Communication Disorders Across Languages

As we’re just about to publish the 10th book in the Communication Disorders Across Languages series, Deirdre Martin’s Researching Dyslexia in Multilingual Settings, we asked the series editors Martin Ball and Nicole Müller to tell us a bit about how the series started and how it’s developed.

Our series was founded due to a coincidence. The coincidence was that we were at the same conference as Mike and Marjukka Grover ten years ago: the 4th International Symposium on Bilingualism, at Arizona State University, Tempe, in 2003. We had both been involved with work in multilingualism but were earning our livings as clinical linguists and, in discussions with Mike and Marjukka, we came to realize that the intersection between these two fields really needed more attention; indeed, it needed a book series! As it’s now ten years since those initial discussions, and we are about to publish the tenth book in the series, now would seem to be a good time for a retrospective.

From the outset we envisioned two main themes for the series that would result in books with two different approaches. One theme would involve studies of particular geographical areas and/or languages and explore what speech and language pathology resources and research were available for the multilingual population of that area or speakers of that language. As an example, our very first volume was devoted to Spanish speakers (both in Europe and the New World): Communication Disorders in Spanish Speakers: Theoretical, Research and Clinical Aspects edited by José G. Centeno, Raquel T. Anderson and Loraine K. Obler in 2007. This book was timely, as the increasing number of Spanish speakers, or bilingual Spanish-English speakers in the US has highlighted the paucity of speech language therapy services through the medium of Spanish. The book aims to contribute to evidence-based clinical procedures for monolingual Spanish and bilingual Spanish-English children and adults with communication disorders, and was one of the first to appear in this area.

Other books in the series that followed this path are Research in Logopedics: Speech and Language Therapy in Finland, edited by Anu Klippi and Kaisa Launonen in 2008; Language Disorders in Speakers of Chinese, edited by Sam-Po Law, Brendan Weekes and Anita M.-Y. Wong also in 2008; and Communication Disorders in Turkish, edited by Seyhun Topbaş and Mehmet Yavaş, published in 2010. There are still potentially fascinating areas to explore in this part of the series, and we hope one day to commission volumes dealing with, for example, South Africa, India, and Russia.

The second theme takes a specific area within the field of communication disorders and examines multilingual and crosslinguistic aspects of that area. In the beginning we envisioned a dozen or so such areas from developmental speech and language disorders through to acquired neurogenic impairments. So far, six books have appeared following this theme. The first was Multilingual Aspects of Fluency Disorders, edited by Peter Howell & John Van Borsel, 2011: the first volume to examine stuttering and related fluency impairments from a multilingual viewpoint. This collection has been followed by books on children’s speech disorders, aphasia, voice disorders, and – most recently – literacy. Sharynne McLeod and Brian Goldstein edited Multilingual Aspects of Speech Sound Disorders in Children which appeared in 2012; later in 2012 was published Aspects of Multilingual Aphasia, edited by Martin Gitterman, Mira Goral and Loraine Obler. This was followed in early 2013 by International Perspectives on Voice Disorders, with Edwin Yiu as editor. Our most recent volume is Researching Dyslexia in Multilingual Settings, edited by Deirdre Martin. Volumes on Sign Language, child language disorders, and motor speech disorders are also in preparation, with still other areas at the planning stage (e.g. traumatic brain injury, and specific language impairment).

Interestingly, as the series has developed, a third theme has emerged: assessment and multilingualism. This theme covers both the provision of assessment materials in a range of languages (many of which have had little in the way of communicative disorders assessment provision in the past), and the assessment of multilingual clients. The first book in this theme was Assessing Grammar: The Languages of LARSP, edited by Martin Ball, David Crystal and Paul Fletcher, which extended the LARSP grammatical analysis profile to 12 languages other than English. Future volumes are planned that will cover up to another 40 languages. Another collection within this theme is in an advanced state of preparation; its working title is Methods for Assessing Multilingual Children: Disentangling Bilingualism from Language Impairment, and is being edited by Sharon Armon-Lotem, Jan de Jong and Natalia Meir. We hope to encourage further submissions within this theme.

What of the future? As noted, we have already commissioned further books for the series, and several of these are near completion so we hope that the series will continue to grow and provide essential resources for researchers and practitioners.

Martin J. Ball and Nicole Müller
Series editors, Communication Disorders Across Languages

An Interview with Danuta Gabryś-Barker

This month we published Danuta Gabryś-Barker’s new book The Affective Dimension in Second Language Acquisition and she took a couple of minutes to answer a few questions about her research.

Well, I have to confess that a lot of the themes of my research derive from personal and intuitive feelings concerning my own experiences of foreign language acquisition and use. Looking back at my first language learning experiences, I can clearly recall feelings of frustration and negative perceptions of my own language ability, resulting in mental blocks and failures, as well as the moments of success in part ascribable to the words of praise given by my first language teacher. Also when in the 1990s I first started researching multilinguality by means of introspective methods – mostly simultaneous introspection – I did observe how much cognitive processing in language tasks as reported by the subjects was determined – either enhanced or impeded – by the affective states that they went through.

What makes your book different from others that have been published before?
First of all, I would like to say that although affectivity is the major factor in language learning (and not only in this context), not that much has been published on it in the domain of bi- and multilinguality. The book The Affective Dimension in Second Language Acquisition, edited together with Joanna Bielska, is an example of a monograph contributing to this field in that it gathers papers on various themes dealing with affectivity and not all of them just focusing on the usual and most often discussed topics of motivation and attitude. A whole variety of contexts and types of language learners are the focus of the empirical studies presented in the volume. Some of them look at the author’s own affectivity and teaching and learning experiences. Also the research methods used in the studies reported are helping to promote qualitative methods such as introspection and narrative inquiry, which in my view are more relevant in the context of studying affectivity or at least complement the quantitative data.

Which researchers in your field do you particularly admire?
Ok, this is quite an easy question to answer. Although there are quite a few scholars who research issues connected with affectivity in language learning contexts, there are two names that I would like to mention: Aneta Pavlenko and Jean-Marc Dewaele. They are pre-eminent both in relation to their individual research and their joint projects on the emotions of multilinguals. I would also mention the researchers in Geneva Emotion Group and particularly Klaus Scherer, who inspired me to study appraisal systems in the context of  multilingual affectivity. I was very happy that Aneta Pavlenko kindly agreed to contribute to this volume.

What is next for you in terms of research projects?
Last year I published a book on teacher reflectivity, a substantial part of which deals with affectivity in the context of foreign language teacher training, which is very relevant to the other side of my professional interests (working with pre-service teachers of English).  At the moment I am exploring the possibilities narrative and autobiographical methods offer in researching multilinguality, in studying the languages of thought and of dreams of multilingual speakers.

The image on the cover of your book is very picturesque – can you tell us a bit more about where it was taken?
With pleasure, as it brings back a lot of happy memories from the places which I associate with sun, wine and holidays. It was taken in Lisbon on one of our romantic walks with Tony, my husband. And it seemed to me when I was looking through the photos I took last summer (and I can’t resist taking hundreds of them) to choose one for the cover of the book on affectivity, that the sight of an unknown young couple in the archway of one of Lisbon’s cosy side-streets would be most appropriate.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing/editing books?
Well, I have to say that I do enjoy my professional duties, which constitute a very important part of my life. I mean here, lecturing and teaching – especially my M.A. seminars on language teaching and learning. Although I have been teaching for almost thirty years now, I still feel pretty fresh and treat it as an adventure and something of a challenge with every new group of students. But enthusiasm has to go beyond one’s professional life, too. I have to admit to one weakness, which may sound a bit silly in the context of being an academic and researcher. I love branded and vintage handbags and not only collect them (you can’t imagine how big my collection is), but also study their history. My life is so busy at the moment that another passion of mine, painting (though I’m not very skilful at it), has had to be put aside for a while as it requires too much of my concentration and devotion. But I will return to it some day. Perhaps when I retire.

If you liked this book you might also like Danuta’s other book Morphosyntactic Issues in Second Language Acquisition.

CLIL in Higher Education

Earlier this month we published CLIL in Higher Education by Inmaculada Fortanet-Gómez and we asked her to tell us a little about how she came to write the book and how it contributes to the field of research into multilingual education.

The first idea to write a book like CLIL in Higher Education: Towards a Multilingual Language Policy was due to the fact that almost everything that had been published up to that moment, four years ago, was related to primary and secondary education and it lacked a solid theoretical basis. I observed that the research on CLIL in Higher Education starting at that moment was focused on practical experiences and the literature reviews were often confusing and misleading. They were based on research carried out in North America or Canada, or on the few theory based studies on CLIL in pre-university education.

In Spain, however, CLIL is having a great influence at the moment in all stages of education although  most research is focused on secondary school experiences.

Thirdly, the intention of this book was to gather all the perspectives CLIL has taken in recent years especially around language as medium and as object of instruction, pedagogy and language policy. I think nobody up to this moment has taken such a wide perspective in a single authored volume.

This book tries to review what multilingualism and multilingual education means in several parts of the world, in order to provide a context to the situation of a bilingual community in Spain. Secondly, it provides the theoretical background for the several perspectives of CLIL: language, pedagogy and participants, and socio-historical context. Thirdly, it provides some proposals for a multilingual language policy for a university, Universitat Jaume I, taking into account all the factors described.

I hope this volume is of interest to students, researchers and policy makers interested in multilingualism in higher education from the perspective of the integration of language and content.

If you liked this book you might also like Multilingual Higher Education by Christa van der Walt.

Multilingual Art Studio

Last month we were delighted to announce that the winner of our 2013 Multilingualism in the Community Award was a project for a Multilingual Art Studio organised by RCS Haven based in Glasgow, UK. Here, Nina Ivashinenko, director of RCS Haven, tells us a bit more about the project and how the prize money will help them to develop their scheme further.

Located in Glasgow, RCS Haven has become a beacon of hope for multiculturalism and multilingualism in a city filled with cultural isolation. Initially set up in 2004 to help people from ethnic minorities integrate into Scottish society, the centre has gone from strength to strength in recent years thanks to the tireless work of our volunteers and our members. It is our wish to preserve Russian language and culture for our children and for posterity while simultaneously providing a platform from which émigré Russians living in Scotland can better integrate themselves into Scottish and UK culture. We do this primarily by providing both Russian and English language lessons for adults and by educating our younger members in Russian language and traditions. The centre is now a hub for cultural exchange in Scotland. Through teaching, discussion, research, and building a community we hope to make RCS Haven an environment in which all Russian speakers can come together to exchange knowledge and help each other to integrate effectively into UK culture.

The importance of such a centre existing in Scotland cannot be underestimated. The population of émigré Russians currently living in Scotland has risen by 70% in the past six years. The estimated population of people from Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union living in the UK is thought to have increased by over 300,000 in the same period. Without the kindness and support of groups like Multilingual Matters RCS Haven would struggle to continue to provide such a wealthy cultural exchange.

As well as promoting and preserving Russian culture for everyone in Scotland, RCS Haven endeavours to provide more and more facilities for children. These facilities will include Russian and English language classes, maths and art tuition.

It is our intention to provide a cross-cultural, bilingual arts and crafts studio for children of diverse backgrounds. We encourage local children to engage in multicultural artistic traditions, while also promoting the use of language in a fun and creative way. The classes, for children aged 4 – 8, are opened every Wednesday from 5pm.

These classes provide an exciting and unique opportunity for the children to become acquainted with multilingual art and artistic techniques through different languages such as English, Russian and Polish. Russia, for example, has a rich artistic history ranging from traditional Slavonic art, to socialist realism, to matryoshka doll painting.  For the children of the Russian and Polish speaking diaspora, the classes also provide an opportunity to meet and socialize with other children from the local area. It will also provide valuable practice for their English language skills and build their bilingual confidence. For the other children, the classes provide an opportunity to mix with children from the Russian diaspora and learn more about Russian culture.

This is a very exciting time for all of us here at RCS Haven and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Multilingual Matters for their generosity and support. Spasibo bolshoe!

Winner of Multilingualism in the Community Award

We are pleased to announce that this year’s winner of the Multilingual Matters Multilingualism in the Community Award is a project for a Multilingual Art Studio in Glasgow. The project is a cross-cultural, bilingual arts and crafts studio for children of diverse backgrounds. It aims to encourage local children to take part in multicultural artistic traditions, while also promoting the use of language in a fun and creative way. We will be posting further details about the project soon.

We received a lot of really good proposals this year and we’d like to thank everybody who took the time to apply for the award. It was a tough decision as all the entries proposed interesting ideas and initiatives and we’d like to wish all the applicants good luck with their projects.

Language Research from the Nordic Region

We publish books based on research from all over the world, from Australia to Estonia, Mozambique to Canada but recently we have published several books stemming from studies from the Nordic region. This month we’ve published Literacy Practices in Transition: Perspectives from the Nordic Countries edited by Anne Pitkänen-Huhta and Lars Holm. This book brings together Nordic researchers working on different aspects of literacy, multilingualism and the changing living and learning environments, and initiates and promotes critical research on literacy practices in the Nordic countries. The book challenges the current practice of standardising language and literacy education and calls for the development of language and literacy policies to be tailored to the needs of the individuals involved. Leena Helavaara Robertson of Middlesex University, UK calls the book “an essential read” and “an innovative book.” The book is being launched next week at the University of Jyväskylä.

In February 2013 we are also publishing Revitalising Indigenous Languages: How to Recreate a Lost Generation by Marja-Liisa Olthuis, Suvi Kivelä and Tove Skutnabb-Kangas. This volume explores the Indigenous Aanaar Saami language (which has around 350 speakers) and cultural revitalisation in Finland. The book gives practical examples and a theoretical frame of reference for how to plan, organise and implement an intensive language programme. It is due to be published to coincide with the Sami National Day on 6th February 2013.

In the past few years we have also published the following books related to the Nordic region:

• Multilingual Urban Scandinavia edited by Pia Quist and Bente Ailin Svendsen
• Uniformity and Diversity in Language Policy edited by Catrin Norrby and John Hajek
• Language and Learning in the International University edited by Bent Preisler et al

You can find further details about all these titles on our website or email us at: info@multilingual-matters.com.

English-Medium Instruction at Universities

Having just published English-Medium Instruction at Universities edited by Aintzane Doiz, David Lasagabaster and Juan Manuel Sierra we asked the authors to tell us a bit more about English-medium instruction and the challenges it poses.

One of the more tangible outcomes of internationalisation is the implementation of foreign language study programmes at universities to promote multilingualism and language diversity. Yet, reality indicates that English is preeminent and has become the main foreign language used as means of instruction at world-wide universities.

The aim of this book is to provide critical insights on the English-medium instruction experiences which have been implemented in a number of universities in countries such as Finland, Israel, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the USA, characterized by differing political, cultural and sociolinguistic situations. This diversity, however, does not prevent the emergence of many commonalities between the different case studies presented. In particular, the volume reflects on the consequences of English-medium instruction as an attempt to boost multilingualism, to attract students, and as a strategy in response to the need to gain competitiveness in both national and international markets. The challenges specific to each setting are also analysed, and the pedagogical issues and methodological implications that arise from the implementation of these programmes are widely discussed.

One of the most demanding challenges has to do with the ways in which the academic communities come to terms with the introduction of English: the effects of EMI on multilingualism, language policy planning and the university community. This book aims to give answers to the following highly topical issues: What is the role of EMI in the internationalisation process? Are university students proficient enough in English to cope with EMI? Can both language and content be integrated successfully at university level? What successful practices are there? The panel of experts gathered in this volume will help the reader to find enriching data, implementation examples and successful practices, as well as drawbacks and pitfalls that need to be addressed.

Just 3 days left to send your entry for our Multilingualism in the Community Award 2013

There are just a few days remaining before entries close for this year’s Multilingualism in the Community Award. The award aims to promote multilingualism in families, schools and communities. We will be giving £2000 to a group or individual that needs financial support in setting up and running a project to promote and develop multilingualism. It can be a community group or organisation or even a website or magazine. For full details of the award you can see our previous post.

We will be announcing the winner in January 2013. To enter, all you need to do is fill out the entry form and send it to info@multilingual-matters.com by 31 October 2012 with ‘Multilingualism in the Community Award’ in the subject line. If you have any questions about the award please get in touch at info@multilingual-matters.com.

Last chance to enter the Multilingual Matters Award for Multilingualism in the Community 2013

It’s not too late to enter this year’s Multilingual Matters Award for Multilingualism in the Community. We set up this award of £2000 to promote multilingualism in families, schools and communities. Any group or individual running a project involving multilingualism is eligible to apply for the award as long as they have not already been awarded funding from another source. The project can be anything: a website, a Saturday school, a playgroup, or something else entirely, and can be based anywhere in the world. The only conditions are that your proposal must primarily be about languages and language use and that the money must be used for community projects and not to fund academic research.

All you need to do is fill out the entry form and send it to info@multilingual-matters.com by 31 October 2012 with ‘Multilingualism in the Community Award’ in the subject line. If you have any questions about the award please get in touch at info@multilingual-matters.com. We look forward to receiving your entry!

Bilingual Community Education and Multilingualism

This week we publish Bilingual Community Education and Multilingualism edited by Ofelia García, Zeena Zakharia and Bahar Otcu which offers new understandings about heritage language education in the multilingual city of New York. Here Ofelia García tells us about about the importance of community education projects. 

Multilingualism today is often framed through a lens of super-diversity. This is so especially in urban contexts, where many have documented the frequent and intense interaction of different ethnolinguistic groups. But little has been said about bilingualism as seen through the lens of the ethnolinguistic communities themselves.

This book takes up the lens of ethnolinguistic communities as they proudly educate their own children in their ways of speaking and being. These bilingual community education programs are unlike bilingual programs in US public schools, where speakers of languages other than English are often minoritized. In these programs, the children’s linguistic and cultural diversity are their most valuable assets. But these bilingual community education programs are also different from how others have characterized “heritage language” programs. In these bilingual community education programs diasporic ethnolinguistic communities ensure that their children use their ways of speaking and being within a US global context. Thus, their interest is not in their heritage, as the language and the culture was performed in the past, in another space, but as a dynamic bilingualism and biculturalism that is performed by American children.

Adopting the lens of the bilingual communities themselves means that it is not super-diversity that drives these efforts. Instead, language practices are locally-produced by the communities themselves, although shaped by the plural interactions that are redefining bilingual language practices.  The bilingual communities and the educators involved in these efforts do not support super-diversity. They see their languaging and identifying through a narrow lens, although they adjust that lens to converge with the language and cultural practices in the United States. Their translanguaging practices encompass both the bilingual discourse used in these educational spaces, as well as the pedagogies that are often observed. Rather than becoming obsfuscated by super-diversity, their translanguaging becomes sharper, more intense, as they redefine their languaging and subjectivities as that of bilingual Americans. It is this type of bilingual community education program, and not just celebrating super-diversity, that will ensure that bilingual communities are respected as assets, and that bilingual children will be valued for their bilingualism.