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
Communicating with people who have limited English proficiency. This sociolinguistic project aims to investigate how fluent English speakers interact with people who have limited proficiency. In contemporary Australia such mundane interactions may determine employment, education or health outcomes. While research into language barriers has mostly focused on the experiences of migrants from non-English-speaking backgrounds, this project will investigate how English speakers deal with increasing l ....Communicating with people who have limited English proficiency. This sociolinguistic project aims to investigate how fluent English speakers interact with people who have limited proficiency. In contemporary Australia such mundane interactions may determine employment, education or health outcomes. While research into language barriers has mostly focused on the experiences of migrants from non-English-speaking backgrounds, this project will investigate how English speakers deal with increasing linguistic diversity. Expected outcomes include an understanding of the role of majority members in facilitating the integration of newcomers. This will provide significant socioeconomic benefits for institutions and individuals as they navigate everyday intercultural communication.Read moreRead less
Voice, indexicality and the mediation of diversity on Australian television. Multicultural Australia is a country of many voices, although concern has been expressed about the under-representation of those voices in the media. This project investigates how the voices of minority groups are represented on mainstream Australian television, when they do appear. It examines a substantial body of TV data, from four types of programming: news, sports, advertising and drama. It focuses on minority ethn ....Voice, indexicality and the mediation of diversity on Australian television. Multicultural Australia is a country of many voices, although concern has been expressed about the under-representation of those voices in the media. This project investigates how the voices of minority groups are represented on mainstream Australian television, when they do appear. It examines a substantial body of TV data, from four types of programming: news, sports, advertising and drama. It focuses on minority ethnic voices and on voices linked to different social classes. Close analysis of media processes will be supplemented by consulting professionals and TV viewers. The findings will provide a new perspective on the media’s role in promoting or curtailing cultural literacy and linguistic diversity.Read moreRead less
Modelling micro-level language planning and intervention in regional Australian refugee communities. This project is the first empirically-based Australian study of motivation in immigrant communities' language maintenance and micro-level language planning. It addresses the linguistic, social and cultural issues of refugee settlement in Australia. It is in line with the Australian National Research Priority of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric' and 'help families and individu ....Modelling micro-level language planning and intervention in regional Australian refugee communities. This project is the first empirically-based Australian study of motivation in immigrant communities' language maintenance and micro-level language planning. It addresses the linguistic, social and cultural issues of refugee settlement in Australia. It is in line with the Australian National Research Priority of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric' and 'help families and individuals live healthy, productive lives'. The outcomes offer major practical benefits to improve resettlement services, develop informed language policies and indirectly better the social and mental well-being of refugees. Read moreRead less
Improving Communication with Aboriginal English Speakers: A Study of cultural conceptualisations in Aboriginal English. The project will explore cultural conceptualisations in Aboriginal English. Often unfamiliarity with Aboriginal cultural conceptualisations on the part of non-Aboriginal people leads to miscommunication, disadvantaging Aboriginal speakers, especially in institutional contexts (for example, schoolrooms, courtrooms, Centrelink offices). The aim of this study is to alleviate such ....Improving Communication with Aboriginal English Speakers: A Study of cultural conceptualisations in Aboriginal English. The project will explore cultural conceptualisations in Aboriginal English. Often unfamiliarity with Aboriginal cultural conceptualisations on the part of non-Aboriginal people leads to miscommunication, disadvantaging Aboriginal speakers, especially in institutional contexts (for example, schoolrooms, courtrooms, Centrelink offices). The aim of this study is to alleviate such problems, and significantly advance Aboriginal English research, by exploring culturally constructed conceptualisations, in particularly cultural-conceptual metaphor, underlying the use of Aboriginal English, using the the analytical tools of Cultural Linguistics. The study will also make a significant contribution to the development of Cultural Linguistics. Read moreRead less
A Social History of Australian English. This is a study of the development of attitudes towards Australian English in the period 1788 to 2000. It will demonstrate the significance of the growth of Australian English as a marker of national identity in the nineteenth century, the suppression of Australian English in the first half of the twentieth century, and the acceptance of Australian English in the second half of the twentieth century. The completed study, in the form of a book, will lead to ....A Social History of Australian English. This is a study of the development of attitudes towards Australian English in the period 1788 to 2000. It will demonstrate the significance of the growth of Australian English as a marker of national identity in the nineteenth century, the suppression of Australian English in the first half of the twentieth century, and the acceptance of Australian English in the second half of the twentieth century. The completed study, in the form of a book, will lead to a new understanding of the role Australian English has played in Australia's social, political, and cultural history.
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Inside the Indonesian bureaucracy: a sociolinguistic study of the role of talk in the doing of bureaucratic work. While talk is central to the conduct of everyday life, we know little about its role in the doing of everyday tasks in multilingual institutional settings in Indonesia. This project seeks to fill this gap by investigating the role of talk in the building and maintenance of social relationships in a multilingual Indonesian bureaucracy.
Dynamics of identity and expression: a three generational study of a community language in post World War 2 Australia. The project examines the rapidly accelerating decline in the home use of German between the 1996 and 2001 Censuses. It utilises an innovative methodology which will correlate general trends accessible via large-scale statistical data from 1976 with the experiences of subgroups, families, and, ultimately, individuals from the early 1950s. As well as contributing to theoretical mo ....Dynamics of identity and expression: a three generational study of a community language in post World War 2 Australia. The project examines the rapidly accelerating decline in the home use of German between the 1996 and 2001 Censuses. It utilises an innovative methodology which will correlate general trends accessible via large-scale statistical data from 1976 with the experiences of subgroups, families, and, ultimately, individuals from the early 1950s. As well as contributing to theoretical model building in the field at an international level, findings will benefit the German-speaking community in Australia, other community language groups facing similar dilemmas and ultimately the nation, enabling more informed management of one of Australia's major resources: its rich linguistic diversity.Read moreRead less
Address in Some Western European Languages: A Study of Language and Social Change. This project investigates how recent sociopolitical events and developments have impacted on the ways in which people address each other in French, German, and Swedish. Comparisons will be made with Italian and Dutch and between nations using the same language. There is to date no comparative study of this kind. The project is innovative in its use of qualitative and quantitative methodology and will lead to a new ....Address in Some Western European Languages: A Study of Language and Social Change. This project investigates how recent sociopolitical events and developments have impacted on the ways in which people address each other in French, German, and Swedish. Comparisons will be made with Italian and Dutch and between nations using the same language. There is to date no comparative study of this kind. The project is innovative in its use of qualitative and quantitative methodology and will lead to a new conceptual framework for the study of address. It will provide insights for inter-cultural communication and second language acquisition as well as the relation between language, cultural values, and sociopolitical change.Read moreRead less
Bilingualism in the bush: reconceptualising 'speech community' in immigrant family language maintenance in regional Australia. This project will investigate how immigrant families in regional Australian centres maintain their children's home language(s) in the absence of the critical mass of speakers, networks and resources found in metropolitan areas. It will establish how such families can best be supported through community and educational services to ensure that children grow up bilingual, w ....Bilingualism in the bush: reconceptualising 'speech community' in immigrant family language maintenance in regional Australia. This project will investigate how immigrant families in regional Australian centres maintain their children's home language(s) in the absence of the critical mass of speakers, networks and resources found in metropolitan areas. It will establish how such families can best be supported through community and educational services to ensure that children grow up bilingual, with the attendant benefits of improved cognitive, social and academic skills. The project will examine home practices and the interface between home and early childhood services. Outcomes will include a better understanding of successful family language planning practices in isolated regions and a reconceptualisation of 'speech community' through communications technologies.Read moreRead less