LINGLINE is a departmental newsletter specific to the interests and concerns of postgraduate students and departmental staff within the Linguistics Department of Macquarie University. LINGLINE aims to help students and staff feel that they are in touch with the Department and its news, as well as with one another, whether one is currently in Sydney or elsewhere in Australia, New Zealand or any of 25 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. LINGLINE welcomes contributions from all students and staff in the Linguistics Department. Please submit notices by email to the editor Tessa Green tgreen@ling.mq.edu.au Any ideas or comments re this newsletter will also be gratefully received and can be directed by email to this site.
Welcome
The start of the academic year for 2006 is almost here. LINGLINE welcomes all new and continuing students and staff to the Linguistics Department at Macquarie University. If you have something you want to say and you think others would find it useful, LINGLINE welcomes your contribution to this newsletter. Please feel free to email me your ideas throughout the year. I look forward to hearing from you and best of luck with your studies for 2006.
Tessa Green
Editor - LINGLINE
tessa.green@ling.mq.edu.au
New head of linguistics at Macquarie
Associate Professor David Hall completed two terms as Head of the Department of Linguistics at the end of 2005. The Department is pleased to announce that Associate Professor Linda Cupples has taken over this role from 1st January 2006 until 31st December 2008.
Welcome to new staff
The Linguistics Department extends a warm welcome to Ms. Jean Brick, Dr. Stephen Moore and Dr. Rachel Varshney. Both Jean and Rachel take up lecturer positions in the area of English for Acacemic/Professional Purposes and Stephen in the area of Applied linguistics.
Welcome party for students
From the Linguistics postgraduate office
The Linguistics Postgraduate Office (Lindy Cooper, Pat Lewis, Robyn Guilmette, Lorraine Whybrow and Kylie Coaldrake) also welcomes new students and looks forward to assisting you with administrative issues as you study with us.
A useful page of details for offices you may need to contact during your studies at Macquarie University can be found at http://www.mq.edu.au/contact/
New students should be aware that for enquiries regarding your enrolment at the University please contact the University's Postgraduate Studies Section. The email address is cclarke@reg.mq.edu.au and the phone number is +61- 2 9850-7341.
Please note that the University won't send any reminders about second semester enrolment which is why we suggest that you make your selection for the whole year at the time of enrolment at the start of the new year.
If you haven't received any re-enrolment papers by late January you should of course contact the Postgraduate Studies Office to determine the reason for the delay. An Enrolment Information booklet will accompany the re-enrolment paperwork. Enrolment Dates for 2006 are:
On campus
16 February A - M - re-enrolling for domestic & international students
17 February N - Z - re-enrolling for domestic & international students
15 February - new domestic students
21 February - new International students
Procedures for Postgraduate Coursework re-enrolment can be found at http://www.mq.edu.au/postgrad/enrolmentinfo.html
Farewell to Rhondda Fahey
It is with much sadness that we recently farewelled a much admired colleague, teacher and friend. Rhondda Fahey retired from Linguistics at Macquarie at the end of 2005. Rhondda's contribution to linguistics, in particular grammar, has been outstanding and has been well-recognised and appreciated by her peers and students alike. Her passion for linguistics has been acknowledged for many years. Rhondda has not only been a recipient of university medal for linguistics but her teaching and commitment to students has earned her the University's Outstanding Teacher Award. Many a student or colleague have learned much from Rhondda's teaching and her knowledge of linguistics. It is with great pleasure we acknowledge Rhondda's contribution to our discipline but with sadness that we say goodbye. We do, however, wish Rhondda great happiness as she moves into a new and exciting phase of her life in Melbourne.
Linguistics research seminars (all welcome)
The first Linguistics Research Seminar for 2006 will be held on March 20 at 11 am in W5C221 and will be given by Dr. Petek Kurtböke. The title for the seminar is: "Lmx Data Network: An experiment in voluntary data collection." Upcoming seminars to include Dr. Stella Neumann, Prof. Jim Coleman, Prof. Anne Burns & John Knox, Maria Herke-Couchman & Prof. Christian Matthiessen and Dr.Verna Rieschild. Information about the 2006 Linguistics Research Seminar Series will be available soon on the Seminar web page http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/research/researchseminars.htm
Writing website for postgraduate students
Linguistics postgraduate students can access LINGPWS The Linguistics Postgraduate Writing-Skills website. This is a resource designed to assist Linguistics students with academic writing. The Unit Content section for the website has six parts:
Part 1. Approaching the Assignment Question
Part 2. Planning Your Assignment
Part 3. Structuring Your Assignment
Part 4. Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism
Part 5. Critical Review Writing
Part 6. Common Questions about Linguistics Assignments
All Linguistics students enrolled in a postgraduate unit (on-campus, external) can now access the site by using their MQ ID and password which every student is given at enrolment. To logon to the website please go to: http://online.mq.edu.au/pub/LINGPWS/ Any staff who don't already have a WebCT account but would like to access this site can request an application form by emailing muotf@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au For further enquiries about the Writing Skills Website, contact Tessa Green tessa.green@ling.mq.edu.au
Writing support for on-campus postgraduate students
The Linguistics Postgraduate Writing Skills Program is designed to help students of linguistics improve their writing and communication skills whilst they are enrolled in postgraduate linguistics subjects. The program outline for Semester One 2006 is outlined below.
Writing Program
Session 1 - Approaching Assignment Questions in Linguistics- (Week 2) Tues 7 March & Wed 8 March
Session 2 - Structuring and Planning Your Assignment - (Week 3) Tues 14 March & Wed 15 March
Session 3 - Developing & Maintaining Your Argument - (Week 4) Tues 21 March & Wed 22 March
Session 4 - Understanding Plagiarism & Referencing - (Week 5) Tues 28 March & Wed 29 March
Session 5 - Critical Reviews & other Written Assignments - (Week 6) Tues 4 April & Wed 5 April
Speaking and Listening Seminars
Session 1 - Speaking & Listening Skills Seminar 1 - (Week 3) Thurs 16 April – 5 pm – 7 pm
Session 2 - Speaking & Listening Skills Seminar 2 - (Week 4) Thurs 23 April – 5 pm – 7 pm
Presentation Skills Workshops
Workshop 1 - Presentation Skills Workshop 1 (Week 9) Thursday 11 May - 6 pm – 8 pm
Workshop 2 - Presentation Skills Workshop 2 (Week 10) Thursday 18 May – 6 pm – 8 pm
Workshop 3 - Presentation Skills Workshop 3 (Week 11) Monday 25 May – 6 pm – 8 pm
For further information on the timetable and for instructions about how to enrol go to http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/support/writing_skills/on_campus.htm
From the Audiology Clinic
New clinical services offered in the Audiology Clinic, Linguistics Department, C5A 5th floor x 8746
The audiology clinic offers diagnostic hearing assessments for children and adults. The clinic has been fitting hearing aids for many years, and clinical staff have experience with a wide range of products, focusing mainly on new developments in the field. The clinic aims to provide hearing aids from a wide range of manufacturers, keeping up to date with new developments in the field. A new area of clinical service for the clinic is that of Tinnitus (annoying ringing in the ears). This is an area of concern for many people – some of whom have normal hearing and others of whom suffer from tinnitus in association with hearing loss. The audiology clinic is working in conjunction with the Rod Power Psychology Clinic on campus as well as with Neuromonics Ltd, a company that has developed the latest tinnitus treatment approach to emerge in Australia. Specialist audiologists will assess suitability for the various forms of treatment available and tailor this to individual needs. Those with hearing loss that affects communication may benefit from individualised counselling and communication training that is offered by the clinic.
The clinic operates from throughout the year from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Four full time clinical audiologists and one manager, also a clinical audiologist, provide services to members of the university community, and the public. The clinic serves as a teaching clinic during semester time. It is also the research site currently used by PhD students investigating aspects of professional communication. Staff and student discounts for audiology services apply.
Please contact the clinic reception (x8746) or manager (Louise Reynolds x8724) for further information, or visit the website at http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/clinics/audiology.htm
From the Centre for Language in Social Life (CLSL)
- We will be kicking off our CLSL Wednesday lunchtime seminars for 2006 with a presentation of his recent work on Theme by Associate Professor Manabu Kuroda, who has been visiting Macquarie from the Foreign Language Center, Tokai University, Japan. Manabu's presentation will be at 12 noon (see abstract below) and we will follow with an informal lunch. All welcome. Contributions to the lunch are welcome - we will also secure some simple provisions.
Speaker: Manabu Kuroda
Topic: Theme as a Resource Enabling Generic Purposes: The Functions of Themes Seen in English Written Argument*.
Date: Wednesday February 15
Time: 12 -1 (talk); 1-2 (lunch
Venue: CLSL, Room 441, C5A Fourth Floor, Macquarie UniversityAbstract: This study is motivated mainly by Peter Fries' remark "as the author changes task and responds to different pressures, the Themes of the clauses of the text will reflect and encode those changes" (1995:355). The present paper explores the relation between the Theme and the generic structure recognised in a written argumentative activity (Letter-to-the Editor) of two different disciplines (socio-economy and natural science) from the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistics. The Theme analyses conducted in this study are based on two systemic dimensions of meanings: (1)Theme as experiential message orienter, where the analysis focuses on similarities and differences, across generic stages and between two disciplines, in the use of the experiential quantum of Themes, and (2)Theme as persuasion operator, where the analysis explicates the use of interpersonal matafunction of Themes in the generic structure. The paper concludes that if Theme is a crucial element to argumentative genre, the experiential and the interpersonal (1st order) aspects of the generic purpose of a text should be actualised by the deployment of different metafunctional quanta of Themes throughout the text. (In this seminar, I will discuss a core part of the total of my study.) *This project was conducted at Macquarie University during my sabbatical leave (April, 2005 to March, 2006) from Tokai University, Japan.
For further enquiries, please contact Dr. Alison Moore, phone +612 9850 9182 amoore@ling.mq.edu.au www.ling.mq.edu.au/clsl - The Centre for Language in Social Life and the Centre for Middle East and North African Studies at Macquarie (http://www.mq.edu.au/mec/) will be hosting a talk by one of the world's most decorated foreign correspondent, Robert Fisk, on March 10th, 2006, in the Mason Theatre, E7B, starting at 7.30pm.
Robert Fisk has been awarded the British Journalist of the year seven times, and the Amnesty International UK Press Award two times. He is currently the Middle East correspondent for the London Independent newspaper. Now based in Beirut, he was one of the few journalists to stay in Lebanon during the civil war and provided one of the now classic accounts of the period in his book Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War. He has covered conflicts in the Middle East from 1976, including the Iranian revolution, Arab-Israeli conflicts, the Gulf wars, the Iran-Iraq wars, and the ongoing consequences of September 11 in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was one of very few western journalist to report the invasion of Iraq as a 'unilateral' (i.e. not an embedded journalist). He is also one of the few western journalists to have interviewed Osma bin Laden. Fisk has published a new book, which provides his own kind of journalist's contemporary history of the Middle East. One of things that distinguishes his journalism is his attention to the role of language in the construction of experience - his chapter on the armaments industry will be in the LING109 reader for semester 1 this year. Here's a quote:
"I regularly prowled the arms bazaars of the Middle East, seeking an answer to the same old questions. Who are the men who produce this vile equipment? How can they justify their trade? How will the victims respond to this pulverisation of their lives? What language can compass science and death and capital gains on such a scale? For there is, I was to discover in Abu Dhabi, an integral, frightening correlation between linguistics and guns, between grammar and rockets. It's all about words.
For further enquiries, pleases contact Dr. Annabelle Lukin annabelle.lukin@ling.mq.edu.au
From the Academic and Professional Communication Unit (APCU)
The Academic and Professional Communication Unit (APCU) brings together under a single administrative structure in the Department of Linguistics staff with research-based expertise in the areas of:
- writing skills
- English for academic purposes
- language for specific purposes
- professional communication
- presentational skills
- applied discourse analysis
- adult literacies.
Their aim is to work collaboratively with individual Divisions and Departments to identify research and deliver practical responses to their specific language and communication needs.
APCU is currently seeking expressions of interest from appropriately qualified and experienced persons who would like to join a register for potential work in a variety of areas, including research, teaching, administrative and support roles. For further information contact Tessa Green, the APCU Program Manager on (02) 9850 6875 or email tessa.green@ling.mq.edu.au
From the Speech, Hearing and Language Research Centre (SHLRC)
- Dr. Sallyanne Palethorpe and Dr. Felcity Cox have received an MQ Safety Net grant: Australian English Pronunciation in the 19th Century $19548.
- Dr Felicity Cox was also interviewed on Today Tonight on Australia Day about regional variation in Australian English.
From the NCELTR Resource Centre
New students please be advised that the NCELTR Resource Centre is a specialist TESOL and applied linguistics library situated on the campus in W6B Room 382. We are open weekdays 9 am - 5 pm and provide a number of services to the students and staff of the Linguistics Department. These include:
- Loans of books, kits, AV materials
- A large collection of journals in TESOL and applied linguistics
- Photocopying facilities (you will need a photocopy card - available for the main library)
- Access to library catalogue and online databases
- Journal Watch table of contents alerting service delivered to distance students and interested staff
- Access to Linguistics Department theses
- DELTAA Database of Australian and selected overseas TESOL/applied linguistics materials
- Comprehensive lists of electronic journals and web links
Information about our resources may be found at the NCELTR Resource Centre website http://www.nceltr.mq.edu.au/resources Our email address is rescentr@nceltr.mq.edu.au, phone number: +61 2 9850 9653 and Fax: +61 2 9850 9953.
From the Macquarie Library
New resources
Encyclopedia of language and linguistics. 2nd ed.Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2006. 14 volumes.
The Encyclopedia of language and linguistics is the definitive reference work in the field. The Encyclopedia covers the full range of topics in contemporary linguistics. A list of articles included may be found at: http://www1.elsevier.com/homepage/sal/ell2/list_index.html The print edition of this title is now held in the Main Reference collection on Level 2 of the Library at: P29.E48 2006. The online edition will be acquired when it becomes available later in the year.
Macquarie Dictionary Online
The Xreferplus online reference service now includes the 3d. rev. edition (2001) of the Macquarie Dictionary. Access is via the Catalogue by title, or via the Databases page under Xreferplus. The 4th edition published in 2005 is available in print in the Main Reference Collection on Level 2 of the Library at: PE3601.Z5.M3 2005.
Training opportunities for Postgraduate Students
Research and course work students are invited to book for training in Research Databases for Linguistics and EndNote for Linguistics. Contact Maureen Kattau mkattau@library.mq.edu.au on 9850-6521 for session details and times.
For further information on library resouces contact Maureen Kattau, the Academic Outreach Librarian - Linguistics and Psychology, Macquarie University Library e-Learning & Information Services Division on Ph: (61 2) 9850 6521 Email: mkattau@library.mq.edu.au
Upcoming seminar - Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science (MACCS) - all welcome
Padraic Monaghan from University of York, UK will be talking at 4pm on Tuesday Feb 21 in the Forster Room (C5A565) on:
Why there are arbitrary and systematic mappings between words and the world?
Abstract: The mapping between a word’s form and its meaning is largely arbitrary, as observed by de Saussure. However, the relationship between the forms of words and their grammatical category has a high degree of systematicity. In a series of studies I show that: (1) sound-category systematicity is present in a range of languages; (2) the sound-category systematicity is most prevalent when other information about grammatical category is weak; and (3) arbitrariness benefits learning precise meanings but systematicity benefits learning general categories in computational models. Finally, I speculate about the connection between language learnability and language evolution.
American linguistics website
Some readers may be interested in this website from the Linguistics Society of America which includes newspaper articles from the American press about linguists and linguistics in society http://lsadc.org/
Language creation - The Economist (10/11 2005)
An article which may interest some readers has been brought to our attention. Check out 'Looking for a sign. People can communicate without agreeing on the meaning of the terms'. This article appeared recently in the Economist. It looks at language creation under experimental conditions. It describes how a scientist, Bruno Galantucci, developed a game where players are required to originate a novel human communication system in the context of a joint activity and with no preestablished conventions to rely upon. Go to http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5135495 You can also find Galantucci's paper at: http://www.haskins.yale.edu/Haskins/STAFF/galantucci2005reprint1
Upcoming conferences and workshops
Applied Linguistics and Language in Education Research Group (ALLE), Department of Linguistics. Macquarie University, Sydney 20-22 September, 2006.
Formalising over a decade and a half of individual and group research and teaching experience, the Applied Linguistics and Language in Education Research Group (ALLE) was recently established within the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney, as one of the Department's Areas of Research Concentration. The research group aims to foster interaction and collaboration among researchers in applied linguistics and language in education at Macquarie and with colleagues in other research groups and centres within Linguistics, and to promote interdisciplinary, inter-institutional and international research and program development opportunities. As a key part of its research profile, the ALLE Research Group is planning an inaugural international conference.
The aims of the conference are to celebrate and interrogate three key areas of intersection in contemporary applied linguistics:
- Research
- Application
- Education.
International speakers include: Suresh Canagarajah, Kees de Bot,Francoise Salager-Meyer, Elana Shohamy Local speakers include: Anne Burns, Geoff Brindley, Chris Candlin, David Hall, Trevor Johnston. Further details are on the Conference website at: http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/centres/alle/conference.htm or download the flyer.
- First Call for Participation - Australian Linguistics Institute 2006 - ALI 2006 - Monday - Friday, 10-14 July 2006, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
ALI 2006 is a selection of 12 intensive courses presented by world experts in their fields. It's a unique opportunity for graduate students, advanced undergraduates, professional linguists, and language professionals to upgrade their knowledge and skills in key areas of linguistics. Many courses in ALI 2006 are on the theme 'Language and Cognition', while others focus on language typology, acquisition, and aspects of linguistic theory. Each course consists of five 90 minute sessions, running Monday through Friday. Three sets of courses will be running in parallel, so participants can attend a maximum of four courses. Confirmed topics and presenters are as follows:
- Cognitive linguistics- John Taylor (University of Otago)
- Combinatory grammar and natural cognition- Mark Steedman (University of Edinburgh)
- L2 syntax: Age dependent effects - Bonnie Schwartz (University of Hawai'i)
- Language and genetics - Brian Byrne (University of New England)
- Language and thought - Lera Boroditsky (Stanford University)
- Logic in child language acquisition - Stephen Crain (Macquarie University Centre for Cognitive Science)
- Morphology and lexical representations - Andrew Spencer (University of Essex)
- NonPamaNyungan languages of Northern Australia - Nicholas Evans (Melbourne University)
- Papuan languages - William Foley (University of Sydney)
- Semantics masterclass - Anna Wierzbicka (Australian National University)
- Understanding typological distribution - Balthasar Bickel (University of Leipzig)
We are also working on the inclusion of a course on the topic 'Bilingualism: cognitive aspects'. The presenter for this topic will be announced shortly. For more information go to http://www.ali2006.une.edu.au/ or contact: Prof. Cliff Goddard, cgoddard@une.edu.au, or Dr Andrea Schalley, andrea.schalley@une.edu.au ALI 2006 is part of LinQ 2006 'Linguistics in Queensland', a series of five high-profile linguistic events to be held in July 2006 at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. For more information, cf. http://www.linq2006.une.edu.au/
- Call for papers: 'Critical Link: Interpreters in the Community' Conference, Sydney 2007
Critical Link 5 will take place in Sydney, Australia, for the first time and will be proudly hosted by the University of Western Sydney. The Critical Link conference is the only major international conference dedicated to Interpreting in the Community. The local organising committee is pleased to announce the theme of the 2007 Congress as: “Quality in Interpreting: A shared responsibility”. CL5 aims to generate discussion on such issues as:
- the meaning of quality in interpreting
- the responsibility for quality interpreting in community settings being shared by all those involved
- the expectations of all those involved in the interpreted encounter
- the demands placed on interpreters to provide a quality service
Interpreters cannot be held solely responsible for achieving quality. All participants in the interaction, the systems under which they operate (eg. the legal system, the education system, the health system), interpreter agencies and policy makers, need to share responsibility for quality of interpreting. It is a basic human right for people, regardless of the language they speak, to be able to communicate in their community and to gain access to any services available. We plan to involve practising interpreters, educators, academics, policy makers, lawyers, judges, medical practitioners and many other professionals who work with interpreters. We expect this will be a landmark event for the profession and hope it will be widely supported. An exhibition of the latest products and services will be a key element of the conference. See the flyerfor further details.
- 2006 Asian EFL Journal Conference
"Task Based Language Teaching. A superior teaching approach - or temporary trend?" The Asian EFL Journal 2006 Conference will take place April 28-29 in Pusan, South Korea. Professor Rod Ellis, Professor Rebecca Oxford, Professor Huw Jarvis from Salford university, Professor Phan Le Ha and Professor Francis Mangubhai will be plenary speakers. 35 parallel sessions will discuss Task Based issue and other EFL topics.
Proposals are invited in the area of task-based learning and other areas of research and teaching of English in Asian contexts. Research and teaching methodology papers should be between 200 to 250 words (excluding references if required). Consideration will also be given to research which is "in progress", as long as the research methodology has been defined, the data collected and its analysis has been commenced. All proposals will be assessed within a committee of Asian EFL Journal editorial members and replied to by the end of February 2006. You can see the Conference information - http://www.asian-efl-journal.com
- Call for papers - Research on second and foreign language acquisition and teaching - Paris, 6-8 September 2006 - Organized by Groupe "Langues en contacts et appropriations", DILTEC, Paris III
Research on second and foreign language acquisition has been conducted during the past thirty years from various theoretical perspectives, focussing on multiple factors, cognitive and social. Lately, several attempts have been made to describe developmental routes and stages in the L2 acquisition process. They mainly consist of lists of morphosyntactic means pertaining to the noun phrase, to the verb phrase, and to the clause, that are mustered by learners at given stages for a specific L1. SLA research has also been devoted to classroom discourse and teaching activities during the past years. Yet, the relevance of SLA research for second
or foreign language teaching is regularly questioned. This conference aims at a dialogue between researchers in language acquisition and language pedagogy over
grammar, the lexicon, pragmatics, and discourse. This conference invites SLA researchers and those involved in research on second language pedagogy to
examine their findings in terms of its relevance for language teaching. Proposals that include specific interest for language teaching are expected. They will focus on the learning of L2 (or L3, L4 or Lx) grammar, lexicon, pragmatics, and discourse in classroom or guided settings. The mode of implication of teachers and learners during the SLA research process shall also be discussed from the angle of the impact of the research design on teaching activity and, conversely, from the angle of the intricate relation between teaching and researching. Proposals are expected to fit in one of the following sections:A. Discourse practices and grammatical marking: teaching and learning
In this section , shall be discussed the relations between grammatical markers, lexicon and the learners' discourse practices. The learnability of discourse, ofmacrosyntactic patterns and of the grammatical markers of the target language shall be examined as well as the order of acquisition of different L2 forms and of different functions for a given form. The teachability of macrosyntactic structures and of grammatical markers in their specific context shall also be discussed.B. L2 development, curriculum design, pedagogical grammars and testing
Contributions which bear on the use of research findings in SLA to design teaching and testing materials will be selected for this section. The focus will be on the analysis of curriculum design and of teaching activities that are organized to enhance and facilitate the input-intake process. Theoretical constructs involved in course and class design shall be discussed.C. Research design and teaching tasks and activities in L2 learning
The design of data collection for SLA research may foster or develop L2 classroom learning. This workshop is devoted to methodological and theoretical issues related to the organization of data gathering and other experimental tasks of SLA research in relation to learners and teachers, and teaching activities in institutional settings.Proposals based on empirical data analysis are most welcome. Contributors are asked to submit two copies of their proposal (about 300 words long) before the 15th of February 2006 (final deadline) - one the copies will have been anonymized - to colloque@groupelca.org Acceptance or refusal of the submitted proposal shall be notified on the 31 st of March 2005.
- CFP: Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis Across Disciplines (CADAAD) University of East Anglia, Norwich, 29-30 June, 2006
Thirty years have passed since research began at the University of East Anglia (UEA) into what would be inaugurated as Critical Linguistics with the publication of Language and Control in 1979. UEA has since remained at the forefront of critically applied linguistic research. In continuation of this tradition, the School of Language, Linguistics and Translation Studies (LLT) invites abstracts to be considered for a conference designed to assess the state of the art and offer new directions for critical discourse research across disciplines. The conference is organized in cooperation with the Centre for Applied Research in Education (CARE) and the Centre for Staff and Educational Development (CSED). Whilst it is CDA that has claimed the most attention, papers dealing with any critical approaches to discourse analysis are invited across a variety of disciplines.Interdisciplinarity as a central theme for the conference can be interpreted in two ways. First, we are interested in critical approaches to discourse analysis as applied within disciplines including all humanities and sciences but also applied and professional areas such as medicine, environmental studies, engineering, social policy, education, law, etc. Second, the methodological foundations of critical discourse analysis historically lie with linguistics (from transformational to systemic functional grammar) and ethnography. However, recently the critical discourse analysis enterprise has benefited from a wider range of methodlogies. We therefore also welcome and encourage papers reflecting the theoretical advances in linguistics, psychology and cognitive science amongst other disciplines which offer the opportunity for critically applied discourse research to expand its methodological arsenal. As of now, CAADAD appears to be the only international forum during 2006 offering the opportunity for scholars to exchange ideas in a conference setting. The conference will experiment with a new form of online proceedings inviting post-conference interaction between presenters, participants and an external audience. From this process selected presentations will be published as printed proceedings. CADAAD is pursuing publication opportunities with the John Benjamins series Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture (DAPSAC). Abstracts of 300 words plus references should be submitted to discourse@uea.ac.uk by 25 February, 2006 in Word format (RTF or plain text are acceptable alternatives, use of PDF is discouraged). Successful applicants will be notified by 1 May. Further details including information on plenary speakers, registration dates, fees, accommodation and travel tips will be available on the conference website at http://discourse.uea.ac.uk
News from the College of Science and Technology's Liaison Officer - Rachel Jackson
Scholarships that may be of interest to linguistics students
- American Australian Association Education Fund Fellowship
Funding body: American Australian Association. Award description: Up to US$25,000 for research or study in the US. Who should apply: Applicants who are studying PhD, Masters or post-doc. Applicants must conduct a research project or study business, science, technology, medicine or engineering. More information: American Australian Association Applications close in March. - Honours/Masters Scholarships
Funding body: Capital Markets CRC Limited. Award description: $5000 for one year. Who should apply: Motivated, high achieving Honours and Masters students from finance, accounting, IT, securities law and computational linguistics who wish to work in the area of financial markets and who are likely to go on to study for a PhD. More information: Capital Markets CRC Limited Applications close 30 April. - High Achievers' Scholarships
Funding body: Capital Markets CRC Limited. Award description: $10,000 - $30,000 per annum. Who should apply: High achieving undergraduate student in their final year of a degree in finance, accounting, IT, securities law and computational linguistics who are expecting to complete Honours and a PhD More information: Capital Markets CRC Limited Applications can be lodged at anytime. University academics to nominate students for scholarships and make written recommendations to CMCRC.
(Information for staff) - Launch of College of Science and Technology website
The countdown to the launch of Macquarie University's College of Science and Technology website has begun! The website is currently with the designers and should go live in March. Part of the site features science students' opinions about studying at Macquarie University, and stories about the University's science alumnus. The website is just a skeleton at the moment, and needs more stories. Please contact Rachel Jackson (x6045) if you know of:
- an undergraduate linguistics students who is enjoying studying science-related units and would make a great ambassador of Macquarie University
- an alumnus from the Department of Linguistics who is doing interesting things and would like to comment on their experiences at Macquarie University.
New publications
From Sage, Ltd (London) - www.sagepub.co.uk
- New journal: Discourse & Communication - An interdisciplinary journal
Among its collection of journals in the fields of the studies of communication and discourse, Sage, Ltd. (London) will publish a new journal as from 2007 that covers the field between these two disciplines: Discourse & Communication. The new journal, edited by veteran journal editor Teun A. van Dijk (Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona), assisted by an international board of prominent experts in discourse analysis and communication studies, aims to publish high quality papers that pay specific attention to the qualitative, discourse analytical approach to issues in communication research. Besides the classical social scientific methods in communication research, such a content analysis and frame analysis, a more explicit study of the structures of discourse (text, talk, images or multimedia messages) allows unprecedented empirical insights into the many phenomena of communication. And since contemporary discourse study is not limited to the account of ‘texts’ or ‘conversation’ alone, but has extended its field to the study of the cognitive, societal, cultural, political and historical ‘contexts’ of discourse, it is also able to be integrated in the broader study of these broader dimensions of communication.
Discourse & Communication will publish substantial research papers, discussion notes as well as reviews and review articles by women and men from many countries and cultures. Its diversity will also be apparent in the variety of its theories, methods and approaches, thus avoiding the frequent limitation to one school, approach or academic sect. The only criterion will be the quality, the originality and the analytical sophistication of its articles. Moreover, the style of its contributions will avoid unnecessary jargon, and thus make the journal eminently accessible to scholars and students from many disciplines. Discourse & Communication specifically addresses readers in any field of communication who are interested in qualitative, discourse analytical approaches, on the one hand, and scholars in discourse studies, linguistics, pragmatics, semiotics and related fields who are interested in issues of communication, on the other hand. It will be published as from 2007, with 4 issues per year.
For submissions and information about editorial policy, write to the Editor: Teun A. van Dijk (journals at discourse-in-society dot org). For subcriptions, consult the website of the publisher www.sagepub.co.uk as soon as there is a webpage for the new journal (probably as from May 2006). The (provisional) Board of Discourse & Communication Members of the board (under construction) of the new journal are: David Altheide, Mats Alvesson, Karen Lee Ashcraft, Francesca Bargiela, Janet Bavelas, Charles Bazerman, Allan Bell, Vijay K. Bhatia, Donal Carbaugh, Patrick Charaudeau, François Cooren, Nik Coupland, Ling Chen, George Cheney, Stanley Deetz, John Downing, Fred Erickson, Norman Fairclough, Gail Fairhurst, William A. Gamson, Doris Graber, David Grant, Cynthia Hardy, Janet Holmes, Cheris Kramarae, Jay Lemke, Tamar Liebes, Per Linell, Sonia Livingstone, Margaret McLaughlin, Ulrike Meinhof, Dennis Mumby, Sik Hung Ng, Linda Putnam, Cynthia Stohl, Ron Scollon, John Swales, Karen Tracy, Gaye Tuchman, Theo van Leeuwen, Ruth Wodak. Further board members who are experts in this interdisciplinary domain are searched especially in Africa, China, India, Japan, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Recommendations for new board members will be welcome.
From John Benjamins - http://www.benjamins.com/
- English General Nouns: A corpus theoretical approach. Michaela Mahlberg, University of Liverpool. Studies in Corpus Linguistics 20. 2005
Book URL: http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_bookview.cgi?bookid=SCL%2020. Hardback: ISBN: 9027222916 Pages: x, 206 Price: U.S. $ 119.00 Hardback: ISBN: 9027222916 Pages: x, 206 Price: Europe EURO 99.00.This book proposes an innovative approach to general nouns. General nouns are defined as high-frequency nouns that are characterised by their textual functions. Although the concept is motivated by Halliday & Hasan (1976), the corpus theoretical approach adopted in the present study is fundamentally different and set in a linguistic framework that prioritises lexis. The study investigates 20 nouns that are very frequent in mainstream English, as represented by the Bank of English Corpus. The corpus-driven approach to the data involves a critical discussion of descriptive tools, such as patterns, semantic prosodies, and primings of lexical items, and the concept of 'local textual functions' is put forward to characterise the functions of the nouns in texts. The study not only suggests a characterisation of general nouns, but also stresses that functions of lexical items and properties of texts are closely linked. This link requires new ways of describing language.
- The Dynamics of Language Use: Functional and Contrastive Perspectives edited by Christopher S. Butler, María de los Ángeles Gómez-González and Susana M. Doval-Suárez. 2005. xvi, 413 pp USD 150.00 / EUR 125.00 ISBN: 90 272 5383 8. Pragmatics and Beyond New Series 140 - Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Language of publication: English Date of publication: /2005 See http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_seriesview.cgi?series=P%26bns
Book synopsis: This book brings together a collection of articles characterized by two main themes: the contrastive study of parallel phenomena in two or more languages, and an essentially functional approach in which language is regarded, first and oremost, as a rich and complex communication system, inextricably embedded in sociocultural and psychological contexts of use. The majority of the studies reported is empirical in nature, many making use of corpora or other textual
materials in the language(s) under investigation. The book begins with an introductory section in which the editors provide surveys of the state of the art in both functional and contrastive linguistics. The other five sections of the volume are devoted to (i) a cognitive perspective on form and function, (ii) information structure, (iii) collocations and formulaic language, (iv) language learning, and (v) discourse and culture.
From: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd http://www.continuumbooks.com
- Linguistic Studies of Text and Discourse: Collected Works of M A K Halliday. Author - M A K Halliday.Editor: Jonathan J Webster. 2005. Paperback: ISBN: 0826488234 Pages: 320 Price: U.S. $ 49.95 Paperback: ISBN: 0826488234 Pages: 320 Price: U.K. £ 25.
Abstract: "This collection of papers shows the extraordinary range of Halliday's textual analyses, his sharpness of perception and his delicate touch in reconciling subjective perceptions of a text and objective patterns found in it. From the "stylistics" controversies of the sixties to the highly sophisticated descriptions of ordinary texts in the nineties, Halliday has consistently led the way to a greater understanding of the way language works." Professor John Sinclair, Tuscan Word Centre, Italy.
The papers in Linguistic Studies of Text and Discourse focus on the application of systemic functional grammar to the analysis of texts. Presenting detailed analyses of texts, ranging from the highly-valued writings of William Golding, J.B. Priestley, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Charles Darwin, to texts of a more everyday variety, including a fund-raising letter and part of a doctoral defense, Halliday explores the power of grammar to create meaning, and to change our lives for better or worse. Not only are the analyses interesting for what they reveal about the texts under investigation, but also instructive in the practice and methods of systemic grammar analysis.
Professor M. A. K. Halliday (b. 1925) was Foundation Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sydney until his retirement and has taught as a Visiting Professor around the world. As a self-styled 'generalist' he has published in many branches of linguistics. Jonathan J. Webster is Head of the Department of Chinese, Translation and Linguistics at the City University of Hong Kong.
- An Introduction to Language and Linguistics: Breaking the Language Spell. Christopher J Hall. 352pp, 0826487343, £14.99, Paperback *Inspection copy available.
'Christopher Hall's book is the best new introduction to linguistics that I have seen in decades. It is engagingly written without talking down to the reader and it covers all the subparts of the field in a comprehensive and even-handed manner. I plan to use it the next time that I teach an introductory course at Washington.' Professor Frederick J. Newmeyer, University of Washington.
'With apt examples from novels and newspapers, courtroom trials and telephone conversations, the lowly and the mighty, his book repeatedly startles as it casts light on language. This is a bright, humorous, and completely accessible tour of 21st-century linguistics.' Professor Edward Finegan, University of Southern California. This book introduces the fundamentals of human language from a linguistic point of view, using examples drawn from everyday life to aid comprehension, and encouraging critical thinking throughout. Besides presenting the fundamental building blocks of language and explaining how these function, the book also introduces other key elements of the discipline of linguistics, including language acquisition, applied linguistics, psycholinguistics and discourse analysis. Packed full of examples, this is the ideal introduction to language for those who are interested in studying linguistics, have already started a course, or just want to study at home. Christopher J. Hall is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, Mexico.
Positions Vacant
Exciting opportunites for linguists - Appen
Appen is a professional services company, providing high quality, cost effective speech and language technology solutions for organisations developing Automatic Speech Recognition, Text-to-Speech Synthesis and Speech Applications. Based in Chatswood, NSW, Appen is a world leader in its field and winner of the 2005 Australian Exporter-of-the-Year Award in the ICT category. For more information on Appen, please refer to www.appen.com.au. Key service offerings are:
* Speech and Language Data Collections (speech, text, handwriting, etc)
* Lexicon Development
* Transcription Services
* Translation Services for Speech Applications
* Speech Application Development, NLP and Tuning Services
Appen is currently recruiting top quality linguists who have completed a standard linguistics course. Typically, this involves study topics such as phonetics, phonology, syntax, morphology, semantics, etc. The positions currently available are for new graduate to several years experience. An honours degree or post-graduate degree would be well regarded. A second language is also useful. Some experience managing teams or projects would be an advantage. The work is exciting, with plenty of opportunity to use your linguistics.
Appen’s international client base includes some of the world’s leading companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Siemens and Toshiba. We work in many languages, resolving issues of script representation, Romanisation, spelling conventions, phonology, lexicon creation, linguistic analysis & description, cultural language specific features, transcription and NLP. Interested applicants should send a one page letter and a one page resume to jobs@appen.com.au or contact Dr. Julie Vonwiller Tel: 02 9468 6339 Fax: 02 9468 6311.
Casual work opportunity - Transciption/translation of Arabic, Bengali, Canadian French, Dari, Norwegian, Punjabi, Southern and North-Eastern Thai, Tamil, and Urdu - Appen.
We require a number of transcribers with the following credentials:
- Fluency in one of the languages above, preferably native speaker
- Fluency in English
- Ability to read and type in the nominated language and English
- Computer literacy
- Must have permission to work in Australia
Details:
- Work 2 to 5 days a week
- Must be available for a minimum 2 days or 20 hours/week
- Hourly rate $17
Positions are available now. Location - Chatswood (close to public transport). Contact: Kristin Gleason, Tel. (02) 9468 6300, Email: admin@appen.com.au
Website: www.appen.com.au. Please give your email, telephone number, and schedule of availability when applying. CV's can be emailed to the above address.
Two faculty positions available - Applied Linguistics/TESOL program (2006-2007) - United Arab Emirates University for 2006-2007. (This is an undergraduate teacher training program.)
One position is for a specialist in Second Language Acquisition; the other is for a specialist in Language Testing. Both positions require an earned doctorate and entail teaching, research, and community service. To read the job announcements and to apply electronically, go to http://www.uaeu.ac.ae. On the left, click on JOBS @ UAEU. You will then see a list of vacancies in the entire university. The vacancies in Applied Linguistics/TESOL are listed under Humanities and Social Sciences. When you click on one of the vacancies, it will connect to a search page. Search under the department "Applied Linguistics/TESOL."
English teacher required - Wallaby International College
Wallaby International College is seeking an English teacher for 13 hours per week. The rate of pay will be determined by experience (minimum is $25 per hour). You must have a teaching qualification. Please apply: Email: info@wica.com.au Ph: (02) 9922 3000 Fax: (02) 9923 2888
| Lingline can be accessed via the "News" link on the Linguistics Department website at:
All items for inclusion to be submitted by email to the editor Tessa Green: Enquiries by phone: (02) 9850-6875 This is not an official publication of Macquarie University. While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information included in this newsletter, no responsibility is assumed for same. |