Edited by John H. A. L. DE JONG, 1990
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Edited by Jan H. HULSTIJN & Johan F. MATTER, 1991
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Edited by Albert Valdman, Bloomington, Indiana; December, 1985
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Edited by Jan H. Hulstijn & Richard Schmidt
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Edited by David Graddol and Ulrike H. Meinhof, 1993
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Edited by T. Slama-Cazacu, Bucharest, Spring 1987
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Edited by T. Slama-Cazacu, Bucharest, Spring 1987
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Edited by Anna Mauraanen & Kari Sajavaara
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Edited by Sinfree Makoni and Ulrike H. Meinhof, Amsterdam/Philadelphia 2003
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Article Summaries
The democratisation of indigenous languages: The case of Malawi
Themba Moyo
This article attempts to explore issues of language marginalisation in Malawi. It argues that the policies pursued from independence 1964 todate have not been democratic. They have essentially favoured a small ruling English-Chichewa elite, that has emerged and entrenched itself, regardless of which government has come into power. Viable indigenous languages, which could equally play a meaningful role in the socioeconomic political life of the country, have been largely marginalised, in market places and in other national functions. In the face of this situation, the argument advanced is one of an immediate review of of such incoherent and fragementary policies for more accommodating ones, with a clear vision and an agenda for implementation for all the citizenry.
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Classroom code-switching in post-colonial contexts: Functions, attitudes and policies
Gibson Ferguson
Code-Switching in the classroom across a range of curricular subjects is a widespread phenomenon in multilingual, language contact settings in Africa and, indeed, world-wide; yet it is not infrequently regarded unfavourably by educational policy-makers. This paper reviews the literature on classroom functions of code-switching in post-colonial contexts, commenting on the merits and limitations of recent research. It also examines some of the conceptions of language underlying official and lay attitudes. Finally, as befits a paper examining classroom codeþswitching from the somewhat unusual perspective of language planning in education, it evaluates a number of policy proposals addressing the issue of how code-switching might more effectively be exploited as a communicative and pedagogic resource in instruction. The paper overall is constructed so as to inform the attitudes, practices and policies of policy-makers, teacher educators and teachers.
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A pilot study of Supplemental Instruction for at-risk students at an Historically Black University (HBU in South Africa
Constance Zulu
This article discusses a pilot investigation conducted between February and May 2002. The aim of this investigation was to assess the efficacy of the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program — which has a proven track record elsewhere — at an historically black university in South Africa. SI is an academic assistance program which was developed at the University of Missouri- Kansas City in 1973 by Deanna C. Martin and subsequently adopted countrywide and in other parts of the world. The pilot was conducted on a population of first year law students registered for an introductory module, “Introduction to South African Legal Method and Theory”. Two questions were investigated: 1. Does SI have an effect on students’ mastery of content? 2. Does SI have an effect on students’ perceptions of their mastery of skills? Three measures were used to explore these questions, namely pre and posttests of content mastery; student perception of skill mastery and end of course grades. Although there was no significant difference on the mastery of course content between SI and Non-SI participants, it was found that higher SI attendance rates resulted in slightly higher mean grades, suggesting that SI may have had some impact on the final course end grades. A significant difference at the .03 level was found between the mean grades of students who attended 4 or more sessions and those who attended 1–3 sessions. The investigation also revealed that a number of barriers and challenges need to be addressed for a successful SI program to be implemented at the university.
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Discourse, culture and the law: The analysis of crosstalk in the Southern African bilingual courtroom
Pulie Thetela
The aim of this paper is to analyse the nature of the courtroom discourse in an African context. The nature of courtroom discourse has been extensively discussed and and analysed in non-African contexts. This paper, however, makes a unique contribution by analysing the nature of courtroom discourse in multilingual courts in Southern Africa. The contribution is unique because it investigates the probematic nature of courtroom interpretation, using the theoretical notion of crosstalk, in multilingual communities when the communicative styles of the participants are divergent and conflicting. More significantly the paper illustrates the potential impact of a special register hlonipha-the language of respect for women. The paper concludes by looking at ways in which through register we can intrerrogate power relations in courtroom discourse and examine the implications of such power discrepancy on the delivery of justice.
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Popular Malagasy music and the construction of cultural identities
Pedzisai Mashiri
This paper explores the construction of cultural identities through contemporary music from Madagascar, in particular the songs by Dama — singer-song-writer of the eponymous group of musicians- the Mahaleo. Specific focus is on the role that the discourses of and about popular Malagasy music play for the identity constructions of Malagasy people in Madagascar and abroad. Discussions about contemporary African music on the media and in the cultural studies literature, and the record industry’s own appropriation and commercialization of such music as generic ‘world music — tend to neglect the lyrics — and thus the often radical social critique — contained in these songs. Since much of African music is sung in languages not normally known to ‘Western’ audiences, their appreciation hinges on the vibrancy of rhythm and sound, to the exclusion of content. Yet to ‘home’ and ‘diapsoric’ audiences, the texts are of huge significance. Our paper discusses the significance of language choice for popular music in Madagascar in the political movement of 1972 and its aftermath. We will also analyse in detail the lyrics of some typical songs from Mahaleo’s repertoire written by Dama. These will exemplify some of the ways in which the group attempts to encapsulate aspects of Malagasy every-day life, thus providing a cohesive link not only between several generations of Malagasies in Madagascar itself, but even more pronouncedly for those Malagasies who have left Madagascar and settled overseas. Finally, we will show the ways in which audiences create and perform ‘being Malagasy’ through the medium of their popular music, demonstrating the extent to which the project of ‘Mahaleo’ is being reflexively and consciously understood and taken up by their listeners.
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"I want to be like a human again": Morbidity and retained ability in an Alzheimer sufferer
Stanley G.M. Ridge, Sinfree Makoni and Elaine Ridge
The article undertakes an integrated, holistic and multidisciplinary study of the language produced over an extended period by an ageing South African woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. It does so against the background of the medical and legal records of the dementing person’s condition revealing certain possibilities, in treatment and care, of moving beyond pathological deficit perspective and exploring the implications of retained ability. The study is strengthened by comparison of current patterns of written and oral language use with those in letters from the same person early in her professional life, and in a highly regarded scientific book she produced at the height of her carer.
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Edited by Kanavillil Rajagopalan, Amsterdam/Philadelphia 2005
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Article Summaries
Dialogue and confrontation in Venezuelan political interaction
Adriana Bolivar, Universidad Central de Venezuela
This paper focuses on political change in Venezuela from a critical discourse analysis perspective that emphasizes the roles of the participants in the interaction to show how, with their actions, they are affected and affect others. An interactional approach based on Firth?s categories of context (Firth, 1951) and conversational analysis is used (Bolívar, 1986, 1994a, 1994b). The interaction is studied at a global level first in order to identify the actors responsible for political change in the social dynamics, and then particular events are examined in more detail. The aim is to describe how, in ongoing interaction, the political dialogue after 1998 moved from a formal democratic one to a violent confrontation between two major groups. The article focuses on political events before and after April 11th 2002, which marked a turning point in Venezuelan history. The corpus includes national newspapers, presidential speeches, the program Aló Presidente, slogans, graffiti, and insults recalled by women and men. The results show how verbal aggression and physical violence affect and weaken democratic dialogue and, consequently, the possibility of cooperation and understanding. The discussion highlights the need to strengthen critical language awareness in order to promote peace language rather than hate language.
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Code switching and identity in the discourse of Catalan immigrants in Mexico
This paper analyzes patterns of code switching found in a small group of first and second generation Catalan immigrants in Mexico, and is part of a wider study on the impact of exile upon the construction of identity in the discourse of political immigrants in Latin America. With regard to the pragmatic exploitation of code switching, it argues that code switching is used by bilinguals even when a monolingual alternative is available, either because changing languages at a specific point in conversation reduces the processing effort involved in interpreting the stretch of discourse where the switch occurs, or because the shift of code adds cognitive effects to the overall interpretation of the message. The paper focuses on the effects of ad hoc concept construction, ? a well studied phenomenon in monolingual discourse ? on the presentation of self in bilingual discourse, analyzing cases when the pragmatically derived ad hoc concept involves a switch of codes. It is argued that this mechanism helps subjects represent themselves in bilingual conversation as distinct both from Mexicans and from non expatriate Catalans.
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Critical thinking in reflective sessions and in online interactions
Maria Antonieta Alba Celani, Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo Heloisa Collins
This paper focuses on online educational sessions of a continuing teacher education programme. The aim of this programme is to give a contribution to the continuing education of teachers of English as critical professionals, aware of discursive classroom practices, able to analyze them in the light of objectives to be reached and knowledge to be constructed. The paper gives a detailed account of how teachers deal with central issues in face to face reflective sessions and online interactive discussions and shows the results of a pilot intervention aiming at helping teachers develop more reflective and critical perspectives.
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Telling stories in two psychiatric interviews: A discussion on frame and narrative
Branca Telles Ribeiro, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro,
Liliana Cabral Bastos, Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
This study investigates contextualization processes in two psychiatric interviews. Specifically, it analyses how different analytical tools ? frame and narrative ? work to clarify contextual embeddings and story bits. Frame analysis provides a way of looking at local and larger social contexts in talk. Specifically it provides a way of understanding ?what?s going on here?? (Goffman 1974). Narrativee analysis provides a way of understanding the relation of major topics and themes in an interview situation. Most of all, the unfolding of a key story has implications for understanding who the patient is and what experience she values most in that encounter.
Frame and narrative also work to evidence what makes these interactions such a complex speech event. From a frame perspective, context may present multiple and unexpected frame embeddings. In the development of a story, key organizational components (for example, an orientation section) may display fragmented information or be absent. Frame and narrative address different questions and may clarify different social and linguistic processes at play in the interview situation.
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Language politics in Latin America
Kanavillil Rajagopalan, State University at Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil
This paper is an attempt to take stock of the politics of language as it has been playing out in Latin America, ever since the countries in this region were colonized by European powers, mainly Spain and Portugal. Linguistic imperialism is by no means a new phenomenon in this part of the world. In more recent times, the relentless advance of English as the world?s leading lingua franca has only brought to light the difficult North?South relations that have underpinned the geopolitics of the region.
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Edited by Susan M. Gass and Sinfree Makoni, Amsterdam/Philadelphia 2004
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Article Summaries
Reflexions sur 1'histoire de 1'AILA
Albert Valdman, Indiana University
Albert Valdman traces the history of AILA through his memories of its origins in the early 1960s in France to its place today as the umbrella organization of over 30 national associations from all over the world. He begins with a discussion of AILA’s early days- centered in Western Europe and focused on language learning - and follows its expansion in North America and the rest of the world and to other domains of applied linguistics. Along the way, he cites significant meetings, resulting publications, research groups, the question of language use within the organization and many linguists who have contributed to the evolution of AILA.
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Some current trends in applied linguistics: Towards a generic view
Martin Bygate, Lancaster University
This paper argues that the most significant trend in applied linguistics is the emergence of the field as a generic discipline, involving several subareas, all characterised by the aim of developing theoretical and empirical studies of language as a key element in real world problems. Various subsidiary trends are apparent including numerous methodological and theoretical developments. The paper argues that so far these trends respond only inconsistently to two major challenges in the relationship between the academy and the lay community: (1) identifying and studying issues held to be problems by those outside the academy; and (2) clarifying the nature of the contributions of research to those real world problems. Three themes are considered: the relationship between surface data and theory development; the problem of the specific and the general; and the importance of problematicity. The paper concludes that applied linguistics needs to be accountable to two communities, the academy and the lay communities it aims to work with.
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Applied Linguistics: Brazilian perspectives
Marilda C. Cavalcanti, State University of Campinas
The aim of this paper is to present perspectives in Applied Linguistics (AL) against the background of a historical overview of the field in Brazil. I take the stance of looking at AL as a field of knowledge and as a professional area of research. This point of view directs my reflections towards research-based Applied Linguistics carried out from within in places where it is continuously' developed, that is, in universities. Having done this, I locate the Brazilian experience within Latin America.
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Australia and New Zealand applied linguistics (ANZAL): Taking stock
Robert C. Kleinsasser, University of Queensland
This paper reviews some emerging trends in applied linguistics in both Australia and New Zealand. It sketches the current scene of (selected) postgraduate applied linguistics programs in higher education and considers how various university programs define applied linguistics through the classes (titles) they have postgraduate students complete to be awarded a degree. Evidence of program requirements and topics reveal not only what applied linguistics generally entails, but offers insights into how applied linguistics is defined and practiced. Additionally, some of the salient research topics (titles) being published in the journals from the two countries' applied linguistics associations are sketched.
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Applied linguistics in Europe
Kees de Bot, University of Groningen
In this contribution developments in Applied Linguistics in Europe are linked to major social changes that have taken place over the last decades. These include: The decline of the USSR and the end of the cold war; The development of the EEC and the EU and fading of borders; The economic growth of Western Europe; Labor migration from the south to the north of Europe; The emergence of regionalism. All of these developments have shaped the role of languages in society and they have sparked research on linguistic aspects related to the languages in contact due to these developments.
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Applied Linguistics in Asia: Pathways, Patterns and Predictions
Anne Pakir, National University of Singapore
This paper examines language trends in 21st century Asia and reports on the development of Applied Linguistics (AL) in the region. It has a dual focus: the first analyses the unique preoccupations of Asian and Asia-based applied linguists that have given rise to present research directions and preferences. These, however, seem to be not much recognized in the currently BANA dominated field. A second focal point considers the larger concerns and issues that might lead to future and different directions in AL scholarship once `proper applied linguistics' - currently originating in the West and dominating research directions - reorients and realigns itself to include these Asian research and findings. It can be predicted that with this realignment, AL will grow as a field of inquiry in leaps and bounds along with the imminent rise of Asia by the middle of the twenty first century.
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Western perspectives in applied linguistics in Africa
Sinfree Makoni and Ulrike Meinhof, Pennsylvania State University / University of Southampton
The aim of this article is to analyze the nature of the historical and contemporary social contexts within which applied linguistics in Africa emerged, and is currently practiced. The article examines the challenges `local' applied Linguistics in Africa is confronted with as it tries to amplify applied linguistic programs emanating from Europe and North America. The article argues that seemingly progressive applied linguistic projects interconnect in consolidating a western view of Africa in postcolonial Africa. In this way these projects end up mirroring the very theories which they seek to challenge.
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Perspectives in applied linguistics: A North American view
William Grabe, Northern Arizona University
This overview focuses on the work of Applied Linguistics in North America with an emphasis on publications in the past 6 years. Follow a brief interpretive section on the nature and status of Applied Linguistics, the article reviews a number of major areas of research in Applied Linguistics. These areas include second language acquisition (and its various sub-domains), L2 reading and writing research, language learning and teaching, language and culture, corpus linguistics, critical perspectives, language assessment, language policy and planning, language uses in professional contexts, and technology in Applied Linguistics. The overview closes with comments on seven possible areas for growth in Applied Linguistics in addition to the mainstream fields noted above.
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AILA issues three different publications:
- AILA News
- AILA Review
- AILA Applied Linguistics Series (AALS)
AILA News
AILA News is a twice yearly newsletter with information on internal matters of AILA and its affiliates. It is edited by Richard Baldauf and Steward Campbell. They restarted the AILA News (New Series) as an electronic publication in 1998. It is distributed online to all AILA affiliates, associates and individual members.
AILA Review
AILA Review is a scholarly journal of AILA. Its first issue appeared in 1984, and from 1989, all volumes are guest-edited and thematically oriented. Up to volume 16, the journal was published by AILA itself. From volume 16 onwards, AILA Review is published by John Benjamins.
AILA Applied Linguistics Series (AALS)
AILA Applied Linguistics Series (AALS) is a book series published under the editorial responsibility of AILA at John Benjamins, Amsterdam.
Third Party Publications
The International Journal of Applied Linguistics (InJAL) publishes articles that explore the relationship between expertise in linguistics, broadly defined, and the everyday experience of language. Its scope is international in that it welcomes articles which show explicitly how local issues of language use or learning exemplify more global concerns.
Homepage: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/IJAL