Dynamics of play: evolving language socialization and intercultural competence for Arabic–English bilinguals

Within the Muslim community in the United States, there are ethnolinguistically diverse practices due to the members' diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This article examines how spontaneous cooperative roleplay for two Arabic–English sibling bilinguals is used as a reflection/manifestation of the cultural and religious traditions acquired through the language socialization practices from their communities. Out of a large corpus, data for this article came from 20 h of selected video interactions of dramatic play at home as well as field observations of their practices in the community school. Also, a retrospective semi-formal interview was conducted with the older sibling to delve deeper into the roles they performed and reenacted in roleplay. To probe into the data, tenets from Sociocultural Theory and Language Socialization Theory were used to shed light on simultaneous bilinguals' language development and bicultural knowledge. A qualitative analysis guided by inquiry as a parent-researcher shows how play is relational. It also illustrates the developmental evolution of children's intercultural competence as Arabic–English bilinguals who are growing up in a diverse multiglossic Arabic-speaking community. Furthermore, the present study demonstrates how the participants artistically formed an 'imagined world' or 'third space' in which their hybrid identities continue to grow.