Immigration, technology and literacy: key challenges for language policy in a changing Japan. Australia needs a sophisticated understanding of social and cultural dynamics in a regional partner with whom we have substantial economic, political and cultural relations. This project will problematise current language policy in Japan to take account of important recent areas of social transformation and associated key cultural beliefs about language. It will produce a body of significant individual ....Immigration, technology and literacy: key challenges for language policy in a changing Japan. Australia needs a sophisticated understanding of social and cultural dynamics in a regional partner with whom we have substantial economic, political and cultural relations. This project will problematise current language policy in Japan to take account of important recent areas of social transformation and associated key cultural beliefs about language. It will produce a body of significant individual research and policy recommendations; will bring together high profile international researchers and Japanese policy makers and educators in two collaborative exercises which will strengthen links between the two countries at both academic and government levels; and will launch the research career of a postgraduate student. Read moreRead less
The measurement of primary traits in second language oral proficiency in second language acquisition research. The proposed research will help to inform high-quality learning outcomes for international ESL (English as a Second Language) students and students who study Japanese or Spanish as a second language in Australian universities. Improved effectiveness in current second language teaching pedagogy will result from a deeper understanding of the role that the key language traits (syntactic co ....The measurement of primary traits in second language oral proficiency in second language acquisition research. The proposed research will help to inform high-quality learning outcomes for international ESL (English as a Second Language) students and students who study Japanese or Spanish as a second language in Australian universities. Improved effectiveness in current second language teaching pedagogy will result from a deeper understanding of the role that the key language traits (syntactic complexity, lexical range, accuracy and fluency) play in the attainment of advanced proficiency. Read moreRead less
Writing Identity onto the Screen: Subtitles and captions in Japanese media. This project analyses how varieties of language (dialect, gendered speech styles, youth slang) are written onto the screen in audiovisual media as subtitles and impact-captions. It explores the attitudes held by editors, producers and translators towards language which influence this process. It aims to use the Japanese global media, which is well-known for its heavy use of text-on-screen and its rich diversity of langu ....Writing Identity onto the Screen: Subtitles and captions in Japanese media. This project analyses how varieties of language (dialect, gendered speech styles, youth slang) are written onto the screen in audiovisual media as subtitles and impact-captions. It explores the attitudes held by editors, producers and translators towards language which influence this process. It aims to use the Japanese global media, which is well-known for its heavy use of text-on-screen and its rich diversity of language styles, as a case study. This is expected to lead to a greater understanding of textual representation of identity in contemporary digital media.Read moreRead less
Network Diplomacy: Japan's Strategic Responses to the Rise of China and India. Japan's evolving strategic and economic ties with Asia's rising giants, China and India, alongside military and defence ties with the US, shape the region where Australia's economic and strategic interests are embedded. This project benefits Australia by enhancing Australian knowledge of Japan's involvement in the transformation of relations between Asia's major powers (all crucial to Australian interests) so Australi ....Network Diplomacy: Japan's Strategic Responses to the Rise of China and India. Japan's evolving strategic and economic ties with Asia's rising giants, China and India, alongside military and defence ties with the US, shape the region where Australia's economic and strategic interests are embedded. This project benefits Australia by enhancing Australian knowledge of Japan's involvement in the transformation of relations between Asia's major powers (all crucial to Australian interests) so Australia can maximise opportunities and minimise national costs. Importantly, this research also involves Australia in the production of new understandings about regional geo-strategic transformation, in order to contribute to a new international relations paradigm. Read moreRead less
The Cultivation of Middle-Class Taste: Reading, Tourism and Education Choices in Urban China. In urban China, high-income professionals and consumers have enormous influence on the development of élite education, travel, and cultural pursuits, but also on the stability of the Party-State. Their choices will materially affect Australian economic strategy, and will impact the socio-political character of the entire region. This project works to support Australian understanding of the tastes, aspir ....The Cultivation of Middle-Class Taste: Reading, Tourism and Education Choices in Urban China. In urban China, high-income professionals and consumers have enormous influence on the development of élite education, travel, and cultural pursuits, but also on the stability of the Party-State. Their choices will materially affect Australian economic strategy, and will impact the socio-political character of the entire region. This project works to support Australian understanding of the tastes, aspirations and national priorities of this new formation: the Chinese middle class. The approach and outcomes of the research will enhance Australia's global position in innovative, relevant Asian scholarship, support good economic strategy, and provide an accurate socio-cultural lens through which to engage with Chinese and regional futures.Read moreRead less
Grammars in contact. The project plans a significant contribution to the study of relationships between languages. It will advance our understanding of our region and the world, fostering cross-cultural communication, to overcome potential miscommunication resulting from different language backgrounds in multicultural and multilingual Australia. This project will enhance study of endangered languages, contributing to the preservation of cultural and linguistic diversity and fortifying the reputa ....Grammars in contact. The project plans a significant contribution to the study of relationships between languages. It will advance our understanding of our region and the world, fostering cross-cultural communication, to overcome potential miscommunication resulting from different language backgrounds in multicultural and multilingual Australia. This project will enhance study of endangered languages, contributing to the preservation of cultural and linguistic diversity and fortifying the reputation of Australia as a 'knowledge nation'. It will strengthen the training of young scholars, future leaders of the Australian linguistic scene, and offer technological and methodological advances for recording and managing data on language relationships.Read moreRead less
The world through the prism of language: a cross-linguistic view of genders, noun classes, and classifiers. Australia is one of the most multilingual and multicultural countries in the world, with several hundred indigenous and immigrant languages. Noun classification devices - ranging from gender systems in familiar Indo-European languages to numeral classifiers in Southeast Asian languages - offer a unique insight into people's categorisation of the world around them. In-depth knowledge of how ....The world through the prism of language: a cross-linguistic view of genders, noun classes, and classifiers. Australia is one of the most multilingual and multicultural countries in the world, with several hundred indigenous and immigrant languages. Noun classification devices - ranging from gender systems in familiar Indo-European languages to numeral classifiers in Southeast Asian languages - offer a unique insight into people's categorisation of the world around them. In-depth knowledge of how speakers of different languages classify objects around them will promote intercultural understanding within Australia and world-wide, allowing us to overcome potential miscommunications due to different language backgrounds, and advancing our understanding of the region and the world (within the National Priority 'Safeguarding Australia'). Read moreRead less
From musume (daughters) to shojo (girls): representations of young women in modern Japanese literature. This will be the first comprehensive study of the transition of young women from musume (daughters) to shôjo (girls) in modern Japanese literature. Intended as a pioneering study of "girl power literature", it will identify neglected texts and authors, clarify the significant changes in literary representations of young women, and recognise the positive and creative aspects in these representa ....From musume (daughters) to shojo (girls): representations of young women in modern Japanese literature. This will be the first comprehensive study of the transition of young women from musume (daughters) to shôjo (girls) in modern Japanese literature. Intended as a pioneering study of "girl power literature", it will identify neglected texts and authors, clarify the significant changes in literary representations of young women, and recognise the positive and creative aspects in these representations. With its scope covering historical and contemporary, and popular and serious, the project will enhance Australia's understanding of Japanese literature, culture, and society. It will also be beneficial to studies of women, children, and adolescence in other communities including Australia.Read moreRead less
Local Culture/Global Space: Japanese Minority Sexualities and the Internet. After English (43%), Japanese (9%)is the most used language on the Internet. No study has addressed the specific ways in which Japanese language use affects Internet communication or how the Internet is being used by minoritised groups and individuals. The project will examine Internet use by minority sexualities in Japan in order to ascertain how individuals and communities who fall outside the 'mainstream' of society i ....Local Culture/Global Space: Japanese Minority Sexualities and the Internet. After English (43%), Japanese (9%)is the most used language on the Internet. No study has addressed the specific ways in which Japanese language use affects Internet communication or how the Internet is being used by minoritised groups and individuals. The project will examine Internet use by minority sexualities in Japan in order to ascertain how individuals and communities who fall outside the 'mainstream' of society interact with this new technology. The project will contribute to our understanding of how the Internet, a supposedly global medium, also facilitates the emergence of very local subcultures. The project will result in a series of conference presentations, journal papers and a book.Read moreRead less
Visual evidence: transforming modern sex research (1880s - 1930s). This project aims to explore how photography and film transformed understandings of human sexuality. By analysing how and why doctors and scientists shifted their attention from textual to visual evidence, the project will contribute to understandings about how images have been used historically to create medical norms and communicate scientific knowledge to broad audiences. Focusing on Germany as the international centre of earl ....Visual evidence: transforming modern sex research (1880s - 1930s). This project aims to explore how photography and film transformed understandings of human sexuality. By analysing how and why doctors and scientists shifted their attention from textual to visual evidence, the project will contribute to understandings about how images have been used historically to create medical norms and communicate scientific knowledge to broad audiences. Focusing on Germany as the international centre of early twentieth-century sex research, the project will examine how the turn to visual evidence had a transnational impact by paving the way for post-war researchers such as Kinsey, Masters and Johnson, and for a better understanding of the history of human sexuality in Australia.Read moreRead less