, and power, and another drawing on her research in Lusophone countries, where Portuguese is spoken. Newark is home to many immigrants from Portugal and Brazil.
Henriksen is one of 25 Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence selected nationwide for this academic year. The Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program, part of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, allows U.S. colleges and universities to host international scholars for a semester or full academic year to enhance curriculum, support faculty development, and engage local communities, Henriksen is hosted by the P3 Collaboratory for Pedagogy, Professional Development and Publicly-Engaged Scholarship at Rutgers-Newark.
Henriksen, who is a sociolinguist, has studied how Mozambique’s political transformations have affected its linguistic and education landscape. Her work, which includes research collaborations, also focuses on bilingual education. She is studying how it has evolved in the U.S., drawing from her knowledge of the linguistic diversity in Mozambique and how that has played out in schools and public policy.
After Mozambique gained independence from Portuguese colonial rule in 1975, Portuguese became the sole language of instruction nationwide, even though only about 1 percent of the population spoke it as a first language. The decision was justified as a way to promote national unity and avoid exacerbating tribal divisions, said Henriksen. But for many children, it made learning more difficult.
“Most children do not have Portuguese as their mother tongue, especially in rural areas,’’ she said.
The country now uses a bilingual education model, where a child’s mother tongue is used through grades 1-3 before they transition to Portuguese by grade 4.
Over the years, attitudes toward language and education are changing. In the past, a few people believed that it was a waste of resources to incorporate a “dead language’’ in their child’s education, said Henriksen. But now, more people are seeing the value of multilingualism. Academic research and popular musicians who play in their native language, and the role of churches and other community gathering spots, have changed perceptions.
“They understand that language can be about preserving cultures and traditions and ways of living,’’ she said.
Henriksen has been closely observing how language has shaped instruction in Newark’s public schools, where practices reflect a growing awareness of linguistic inclusion, she said.
Teachers work with students from many language backgrounds, use visual displays to acknowledge students’ home languages, and rely on interpreters or language brokers—sometimes other students—to communicate with families.
“The schools are very much having language protocols where multilingual education is encouraged,” she said.
Her work highlights how language policy connects classrooms in Mozambique to schools in Newark—and how multilingualism can be a resource rather than a barrier.
Henriksen points to research showing cognitive and academic benefits of multilingualism. Henriksen, who speaks five languages herself, knows first hand how being bilingual or multilingual can enrich your life.
“I truly believe that speaking languages expands your worldview,” she said. “You start thinking outside the box of one culture. The colors of your garden expand. It’s not just one color, but different ways of looking at the universe.”
