Calls for Journal Papers

Special issue of Social Semiotics: Objects and language in trans-contextual communication

Call Deadline: 2 March 2012

Guest editors: Gabriele Budach (Southampton), Catherine Kell (Cape Town) & Donna Patrick (Ottawa)

The study of objects has a long history in modern philosophy, anthropology and in semiotics. Central to this work has been the study of objects and their meanings in relation to material culture, the arts, fashion, and design. This special issue adds to this research with a specific focus on 'objects and language' and the role played by non-linguistic objects in shaping linguistic communicative and social processes across contexts.

The study of objects has not been at the centre of linguistic study so far, but can shed new light on central questions of sociolinguistic enquiry. Objects carry meaning and instantiate power and ideology in situations of communication. As objects move, they enter into new ensembles of participant frameworks, bundles of semiotic and discursive resources and associated artefacts. They thereby elicit shifting social interactions and language practices and recontextualise knowledge and social hierarchies in different environments. Studying such practices offers new ways to understand how material culture and language practices are connected and how power and ideologies are distributed across contexts. This new approach benefits both studies on material culture and linguistics. More broadly, this special issue will contribute to a new area of study for social semiotics which addresses the call for a 'spatialisation of social sciences' and for which we propose to develop a framework for 'trans-contextual' analysis.

We invite papers that explore the role of objects and their associated social and socio-linguistic interactions across space and time.  Papers should consider the role of objects in terms of their impact on shaping broader social processes, language ideologies, and relations of power. Such objects can include linguistic texts (both analogue and digital), together with non-animate objects (like jewellery, concrete blocks, fishing rods, toys and so on) and other culturally assembled pieces, like fashion items and artistic productions which are recontextualised as they cross time and space. We welcome papers, from a broad and interdisciplinary range of conceptual frameworks (e.g. New Literacy Studies, social semiotics and multimodality, discourse analysis, social geography, linguistic ethnography, communication and cultural studies) that study the role of objects in trans-contextual encounters and their social impact.

Deadlines:

If you wish to contribute to this special issue, please submit an abstract of 500 words including a title and key references to Gabriele Budach (G.Budach@soton.ac.uk).

Special Topic Issue of TESOL Quarterly, September 2013: "Plurilingualism in TESOL"

Call Deadline: 1 April 2012

Edited by Shelley K. Taylor and Kristin Snoddon

Please send abstracts and inquiries to the editors Shelley K. Taylor (taylor@uwo.ca) and Kristin Snoddon (ksnoddon@ryerson.ca). Submission process is described below.

Call Deadline:

For the purpose of this special issue, the editors ascribe to the Council of Europe's (2001) definition of plurilingualism as multilingualism at the level of the individual (rather than at the societal level). As outlined by the Council, plurilingualism does not describe fixed competencies, as linguistic ability in a number of languages is seen as arising from desire or necessity, and changing over time as it reflects the social paths that individuals take; thus, it is highly individual. An important consideration in the context of individual plurilingualism is that of individuals possessing partial competence in a particular language. Plurilinguals may possess a very limited mastery of a language, but still view it as an enriching component of their overall plurilingual competence (or linguistic repertoire).

This special issue provides a forum for TESOL professionals who are teaching or conducting research in various international contexts to engage in a discussion of plurilingualism and to analyze the implications that specific, local conditions have for TESOL's mission. This special issue draws attention to the linguistic repertoires of teachers of English, teacher understanding of student plurilingualism, and the significance of this understanding for supporting the acquisition of English as a second or other language. Contributions will present or critique research findings regarding innovative programs, policies, and pedagogical practices in multilingual classroom settings and the role of learners' primary and other language(s), including signed languages, in learning English, and address related programmatic, sociopolitical and sociolinguistic issues in ESL/EFL/ESOL contexts internationally.

Articles that address English education in the following contexts are invited:

Submissions: Abstracts should describe previously unpublished work that includes implications for TESOL professionals. We solicit both full-length empirical papers and issues papers. Contributions from all regions of the world are encouraged. Based on review of the abstracts, authors will be invited to submit papers for possible inclusion in the issue. Please send a 600-word abstract for a full-length article. For all submissions, send copies of the abstract without author(s) names. On a separate sheet, include each author's name, affiliation, mailing address, email address, telephone and fax numbers, and 50-word biographical statement.

European Journal of Language Policy

Call Deadline: 30 April 2012

Revue européenne de politique linguistique

Call for contributions

Proposals are invited for contributions to the European Journal of Language Policy / Revue européenne de politique linguistique, which is published by Liverpool University Press, in association with the Conseil européen pour les langues / European Language Council, and edited by Michael Kelly (University of Southampton, UK).

This is an international peer-reviewed journal, which has published eight issues since Spring 2009. It addresses major developments in language policy from a European perspective, regarding multilingualism and the diversity of languages as valuable assets in the culture, politics and economics of twenty-first century societies. The journal's primary focus is on Europe, broadly understood, but it is alert to policy developments in the wider world.

The EJLP/REPL invites proposals or manuscripts of articles studying any aspect of language policy, and any aspect of the area of languages for which policies may need to be developed or changed. It particularly welcomes proposals that provide greater understanding of the factors that contribute to policy-making, and proposals that examine the effects of particular policies on language learning or language use.

The EJLP/REPL presents relevant policy documents and reports, particularly where these contribute to debates and decision-making on language policy in Europe and elsewhere. It invites suggestions for such documents.

Articles and other items are accepted in either English or French. Abstracts of articles will be provided in both languages. Materials may be derived from or refer to texts in other languages, and a website associated with the journal will provide access to texts and materials in a wider range of languages.

The next issue for which contributions are invited will appear in Autumn 2012  Manuscripts for publication should be submitted to the Editor by 30 April 2012. All correspondence should be addressed to Dr Eleanor Quince (E.M.Quince@southampton.ac.uk).

European Journal of Language Policy/Revue européenne de politique linguistique is hosted online by Metapress at http://liverpool.metapress.com/content/121626/, and online access is free to existing subscribers.

Call for papers for a special issue of Applied Linguistics Review: 'Critiquing applied linguistics'

Call Deadline: 30 April 2012

From time to time to time in applied linguistics, one reads an article or book chapter or even an entire book which not only takes a critical stance towards a well-established topic or line of research but also leads readers to think differently about that topic or line of research. Many applied linguists felt this way when they read Robert Phillipson's book Linguistic Imperialism  (Oxford University Press, 1992), which contained a critique of a certain complacency among many in the field about the supposed benignness of English in world. Others found stimulating Alan Firth and Johannes Wagner's article 'On discourse, communication, and (some) fundamental concepts in SLA Research' (Modern Language Journal, 1997), which served as challenge to many foundational notions and assumptions in mainstream second language acquisition research.

The editors of Applied Linguistics Review do not believe that one can plan or anticipate that a given piece of writing will prove to be a landmark or game-changer as regards thinking about a particular area of applied linguistics. However, we note that far too many publications coming out today tend to reproduce accepted thinking and do not present anything challenging to the status quo. We therefore make this call for contributions to a special issue of Applied Linguistics Review entitled 'Critiquing applied linguistics'.

Contributors to this issue will take a critical stance towards well-established areas of Applied Linguistics research and thought. Our aim is not to encourage nastiness or dispute for its own sake; rather, we wish to provide a forum for authors who have something to say about the state of play in different areas of applied linguistics from a critical perspective. Details about this special issue follow:

All queries about this special issue, as well as proposals to it, should go to the issue editor: David Block: d.block@ioe.ac.uk

Call for contributions to an edited volume - Sociolinguistics: Application and Impact

Compared to other subfields of linguistics, sociolinguistics has been relatively outward facing since its inception. In one sense, this follows naturally when collecting data from people in everyday situations. Yet few can accuse sociolinguistics of being particularly meddlesome in the political process. Nor has the discipline as a whole been overly occupied with improving people's lives. In fact, despite significantly furthering our academic understanding of linguistic variation and change, language policy and planning, language and identity, language and gender and so on, very few people outside academia have ever heard of sociolinguistics -- let alone its influence beyond the groves of academe.

Meanwhile, 'impact' has become a significant funding criterion in the humanities and social sciences, as funding bodies increasingly turn their attention to the real-world effects of research. The weighting of impact as a percentage of research quality is also set to grow. How does sociolinguistics adapt to this? What steps could make sociolinguistics more relevant outside academia? How can public engagement with sociolinguistic research be facilitated? 'Sociolinguistics: Application and Impact' aims to address these questions by showcasing contemporary sociolinguistic research which demonstrates practical applications beyond an academic audience.

Submissions are welcomed from established and emerging sociolinguists, whose research contributes to broader discourses of language in society, and evinces the value of sociolinguistic research to society.

Areas for consideration include (but are not limited to):

Other relevant contributions will be considered.

Submissions should include an abstract of up to 500 words (excluding references), accompanied by a description (up to 1500 words) considering the questions listed below. These do not all need to be answered, but as a guide, your submission should cover at least two of them.

How have you...

  1. identified a real-world problem of human well-being as a motivation for your research?
  2. significantly involved your participants in the research design, the research itself, and the dissemination process?
  3. used your research to influence institutional and/or government policy?
  4. helped your participants use the research findings to pursue their own goals, or improve their lives more generally, beyond the life of the research project?
  5. both ensured wide accessibility and raised awareness of your findings?

Cambridge University Press have expressed interest in the volume, and it will be formally submitted to them by the editors once the contributors are confirmed.

Please consider carefully whether you could meet these deadlines.

Submissions, and any queries, should be directed to sociolx.impact@gmail.com.

Current Issues in Language Planning

Call Deadline: 30 June 2012

Current Issues in Language Planning is announcing a Call for Papers for a forthcoming issue on 'Language Planning and Medium of Instruction'.

The use of a language of wider communication in place of or in addition to a local or national language as the medium of instruction is increasingly becoming a common feature of language policy and planning in polities across the world. This dominant aspect of language in education planning has its origin in the European colonization of Asian, African and South American nations. Educating the colonized in the knowledge, values and norms of the West through the colonial language was an ideological imperative which served the practical needs required for continuing colonial rule. The end of colonial rule brought an opportunity for colonized nations to do away with colonial languages and introduce local/national languages as medium of education. However, although initial attempts to switch to local languages were made in a few polities, it was more common to adopt ex-colonial languages as medium of education. In continuing with colonial languages in the post-colonial period, many polities were driven by three major discourses: a) local/national languages were not modern or developed enough to take the role of medium of instruction; b) colonial languages were a neutral choice in the context of ethnolinguistic conflicts; c) using the target language as medium of instruction was an efficient model of second language pedagogy.

While such discourses are prevalent across polities, globalization and the global spread of English have created more bottom-up pressure for adopting this language of wider communication as medium of instruction. In addition to developing national language ability to participate in the global economy, English is used as medium of instruction to internationalize local/national education and to attract overseas students which is a noteworthy feature of more recent medium of instruction policy in many polities.

The dominance of languages of wider communication in general and English in particular as medium of instruction raises a number of educational, linguistic, socio-economic, political and socio-cultural issues which have started receiving attention in the language planning literature.

This special issue of Current Issues in Language Planning aims to contribute to this literature. Researchers are invited to submit abstracts (250-300 words) to the Editor, Prof. Richard B. Baldauf Jr, University of Queensland. (richard.baldaufbigpond.com)

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 30 June 2012.

Deadline for submission of final papers: 1 November 2012.

CLIL in Asian Contexts: Emerging Trends

Call Deadline: 31 October 2012

Asian EFL Journal plans to publish a Special Issue on CLIL in Asian Contexts: Emerging Trends in September, 2013. The aim is to provide a variety of perspectives on matters related to Content and Language Integrated Learning in the Asian context.

CLIL is becoming increasingly popular in various levels of education across Asia. The research emanating from Europe is particularly informative to educators merging content and language. It is, however, necessary to provide a forum to reflect its growth in the diverse Asian contexts in which it is adopted.

Authors are encouraged to submit papers in the following categories:

The deadline for submissions is 31st October, 2012.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

We welcome papers from all corners of the globe, but preference will be given to those with links to the Asian context, including Australasia and the Middle East. Manuscripts should not have been submitted for consideration or published elsewhere and should follow APA referencing.

All enquiries and final manuscripts (including biographical details) should be sent in MS Word form via email attachment to:

Dr. John Adamson

Senior Associate Editor

johnadamson253@hotmail.com

Please note that all manuscripts will be subject to anonymous review by a panel of experts.