Department of Linguistics
LINGLINE is a departmental newsletter specific to the interests and concerns of postgraduate students and 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 tessa.green@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.
Linguist in the limelight
The Linguist in the limelight series introduces you to some of our research students, staff and alumni. In this way, we learn more about what attracts our students and staff to linguistics, where they have come from, and some of their thoughts about linguistics. If you would like to tell your own linguistics story or know of others’ stories, please email the editor, Tessa Green, at Tessa.Green@mq.edu.au
Our latest Linguist in the limelight is PhD student Omar Al Malki. Omar, describes his experience of coming to Australia to commence his PhD research in investigating speech acts used in secondary classrooms in Saudi Arabia.
I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Linguistics supervised by Dr. Verna Rieschild and Associate Professor Ilija Casule. My PhD research area is investigating speech acts used in secondary classrooms in Saudi Arabia. In this research, I attempt to go beyond only classifying speech acts to draw attention to the use of religious formulae and their illocutionary force by Arabic Saudi teachers in their interactions with their students. I had taught English language in Saudi Arabia for eight years before I was granted a governmental scholarship to study linguistics. My friends recommended I choose Australia since it is a multicultural context and Australian universities have a good reputation along with the UK and USA.
I faced some difficulties at the beginning with adjusting to the new Australian academic schema. I obtained my Master of Letters in Linguistics from Sydney University. My research topic was about the role of using the first language in teaching English language which is considered a foreign language in my home country. Studying in Sydney provided me with the opportunity to be taught by Dr. Jane Simpson who drew my attention to interesting issues in pragmatics and semantics such as the different meanings of frequent conversation words. As I am very interested in analysing speech and how people interact, I really wanted to align my topic with this notion. Thus, I thought of choosing Macquarie University so I would be exposed to new experiences and hoping that I would find supervisors who could match with my interests.
I found my interests aligned well with the research interests of Dr. Verna Rieschild especially as she is interested in the Natural Semantics Theory (NSM) approach which enables researchers to describe the cultural scripts and investigate the various meanings of words. I have gained substantial research experience since I have started working with Dr. Rieschild. For instance, I have learned how to choose the appropriate method to analyse the data and formulate the scope of the research as well as considering ethical matters. Interestingly, Ilija, my co-supervisor, contributed by reminding me about some important issues in relation to research such as the best setting for my research. Now, I am about to complete the first year of my PhD programme and I intend travelling overseas in August, 2009 to collect data for my research.
Some of the things I have done have recently include being one of the Free Linguistics Conference (FLC) committee members – a conference held in Sydney University for the last two years. One of the best things that I have found is that other members come from different disciplines so that one can expand his/her linguistic knowledge by attending their seminars.
I really feel lucky that I have found many opportunities and facilities in the Lingustics Department as well as at Macquarie University. Thus, you can visit the library, use the internet, eat at the food court, have your special coffee, do some exercise at the gyms meet friends, talk to staff, copy some materials, and go shopping at Macquarie Centre without affecting your daily schedule.
Linguistics Graduation Ceremony
At the April graduation ceremony, Dr. Brad Smith spoke on behalf of all graduates. For those unable to attend, you can click HERE[PDF 29kb] to read Brad’s speech “On being educated”.
Congratulations to many
- Double congratulations to our colleague and PhD student, Louise Collingridge and her supervisor Professor Chris Candlin. Louise has recently had her PhD approved by Senate. She has also received a Highly Commended award in the Research Students' Innovation category at the recent Macquarie University Innovation Awards. To learn more you can watch a video here http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/news/articles/innovation_awards_clinical_settings.htm for more information about Louise’s research “Patient-Professional Interaction in Clinical Settings in Audiology”.
- Congratulations to Doctor of Applied Linguistics student, Tomoyuki Kawashima, who has been selected as the recipient of the TESOL Award for an Outstanding Paper on NNEST (non-native English speaking teachers) Issues. The paper “Can Exposure to NNS English boost learner self-confidence?” also attracted an award of US$250 and was presented at the annual convention of TESOL.
- Congratulations to Lai Ping (Florence) Ma, a Linguistics PhD student who recently received the TESOL Award for International Participation during the closing plenary at the TESOL Convention and Exhibition. Florence was selected as a recipient of the award for her paper ‘Teaching Behaviour of Native English-Speaking Teachers (NESTs) and Non-native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs): Perceptions and Reality’ presented at the TESOL Convention. She received US$2,500 provided by the TOEFL Board of ETS to facilitate her attendance at the conference as a first-time presenter based outside the United States of America and Canada.
- Congratulations to our winning team led by Professor Pam Peters who won the category for Innovation in Learning and Teaching for the project "Termfinder: Jargon-busting and concept building tool for beginners in science and social science" at the recent Macquarie University Innovation Awards. Along with Pam Peters the team included Dr Claudia Oliveira, Dr Theresa Winchester-Seeto, Mr Adam Smith, Ms Yasmin Funk, Dr Alan Jones, Associate Professor Peter Petocz, Ms Jenny Middledorp, Mr Kehui Loui, Mr Fred Wang, Mr Dae Raftos, Mr Alan Kilgore and Mr Chris Searchfield. To learn more you can watch a video here http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/news/articles/innovation_awards_termfinder.htm
- Congratulations to Karin Bernhard, who received the Vice-Chancellor’s commendation when she graduated in the April Graduation Ceremony.
- Congratulations also go to Emily Farrell, who recently graduated with a PhD under the supervision of Professor Ingrid Piller and Dr. Kimie Takahashi, Emily’s thesis title is "Negotiating Identity: Discourses of Migration and Belonging" has been nominated for the 2009 Micheal Clyne Prize.
Sad news – Nathan Furey
We have recently received some very sad news that one of our former Applied Linguistics students, Nathan Furey, passed away earlier this year. Nathan completed his degree at the end of last year by distance from Jeju Island in South Korea where he was living with his wife and two small children, and teaching ESL at the University. In early March, Nathan contracted encephalitis from which he did not recover. Nathan died on March 13th. For those who knew Nathan, there is a link to a facebook site put up by friends of his at http://mk-mk.facebook.com/group.php?gid.
The Linguistics Department wishes to express, to all of his friends and family, our deepest sympathies for their sad loss.
Two separate education trust funds have been started for Nathan's two little boys Juno (age 2) and Noah (age 1) - one in Vancouver, being administered by Nathan’s parents, and the other in Jeju, South Korea, being administered by Mr. Daniel Nabben. The Canadian trust fund now has more than CD$ 14,000, and the Jeju fund has surpassed CD$ 10,000. If anyone who knew Nathan through his Macquarrie studies would like to make a donation, please contact Nathan’s father Jim.Furey@shaw.ca
A fundraising volleyball competition “Beach Volleball Furey” is also being organized by Nathan’s friends and will be held on 13th and 14th June at Jeju. For more information go to: www.jejufurey.com and jejufurey@gmail.com
From the Adult Migrant Education Program Research Centre (AMEP RC)
The following links are to the AMEP Research Centre’s latest publications:
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/docs/research_reports/research_report_series/Modes_of_Delivery.pdf http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/resources/prospect/volume_24_number_1,_2009
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/docs/research_reports/research_report_series/Opening_the_door.pdf
On the 14-15 May the AMEP RC held a national forum at the Southbank Institute of Technology in Brisbane. The forum was primarily concerned with Language, workplace and employability skills.
The forum concluded with a presentation from Dr Loy Lising (AMEP Research Centre) on the longitudinal, ethnographic study currently being conducted by the AMEP Research Centre: Language training and settlement success: Are they related? This study has been ongoing since 2008 and is currently in the final stages of data collection. She showed how rich data had been collected nationally through 11 AMEP Service Providers, a team of researchers, teacher researchers and invited participants. A testament to the successful rapport developed was the low participant attrition rate (11%). Initial findings were presented and the AMEP RC look forward to the development of a professional development kit for AMEP teachers on pronunciation which has proven to be a key issue for both teachers and students.
A brief introduction of the new faces in the cottage:
Mary Rudloff has just started the second year of a PhD in Linguistics with Peter Roger & Alan Jones supported by a MQRES on the topic of medical terminology in consultations that take place in English, with a particular focus on situations where either the doctor or the patient is a non-native speaker of English. Before coming to Macquarie she studied at the University of Constance in the south of Germany. She has an M.A. in Linguistics, English and American Literature, and Arts and Media Studies. Apart from her linguistic interests - sociolinguistics, second language acquisition and bilingualism – she loves graphic novels, animated movies and cheesy music from the 80s. At the AMEP RC she will be helping with data management and analysis on the Language training and settlement success project.
Brie Willoughby-Knox has been working as a research assistant at the AMEP research Centre since mid-February. She hails from the US, but has spent many of her professional years in Asia. Brie recently attended her graduation ceremony at Macquarie University, in which she received a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and was honoured to be the graduate speaker. In addition to the work that she is involved in at the AMEP RC, she also teaches Academic Literacy units at UTS:Insearch. She comments that her time thus far at the AMEP RC has been inspiring, enlightening and fruitful.
During June, Elizabeth de Groot will be visiting the AMEP Research Centre. Elizabeth is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Business Communication Studies at the Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She holds a PhD in International Business Communications; her dissertation involved a comparative study of multimodal discourse in English annual reports published by Dutch and UK companies. In Nijmegen, Elizabeth teaches a variety of courses related to (inter)national professional communication, for example Business English, Intercultural Communication Research and Practice-based Research. She also supervises Bachelor and Master theses into current aspects of (English) Business Communication.
Elizabeth’s main research interests involve the influence of culture and language on the design and effectiveness of genres used in international business contexts. There are different ways to approach these topics. During her visit at the AMEP RC, Elizabeth’s main aim is to further explore what qualitative and quantitative techniques in linguistic research can contribute to the analysis of professional genres. She would be delighted to talk to AMEP RC researchers and other Linguistic researchers about the theoretical frames, units of analysis and methodologies they use and why. (Also, see below in this edition of LINGLINE for details of a research seminar that Elizabeth will be presenting on 24 June).
From the Translating & Interpreting (T&I) Review Project Team
Call for participation in focus groups and intereviews
The Translating & Interpreting (T&I) Review Project team is currently inviting expressions of interest from all staff (academic and general) and students, who are either directly or indirectly involved with the T & I program, to participate in focus groups and interviews. The focus groups and interviews have been set up to collect opinions and perceptions about different aspects of the program in view of making improvements. This data will complement the survey data that we have already collected and analysed.
The focus groups and interviews will be organized and conducted by researchers who are external to Macquarie University (specialists in focus group research) and unknown to staff of the T & I program and the Department of Linguistics. We have engaged these external researchers to ensure that staff and students who participate will be able to talk frankly about the program, knowing that their contributions will be entirely anonymous. The data collected will be de-identified (a code will be assigned to participants) and the research team will only have access to this de-identified data to ensure that the identity of participants is protected. The project has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Macquarie University and an Information and Consent form will be provided to interested participants.
The T&I Review project is a teaching-research project conducted by a team of academics in the Translating & Interpreting (T&I) program. The purpose of the study is to review the current curricula of the T&I program in order to implement change and at the same time to develop a model for the design and review of T&I curricula.
For those who are interested in participating in the focus groups and/or interviews, please contact Hua DONG, Research Officer on the review project, to register your interest or to obtain further information about the study. This is your chance to express your opinions and ideas about how to improve our programs.
Linguistics Research Seminars
The next Linguistics Research Seminar “Comparing Dutch-English and British-English annual reports: a cross-cultural and intercultural perspective" will be given by visiting scholar Dr. Elizabeth De Groot, Assistant Professor, Department of Business Communication Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands. It will be held in the seminar room of the AMEP Research Centre W6C at 11.00 am on Wednesday 24th June.
For further information on the seminar series please go to http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/research/researchseminars.htm
From the Macquarie Library
- TVNews
A new database that may be of interest to you is TVNews: It is situated on the Informit platform. TVNews indexes Australian television news, current affairs and selected documentaries from the free-to-air networks, with links to the digitised video content in a compressed format. All individual stories from a particular broadcast are indexed, with a detailed synopsis. TVNews is updated daily, TVNews is updated daily, with stories appearing on an evening news broadcast generally being available for access the next morning. To log into this Database you will need to use your normal user name and password – even when you are on campus.
- New journal
We have recently purchased the backfiles to Asha : a journal of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association which is now available back to 1994.
- Training
Planning for Semester 2 Database and Endnote training will begin shortly. If you have any special requirements please let us know as soon as possible. Remember though in the meantime we are always available for one to one consultations. You can contact either one us via phone or email.
- New books
Thank you to the Linguistics Department for the huge number of book orders this year. A result of this is the large list of new books that have recently been added to our collection. Keep up the good work. Click HERE[PDF 134kb] to view the new titles.
Karen Marks – karen.marks@mq.edu.au or 9850 9009 OR Sarah McQuillen – sarah.mcquillen@mq.edu.au or 9850 7535
Free Corpus available
Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English (VOICE) 1.0 Online is now available as a free-of-charge resource for non-commercial research purposes. VOICE 1.0 Online was created by Barbara Seidlhofer (project director) and Angelika Breiteneder, Theresa Klimpfinger, Stefan Majewski, Marie-Luise Pitzl (project researchers) at the University of Vienna. VOICE 1.0 Online with (just over) one million words breaks new ground in that it is the first corpus of English as lingua franca (ELF) to become publicly available. In order to access the corpus, visit the website at https://www.univie.ac.at/voice/page/corpus_availability and register for your personal user account. After registration, you can log in and search or browse VOICE 1.0 Online. The release of VOICE 1.0 Online is also accompanied by corpus documentation, statistics and detailed user instructions for the online search interface, all of which can be accessed at the website (http://www.univie.ac.at/voice). Feedback is welcome.
New film – The Linguists
An interesting documentary about endangered languages available for a short time on Babelgum – see http://www.babelgum.com/browser.php#play|SEARCH,queryString:linguist,order:MOST_RELEVANT|1,3016880
The Linguists world premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The only film funded by the National Science Foundation ever at Sundance, The Linguists has since screened at more than thirty festivals worldwide. Scientists estimate that of 7,000 languages in the world, half will be gone by the end of this century. On average, one language disappears every two weeks. The Linguists joins David Harrison and Gregory Anderson, scientists racing to document languages on the verge of extinction. David and Greg's 'round-the-world journey takes them deep into the heart of the cultures, knowledge, and communities at stake. Directed by Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller & Jeremy Newberger; 2008, 65 minutes.
New website from Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press has launched a new website which might be of interest. Go to http://www.cambridge.org/elt/resources/appliedlinguistics/ This is a new area which brings together applied linguistics resources from different strands of the Press, including free journal articles, chapters from books, podcasts and a featured topic (this month, World Englishes). The content of the area will be refreshed every month, so there should always be something new to explore. Click on Reading Room to see `What is Applied Linguistics’ topic to which our own Professor Anne Burns has contributed.
New Electronic Journal in Applied Linguistics
The University of California Consortium for Language Learning and Teaching is pleased to announce the publication of a new electronic journal dedicated to the research and the practice of language learning and teaching. `L2 Journal’ is a fully refereed, interdisciplinary, and open access publication administered by the Berkeley Language Center and the e-scholarship repository of the University of California. It publishes articles in English on all aspects of applied linguistics broadly conceived, i.e., second language acquisition, second language pedagogy, bilingualism and multilingualism, language and technology, curriculum development and teacher training, testing and evaluation. It welcomes papers that build bridges between theory and practice, and that draw on relevant fields in the humanities and the social sciences. In particular, it invites contributions on the relationship between the teaching of language and the teaching of literature and culture, and between applied linguistic research and literary scholarship within foreign language and literature departments. Articles should be written so that they are accessible to a broad audience of language educators, including those individuals who may not be familiar with the particular subject matter addressed in the article. General guidelines are available for reporting on both quantitative and qualitative research, as well as on pedagogic reports and think pieces. The journal will be published incrementally as manuscripts are ready for publication. We invite you to visit our website at http://www.L2Journal.org
For researchers
From the Macquarie University Research Office
For the latest news, go to: http://www.research.mq.edu.au/researcher and click on the news icon.
Scholarships, Fellowships, Awards
MQRES scholarship “Participation, governance, and citizenship” - Social Inclusion. Macquarie University. (Closing date: July 13, 2009)Participation has been a long neglected aspect of citizenship in advanced liberal societies. Today it is a becoming central to contemporary governance and linked to the ethical ideal and policy of social inclusion. Programmes of participation often aim to cultivate the personhood and social attributes of individuals by engaging them in experiences, related to community, which promise a transformation of subjectivity and a new type of citizen. They are also a key feature of contemporary pedagogic practice. Macquarie University is currently developing learning opportunities for its student body by participation in local, national, and international communities and is thus keenly interested to develop research in the area.
The Centre for Research on Social Inclusion seeks expressions of interests from students wishing to explore the role of participation in any area of contemporary social, cultural and political practice and welcomes applications which are theoretical, empirical, analytical, creative or critical, across the range of humanities, social sciences and creative arts. Applicants should have an academic or research background in humanities, social sciences or creative arts. The student will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team of academics led by Professor Mitchell Dean. Suitable co-supervision for students in particular areas will be arranged once the project has been settled on. For further information and discussion regarding the projects, candidates are encouraged to contact Professor Mitchell Dean, telephone: +61(0)2 9850 8703 or email: Mitchell.Dean@.mq.edu.au.
MQRES scholarships are available to domestic or international students. Applicants should have equivalent research qualifications to an Australian undergraduate degree with first class honours (such as a Masters degree with a substantial thesis component) in a relevant discipline as defined in the project description. The scholarship pays a living allowance, currently $20,427 per annum, tax exempt (2009), and the tenure is a maximum 3.5 years full time, subject to satisfactory progress. Tuition fees will be funded for the scholarship tenure. Additional support for projects and conference travel will be available from the Faculty. Application forms and award conditions are available from the Higher Degree Research Office: telephone +61-2- 9850 7987, e-mail: hdrschol@vc.mq.edu.au or download from http://www.research.mq.edu.au/students/scholarships/pages/ARTS_CRSI Applications should be forwarded to: The Scholarship Officer, The Research Hub, Level 3, C5C East, Macquarie University NSW 2109, Australia.
New Zealand International Doctoral Research Scholarships (NZIDRS) Information about these scholarships is available online via www.newzealandeducated.com/scholarships
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 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://www.ling.mq.edu.au/support/writing_skills/online.htm
For further enquiries about the Writing Skills Website, contact Tessa Green tessa.green@ling.mq.edu.au
From the Macquarie University Postgraduate Representative Association (MUPRA)
As you may be aware the Macquarie University Postgraduate Representative Association (MUPRA) makes available a newsletter to all postgraduate students on campus. The content is is a mixture of campus events and information, however anything off campus is also considered (such as lectures or policy changes etc.). We would like to extend an invitation for input. If you would like to contribute, find further information and the latest news at http://www.mq.edu.au/mupra
Upcoming conferences, symposia and workshop
Cross-Culturally Speaking, Speaking Cross-Culturally - Macquarie University, Sydney. Organised by the Department of International Studies, Macquarie University in cooperation with the Département des Sciences du Langage, Université Paul-Valéry, Montpellier 3 . For more information go to http://www.eurolang.mq.edu.au/CSSC/
Call for papers - 3rd International Free Linguistics Conference ( FLC 2009).10-11 Oct-2009. Sydney, Australia. (Call Deadline: 14-Aug-2009). The aim of this conference is to provide scholars, researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students with current research issues from all fields of linguistics & TESOL an open and widely accessible forum. The main feature that distinguishes this conference is its focus on freedom:
- from linguistic subfield divisions,
- from an established and rigid theme for presentations, and
- from fees!
Abstracts are invited from any linguistic (and TESOL) sub-fields, and presenters may choose from the following strands: Aboriginal Languages, Cognitive Linguistics, Computational Linguistics, Corpus Linguistics, Critical Applied Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, First Language Acquisition, Forensic Linguistics, Language & Culture, Language in Education, Language Policy & Planning, Languages Other Than English (LOTE), Multilingualism, Natural Language Processing, Pragmatics, Psycholinguistics, Second/Additional Language Acquisition, Sociolinguistics, Systemic Functional Linguistics, TESOL, Translation, Interpretation, Other. Register (for free) and submit online at: http://freelinguistics.org Contact Person: Naomi Knight Meeting Email: freeling@arts.usyd.edu.au
ASFLA Conference 09
The 2009 annual conference of the Australian Systemic Functional Linguistics Association (ASFLA) is to be held in Brisbane at the Kelvin Grove campus of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) over the period Wednesday 30 September to Friday 2 October. The conference's theme is Practising Theory: Expanding Understandings of Language, Literature and Literacy. The inclusion of 'Language, Literature and Literacy' is a deliberate reference to the three elements proposed for the school National English Curriculum currently being developed in Australia. For more information go to http://www.meanjin.edu.au/asfla/
Call for Papers - Genre(s) on the Move - 09-Dec-2009 - 11-Dec-2009, Naples, Italy. Contact Person: Marco Venuti Email: venuti@unina.it Web Site: http://www.dipstat.unina.it/seminari_e_convegni/genresonthemove.htm The conference aims to promote an interdisciplinary and multi-methodological approach to the study of genre and discourse practices within the domain of specialised communication. The objective is to contribute to our understanding of the phenomena of genre hybridization and discourse contamination, also with reference to the exploitation of web-based channels. We welcome proposals from scholars in the fields of genre and discourse studies exploring genre creation, migration, evolution and hybridization in the following discourse areas:
1. Academic
2. Economic
3. Institutional
4. Legal
5. Political and socio-political
6. Professional.
Plenary Speakers: Norman Fairclough (Lancaster University) and Srikant Sarangi (Cardiff University). The language of the conference is English. Deadline for Submission of Abstracts: June 15, 2009. Notification of Acceptance: July 15, 2009
The 32nd Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC) will take place from 14 to 16 April 2010 at the University of Cambridge, UK. Pre-Conference Workshops on 12 & 13 April 2010. Theme: Crossing the threshold: investigating levels, domains and frameworks in language assessment. Call for proposals: April 2009. Deadline for receipt of proposals: 30 September 2009. Download the Call for Proposals (PDF). Download the LTRC 2010 Conference Poster (PDF). Our main theme reflects contemporary research interests and concerns within the language testing and assessment community (at both national and international level) focusing on proficiency levels, language domains, and the role of interpretative frameworks of reference for language learning, teaching and assessment (cf CEFR, CLB). It relates directly to questions such as:
- why and how do we define and describe a proficiency level?
- what are the key criteria that distinguish one proficiency level from another?
- how is the testing of language for special purposes evolving?
- how do we identify and describe emerging domains for assessment?
- how do we decide when someone is (or is not) at a level ? (i.e. what sort of evidence do we need and how do we gather it?)
- how can proficiency levels be related to one another within a framework?
The main theme also allows for coverage of a number of additional sub-themes which have contemporary relevance, including:
- The teaching and assessment of young language learners
- Issues of language education planning and policy
- The interface of multilingualism and assessment
- The testing of less commonly taught languages
- Issues of assessment literacy in education and society
At least one of the pre-conference workshops will focus on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages in relation to assessment issues.
New Publications
From: Multilingual Matters - http://www.multilingual-matters.com/
Language Disabilities in Cultural and Linguistic Diversity. Series Title: Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 2009. Author: Deirdre Martin.
This book takes a critical perspective on traditional bio-cognitive-social approaches to language disabilities - specific language impairment, communication difficulties, dyslexia and deafness. A socio-cultural approach orientates a reinterpretation of research, educational practices and policies in assessment, teaching and intervention. A Vygotskian framework affords repositioning of assessment, learning and development for language disabilities as they are influenced and shaped by experiences of multilingualism, culture, ethnicity and race. The author, rather than present definitive answers, aims to offer new analyses and extend current understanding of linguistic phenomena fraught by dilemmas of disentangling diversity and disability. The volume serves as a source of reflection and inquiry for students, professionals and policy makers in education and health who are interested in disability and language disabilities in multilingual and multicultural contexts. Book URL:http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781847691590
From John Benjamins - http://www.benjamins.com/
Subject: Discourse and Power in a Multilingual World: Blackledge. Discourse and Power in a Multilingual World. Series Title: Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture 15. 2009. Author: Adrian Blackledge.
In this book the discourse of politicians and policy-makers in Britain links languages other than English, and therefore speakers of these languages, with civil disorder and threats to democracy, citizenship and nationhood. These powerful arguments travel along 'chains of discourse' until they gain the legitimacy of the state, and are inscribed in law. The particular focus of this volume is on discourse linking 'race riots' in England in 2001 with the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, which extended legislation to test the English language proficiency of British citizenship applicants. Adrian Blackledge develops a theoretical and methodological framework which draws on critical discourse analysis to reveal the linguistic character of social and cultural processes and structures; on Bakhtin's notion of the dialogic nature of discourse to demonstrate how voices progressively gain authority; and on Bourdieu's model of symbolic domination to illuminate the way in which linguistic-minority speakers may be complicit in the misrecognition, or valorisation, of the dominant language. Book URL: http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_bookview.cgi?bookid=DAPSAC%2015
From: PeterLang – http://www.peterlang.com
Commonality and Individuality in Academic Discourse. Commonality and Individuality in Academic Discourse. Series Title: Linguistic Insights. Studies in Language and Communication.Vol. 100. Editor: Maurizio Gotti. 2009.
This volume explores the relationship between shared disciplinary norms and individual traits in academic speech and writing. Despite the standardizing pressure of cultural and language-related factors, academic communication remains in many ways a highly personal affair, with active participation in a disciplinary community requiring a multidimensional discourse that combines the professional, institutional, social and individual identities of its members. The first section of the volume deals with tensions involving individual/collective values and the analysis of collective vs. individual discoursal features in academic discourse. The second section comprises longitudinal investigations of the academic output of single scholars, so as to highlight the individuality in their choices and the reasons for not conforming with the commonality of conventions shared by their professional community. The third part deals with genres that are meant to impose commonality on the members of an academic community, not only in the drafting of specialized texts but also when these are reviewed or evaluated for possible publication. Book URL: http://www.peterlang.com/Index.cfm?vLang=E&vSiteID=4&vSiteName=BookDetail%2Ecfm&VID=430023
From Equinox Publishing Ltd - http://www.equinoxpub.com/
Face, Communication and Social Interaction. 2009 Editors: Francesca Bargiela-Chiappini & Michael Haugh.
It is an enduring theme of humanity that people are concerned about what others think of them. The notion of face has thus become firmly established as a means of explaining various social phenomena in a range of fields within the social sciences, including anthropology, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and psychology. Yet face has also become increasingly entrenched in the literature as a kind of pre-existing sociocultural construct. This book offers an alternative in focusing on the ways in which face is both constituted in and constitutive of social interaction, and its relationship to self, identity and broader sociocultural expectations. There are three main themes explored in this volume. Part I, 'Face in interaction', encompasses contributions that deal with face as it emerges in interaction in various institutional and non-institutional settings. In Part II, the relationship between self, identity and face is investigated in the context of interpersonal communication. The final part considers various approaches to establishing links between individual interactions (the so-called micro) and broader sociocultural expectations or 'norms' that interactants bring into interactions (the so-called macro).
Positions vacant
Study Skills Coordinator, Macquarie University, Full-time (continuing)
The Study Skills Coordinator designs, develops and implements study skills support programs for both individual students and student groups in response to identified needs of students across the campus. The programs are principally designed for coursework students and complement the other skill programs (including numeracy, literacy, and research skills for HDR students) designed to ensure Macquarie University students receive the support they need.
Enquiries: Dr Julian De Meyrick on (02) 9850 7464 or e-mail deanofstudents@mq.edu.au. Package: From $88,129 pa, including (17% super). Applications Close: 14 June 2009 http://macquarieuniversity.nga.net.au/bin/fnt_jobs_list.cfm
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