Contextualization

Contextualization is a process of assigning meaning to an utterance or text based on context.

Bible translation

Main article: Contextualization (Bible translation)

Contextualization is used in the study of Bible translations in relation to their relevant cultural settings.

The word continues to be used theologically, mainly in the sense of contextualising the biblical message as perceived in the missionary mandate originated by Jesus in the gospel accounts.

Sociolinguistics

Contextualization is a word first used in sociolinguistics to refer to the use of language and discourse to signal relevant aspects of an interactional or communicative situation. Basil Bernstein (1990) uses (re)contextualization when referring to the reformulation of scientific knowledge in pedagogical contexts, for instance in textbooks. John Gumperz (1982a, 1982b) and others in interactional sociolinguistics study subtle 'contextualization cues', for instance intonation, that allow language users to infer contextually adequate meanings of discourse (see also Eerdmans, Prevignano & Thibault, 2002).

See also

• Inculturation
• Indigenous church mission theory

Recommended reading

• Bernstein, B. (1990). Class, codes and control. Vol. IV. The structuring of pedagogic discourse. London: Routledge.
• Eerdmans, S., Prevignano, C., & Thibault, P. (2002). Language and interaction. Discussions with J. J. Gumperz. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
• Gumperz, J. J. (1982). Discourse strategies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Gumperz, J. J. (Ed.). (1982). Language and social identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.