A longitudinal study of the interaction of home and school language in three Aboriginal communities. The importance of language skills cannot be underestimated, and contribute to 'a healthy start to life'. In multilingual Indigenous communities, children must negotiate the complexities of different languages used for different purposes. This project will provide detailed insights into how children manage differences between home and school language, the kinds of problems they encounter when the ....A longitudinal study of the interaction of home and school language in three Aboriginal communities. The importance of language skills cannot be underestimated, and contribute to 'a healthy start to life'. In multilingual Indigenous communities, children must negotiate the complexities of different languages used for different purposes. This project will provide detailed insights into how children manage differences between home and school language, the kinds of problems they encounter when they enter the school system, and how their languages develop over the first four crucial years of school which provide the foundation for the children's future education. Their ability to manage the language of school underpins their ability to lead successful and engaged lives as adults. 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
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
Learning to tell a narrative in Murrinhpatha. This project aims to examine the linguistic, social, and cognitive stages of children’s narrative development in Murrinhpatha, an Indigenous Australian language spoken in Wadeye. Until they encounter the bilingual education system at primary school, the children of Wadeye grow up in a largely monolingual Murrinhpatha environment. The research will examine how children structure narratives in this typologically unusual language. It will provide insigh ....Learning to tell a narrative in Murrinhpatha. This project aims to examine the linguistic, social, and cognitive stages of children’s narrative development in Murrinhpatha, an Indigenous Australian language spoken in Wadeye. Until they encounter the bilingual education system at primary school, the children of Wadeye grow up in a largely monolingual Murrinhpatha environment. The research will examine how children structure narratives in this typologically unusual language. It will provide insights into how information interacts with linguistic complexity, cognitive constraints and social interaction. This project aims to maintain the vitality of Murrinhpatha in the community and contribute to the development of bilingual education programmes.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
Projecting Difference: A History of the Practice and Politics of French Cinema since 1980. This cultural history project has dual aims. Firstly, it will examine how French cinema, as a narrative art, has since the late 20th century become a major vector for defining cultural identity (partially eclipsing the role traditionally occupied by literature). On the other hand, it will document and analyse the processes by which cinema practice - diverse and often fractiously critical of existing politi ....Projecting Difference: A History of the Practice and Politics of French Cinema since 1980. This cultural history project has dual aims. Firstly, it will examine how French cinema, as a narrative art, has since the late 20th century become a major vector for defining cultural identity (partially eclipsing the role traditionally occupied by literature). On the other hand, it will document and analyse the processes by which cinema practice - diverse and often fractiously critical of existing political structures - has become a central symbolic weapon in the French State's political defence of cultural autonomy and difference in a globalising world. The resulting synthesis will provide extensive new understanding of the dynamics of contemporary France.Read moreRead less
Investigating literary knowledge in the making of English teachers. This project aims to create new understanding of the role of literary knowledge within subject English. English education is mandated in Australian schooling; however, subject content as well as teachers’ knowledge and pedagogical approaches are highly contested, particularly regarding the teaching of literature. Using a national survey, focus group interviews and a longitudinal study, the project aims to provide new understandi ....Investigating literary knowledge in the making of English teachers. This project aims to create new understanding of the role of literary knowledge within subject English. English education is mandated in Australian schooling; however, subject content as well as teachers’ knowledge and pedagogical approaches are highly contested, particularly regarding the teaching of literature. Using a national survey, focus group interviews and a longitudinal study, the project aims to provide new understandings of the literary knowledge that early career teachers need, of the impact of curricula and professional practice on disciplinary knowledge, and about the operation of literary studies across school and university. Significantly, it plans to use ‘literary sociability’, an innovative methodology, to generate empirical and conceptual perspectives on literary studies in Australia that will be of value internationally.Read moreRead less
The Ancient Today: Living Traditions of Classical Language Education. This project aims to compare, for the first time, ancient language education across world cultures with ‘classical’ literatures. It expects to illumine the purpose and value of classical language education in Chinese, Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit historically and within global education systems today by comparing pedagogic ideals and practices across times and cultures. It aims to test the potential of inclusive classical langua ....The Ancient Today: Living Traditions of Classical Language Education. This project aims to compare, for the first time, ancient language education across world cultures with ‘classical’ literatures. It expects to illumine the purpose and value of classical language education in Chinese, Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit historically and within global education systems today by comparing pedagogic ideals and practices across times and cultures. It aims to test the potential of inclusive classical language learning to boost educational outcomes for disadvantaged students. Other expected outcomes include two books, scholarly articles, education policy reports, and PhD student training. This should strengthen intercultural understanding and benefit school students, educators, policy makers and the wider public.Read moreRead less
Two-Dimensional Semantics and the Foundations of Philosophy. This project investigates fundamental philosophical questions concerning the relation between our minds and the world and the possibility of rational inquiry. The project represents a significant advance in the theoretical understanding of a broad range of central philosophical issues and it has important implications for the nature and methods of scientific inquiry. The project will contribute to the international research profile of ....Two-Dimensional Semantics and the Foundations of Philosophy. This project investigates fundamental philosophical questions concerning the relation between our minds and the world and the possibility of rational inquiry. The project represents a significant advance in the theoretical understanding of a broad range of central philosophical issues and it has important implications for the nature and methods of scientific inquiry. The project will contribute to the international research profile of Australia, consolidating its place as a leader in this domain. Read moreRead less