This article examines the processes by which different dialogical positionalities are taken in the contact zone. The contact zone provides a framework for the consideration of potential confrontations and uncertainties during intercultural contacts between migrant children, their family, and another adult. The other adult is usually someone in a position of authority. For young people who language broker, managing the uncertainties and confrontations of conflictual situations highlighted three positionalities: (a) “conflict avoider,” (b) “the neutral or passive broker,” and (c) the “active broker.” The contact zone was a sphere of experience that opened up possibilities for agentic action as well as constraints. The contact zone had the potential to foreground different aspects of their status such as “the child,” “the immigrant,” or the second-language speaker. Equally, the young people took opportunities to utilize these statuses as part of their dialogical positionalities to get the best outcome for them and/or their families. We argue that further exploration of the contact zone within the framing of dialogical positionalities can enable better understanding of critical cultural-development childhoods.

中文翻译：

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“非规范”儿童时期的接触区和对话位置：语言中介人如何处理冲突

本文研究了在接触区域中采用不同对话位置的过程。接触区提供了一个框架，供移徙儿童，其家庭和另一位成年人进行跨文化接触时考虑潜在的对抗和不确定性。另一个成年人通常是有权威的人。对于使用语言经纪人的年轻人，应对冲突局势的不确定性和对抗强调了三种立场：（a）“避免冲突者”，（b）“中立或被动经纪人”和（c）“主动经纪人”。接触区是一个经验领域，为采取代理行动和限制开辟了可能性。接触区有可能展现其地位的各个方面，例如“孩子”，“移民，”或第二种语言。同样，年轻人抓住机会利用这些地位作为其对话立场的一部分，从而为他们和/或其家人取得最佳成果。我们认为，在对话性立场框架内对接触区的进一步探索可以使人们更好地理解关键的文化发展童年。