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Newsletter

April 2024
Dear friends and colleagues,

Warmest best wishes to all and welcome to the April 2024 newsletter.

There are numerous events by affiliates in 2024 both onsite and virtually to look forward to. These include of course AILA 2024, the 60th Anniversary World Congress to be held in Kuala Lumpur in beautiful, exotic Malaysia on 11-16 August.

Forthcoming Affiliates’ Conferences and Other Events

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Date Event Venue
April 11, 2024 The BestCities Madrid Challenge: From Blueprint to Reality – Enacting DE&I in Association Events via Zoom
April 17-19, 2024 The 41st International Congress of the Spanish Association of Applied Linguistics (AESLA) Valencia, Spain
April 18-19, 2024 ASLA 2024 Falun, Sweden
April 18-19, 2024 Estonian Association of Applied Linguistics (ERÜ) Conference 2024 Tallinn, Estonia
June 6-7, 2024 The 10th Anéla Conference: Applied linguistics across borders Ghent, Belgium
June 12-14, 2024 Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics (CAAL/ACLA) Annual Conference Montreal, Canada
June 20-24, 2024 The 16th International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics (16-ICAL) Manila, Philippines
July 7–10, 2024 ALA 2024: Language Awareness, Education & Power Karlsruhe, Germany
Aug 11-16, 2024 AILA 60th Anniversary World Congress Kuala Lumpur 2024 Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia
Aug 21-22, 2024 2024 Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics (PAAL) International Conference Seoul, Korea
Aug 28-30, 2024 The 63rd JACET International Convention Nagoya, Japan
Sept 11-13, 2024 Educational Linguistics 2024 Conference: Language(s) from Childhood to Adult Age Kalmar, Sweden
Sept 11-13, 2024 Annual GAL Conference 2024 Dresden, Germany
Oct 11-13, 2024 17th International Conference of Applied Linguistics Thessaloniki, Greece
Oct 11, 2024 2024 AILA-Europe Junior Researchers Meeting in Applied Linguistic Thessaloniki, Greece
Oct 19-20, 2024 AI in Education / (Dis)embodied interActIons Conference Nanterre, France
Oct 19-20, 2024 Language, Identity and Education in Multilingual Contexts 4 (LIEMC 4) Nicosia, Cyprus
AILA 2024: 60th Anniversary World Congress,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
August 11-16, 2024
https://aila2024.com
aila2024

Recent Affiliates' Events

VALS-ASLA, 12-13 February 2024, Bern, Switzerland

(Report from Prof. Erez Levon, CSLS, University of Bern)

The 2024 Conference of the Swiss Association for Applied Linguistics (VALS-ASLA) took place at the University of Bern on 12 and 13 February 2024. The theme of the 2024 conference was “Asymmetries and Inequalities in Language”. With this theme, we sought to highlight the ways in which language and language issues reflect and reproduce social divisions, but also how linguistic analyses can help to uncover and sometimes even redress inequalities in society. With over 130 participants from across Europe, Asia, and North America, the conference showcased research on language and social issues from a wide range of theoretical, methodological, and geopolitical perspectives, and furthered discussions about the role that asymmetries and inequalities play in our research. We were also delighted to feature four invited keynote lectures, from Claudia Bianchi (University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan), Maria Candea (Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris), Claire Kramsch (UC Berkeley), and Harshana Rambukwella (NYU Abu Dhabi).
VALS-ASLA Conference
From top left: Claudia Bianchi (University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan), Claire Kramsch (UC Berkeley).
Bottom: The organising team.

MAAL Webinar: International Mother Language Day
21 March 2024

MAAL webinar
The MAAL Webinar on International Mother Language Day 2024 served as a pivotal platform to discuss the promotion and preservation of Malaysia's linguistic heritage. Dr. Jeannet Stephen presented on fostering multilingualism and its role in inclusive learning for indigenous groups in Sabah. Dr. Florence Gilliam Kayad highlighted the integration of the Bidayuh language as an elective in schools, reinforcing its vitality for cultural identity. Prof Dr. Stefanie Shamila Pillai focused on the heritage education for the Melaka Portuguese language, emphasizing its historical significance. Prof Madya Dr. Maslida Binti Yusof examined the Malay language's evolution in the digital age and its implications for language corpora. The event, conducted online on 21 February 2024, invited educators, linguists, and cultural enthusiasts to engage in these significant discussions through the Zoom platform.

ALTI Webinar: Exploring Research in Applied Linguistics, Indonesia
30 March 2024

Exploring Research in Applied Linguistics: Insights from the Fourth Series of "45 Minutes with ALTI" Talkshow

The Indonesian Association of Applied Linguistics (IAAL/ALTI) recently hosted the fourth series of its renowned talk show, "45 Minutes with ALTI," in collaboration with Universitas Bandar Lampung, Saturday, 30th March 2024. The event, held under the theme of 'Exploring Research in Applied Linguistics,' featured esteemed speakers Prof. Dr. Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna, M.Hum from Universitas Padjadjaran, and Prof. Dr. Hasanuddin Fatsah, M.Hum. from Universitas Negeri Gorontalo. Moderating the discussion was IAAL President, Susanto, M.Hum., M.A., M.H., Ph.D.

The event, which commenced at 9 AM, began with a warm welcoming speech from IAAL Secretary General R. Dian Dia-an Muniroh, M.Hum., Ph.D., ...continue reading here.
ALTI Webinar

ReN News


Research Networks (ReNs) seek to promote research and its dissemination in all academic areas covered by AILA, with a particular focus on areas with potential for new cross-disciplinary research. The ReNs facilitate regional and inter-regional networking leading to more joint engagements and exchanges.

Below is a report on the ReN ‘Migration Linguistics’.

AILA Review


AILA review is the Scopus indexed journal of AILA that is published by John Benjamins. AILA Review invites applied linguistic scholars and practitioners to submit proposals for a thematic issue, which addresses socially relevant problems in which language learning, research, and practice play a key role. Proposals for thematic issues should include (1) the title of the proposed issue, (2) the purpose of the proposed issue and its relevance, (3) the table of contents, and (4) 300-word abstracts of all papers included, along with author name(s) and affiliation(s). Depending on the guest editor(s)' preference, each issue should contain 6–8 articles, which will normally each be of 10,000 (8 articles) to 15,000 words (6 articles) in length, including tables and figures. This should be sent by e-mail to eeling.low@aila.info and more information can be found at https://benjamins.com/catalog/aila.

Access for AILA Members is free. You can access the issues here.

Historical Figures in Applied Linguistics

As we approach 60 years of AILA, it is appropriate to recall the founders of the Association and others who played a key role in AILA’s early days. In this issue, we remember Marc Spoelders, Universiteit Gent (University of Ghent) in Belgium. Marc was Secretary General from 1987 to 1993 and President from 1993 to 1996.
Wxwcutive Board 1987-1993
During his term as President, the Executive Board (EB) adopted as its watchwords ‘democracy’, ‘transparency’, ‘openness’, ‘solidarity’ and ‘equality’ (AILA News Spring 1996, Vol. 10, No. 3). In addition Solidarity Awards, aimed at increasing participation by affiliates and individuals who cannot afford to do so without support, were agreed upon by the EB and International Committee (IC) in 1994 (AILA News Winter 1994, Vol 9, No 1).
Measures taken to increase the number of women in the EB and IC were also taken during this time. For example, Marc stated that “the slate of nominees warrants a fair chance for a well-pondered EB to be elected. For the first time a majority of women has been nominated to the different positions. I am confident that if not already this time, then certainly by 1996… AILA will have adjusted bottom-up wise, the gender issue in its administrative bodies” (AILA News, Winter 1994, Vol. 9, No. 1).

David Singleton, Trinity College Dublin, whom I had the pleasure of meeting reccently, was Secretary General from 1993-1996 coinciding with Marc’s term as President. He is currently Fellow Emeritus at the Centre for Language and Communication Studies at Trinity. In addition to his role as AILA’s Secretary-General from 1993-1996, David was involved in various professional organisations including the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics (President 1982-85) and the European Second Language Association (President 1999-2003). Ever active, his most recent book is Pfenninger, S.E., Festman, J. & Singleton, D, Second Language Acquisition and Lifelong Learning, New York & London, Routledge, 2023.
David Singleton

AILA Archive


An awareness of the history of our Association and how it has evolved – its successes as well as its setbacks - is an important resource as we chart our way forward. We are currently compiling materials for the AILA archive and plan to digitise bulletins and newsletters from the earliest days with a view to making them accessible to members.

The following items are still missing; we would request copies specifically of these (along with any other AILA-related materials, e.g. books of conference abstracts).

AILA Bulletin
1975? No. 18
1977? No. 21
1978? 1979? No. 24
1982? No. 31
1983? no. 33
AILA News
Up to 1989: vols. 1 to 3 and vol. 4(1), 4(2)
1990: vol. 5(2)
1990: vol. 5(3)
1991?: vol. 6(2)
1992?: vol. 7(1), 7(2)
1993?: vol. 8(2), 8(3)
1996 – vol. 10(2)
1997 – vol. 11(1)
1999? Vol. 1( 1)
2001 to 2005?
AILA Review
14
15
Also, hard copies of any publications (e.g. books of abstracts) or other documents relating to the following World Congresses:

1978 – Montreal
1981 – Lund, Sweden
2005 – Wisconsin, USA
2011 – Beijing, China
2014 – Brisbane

If anyone has copies of these that they would be willing to donate to the AILA Archive, please contact Professor Richard Smith: R.C.Smith@warwick.ac.uk and send materials to him at Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.

Nominations for AILA Executive Board Elections


National affiliates are entitled to nominate one or more candidates. The elections will be held at the next World Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 11 August 2024 during the EBIC meeting immediately before the Congress. Positions are for three years. Elections will be held for the following posts on the AILA Executive Board:
  • Vice-President
  • Secretary General
  • Treasurer
  • two Publications Coordinators
  • up to three Members-at-Large
Read the Call For Nominations here.
Best wishes to all and Happy Eid Aidil Fitri (Idulfitri) to Muslim colleagues celebrating the end of Ramadhan; looking forward to seeing everyone in Kuala Lumpur.

Azirah
Professor Azirah Hashim
President, International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA)
eid