LINGUIST List 22.2481|
Wed Jun 15 2011
Calls: Applied Linguistics, Sociolinguistics/Switzerland
Editor for this issue: Alison Zaharee
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1. Xavier Gradoux ,
Thematic and Interdisciplinary Conference of VALS-ASLA
Message 1: Thematic and Interdisciplinary Conference of VALS-ASLA
From: Xavier Gradoux <xavier.gradouxunil.ch>
Subject: Thematic and Interdisciplinary Conference of VALS-ASLA
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Full Title: Thematic and Interdisciplinary Conference of VALS-ASLA
Short Title: VALS-ASLA 2012
Date: 01-Feb-2012 - 03-Feb-2012
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Contact Person: Marcel Burger
Meeting Email: < click here to access email >
Web Site: http://www.unil.ch/vals-asla2012
Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics; Sociolinguistics
Call Deadline: 10-Jul-2011
The Role of Language Use in Creating Plural Social Settings Today: A Challenge for Applied Linguistics
Contemporary societies find themselves in a situation where they are confronted with realities and processes which are by their very nature in opposition to each other: regionalisation vs. globalisation, diversity vs. uniformity, normalisation vs. deregulation. In language use or in attitudes towards languages and speech, these tensions manifest themselves, for example, by reversion to dialects vs. acceptance of the illusion of a lingua franca; purism vs. a mixture of languages and ‘lects’ (socio-, dialects); a representation of monolingual practice vs. a representation of plurilingual practice.
Applied linguistics considers itself to be action-oriented linguistics. As such, it investigates complex modalities, for example, whereby those who speak or write intervene as actors in creating social settings. These settings include education and training, the media, politics and health care, as well as the economy, law and scientific research.
The aim of this thematic and interdisciplinary colloquium in Lausanne is to explore this situation of tension which language use contributes to initiate, maintain, maximise or minimise. Not only does this colloquium aim at identifying and describing the locations and modalities of expression in these settings – perhaps deconstructing them – but also at debating compromises and solutions which would enable us to manage these settings in terms of language.
There are a number of questions we can ask ourselves. For example, which modes involved in fixing these modalities are given preference in these situations of tension, which social and discursive practices? How do the latter favour or prevent a means of participation in the social, economic or political world? Which discursive forms of mediation should be considered: intercultural, political, economic, legal, media-related? Which new discursive forms, either mixed or hybrid, can be imagined?
In order to contemplate such a line of questioning more precisely, the following seven thematic tracks can be considered. Each assumes, as a framework for reflection, that language use is rooted or fixed in a particular social setting:
1. Language use in the field of education and training
2. Language use in the fields of media and politics
3. Language use in the world of scientific research
4. Language use in the health care sector
5. Language use in the world of economics
6. Language use in the field of law
7. Language use in the field of new technologies
Call for Papers:
The submission deadline for individual presentations is extended until July 10, 2011.
The Scientific Committee:
- Encourages proposals which explicitly focus on the role of language use in creating social settings: education and training, media and politics, health care, economy and law, scientific research.
- Will retain those proposals which approach these settings as 'situations of tension'
- Will give priority to those propositions which clearly outline their methods and their categories of analysis and which give preference to descriptions of empirical data bases
- Will select the proposals received on the basis of the anonymity of the abstracts.
The proposals in English, French, Italian or German should be aligned with one of the aforementioned thematic tracks (to be indicated when submitting).
Individual presentations consist of a 20-minute presentation followed by a 10-minute discussion. The subject of the talk should stem from one of the tracks listed above. The deadline for proposals is 10 July 2011. The abstract should not exceed 300 words (comprising the topic, the theoretical and methodological framework, highlighting the originality of the question).
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