Bloomsbury Round Table on Language Learning and Language Socialization, with Patricia Duff, 28-29 June 2012

The Annual Bloomsbury Round Table on Communication, Cognition and Culture,

with a Research Training Workshop for students and early career researchers

Theme: Language Learning and Language Socialization

Date:  Conference:  28 June 2012; Workshop: 29 June 2012

Place: Birkbeck College, University of London

Keynote speaker: Professor Patricia Duff, University of British Columbia, Canada

Language learning is more than a mechanical process of learning about formal rules and structures. It is also a process of socialization through language and into language. Earlier language socialisation research primarily focused on how children develop their language, literacy and communication skills in specific socio-cultural contexts. More recently, language socialisation has been taken as a lifelong process which extends beyond childhood to novices of various kinds including second language learners and newer members of communities, and to contexts such as the workplace and online communities. This thematic Round Table focuses on various aspects of language learning from a language socialisation perspective. Questions to be addressed include the role language learners play in language socialisation and the impact different sites, media, language abilities and language environments have on language learning and socialisation. Presentations are particularly welcome on language learning and socialisation strategies and practices across different sites, through different media, by different groups of learners, in different activities and in different language environments, including the following topics:

■ Language learning and socialization at home and family language policy
■ Language learning and socialization in the community
■ Language learning and socialization in the workplace
■ Language learning and socialization in the classroom
■ Language learning and socialization in higher education
■ Language learning and socialization in youth groups and clubs
■ Language learning and socialization in online communities
■ Language learning and socialization and new social media
■ Language socialization and multimodality
■ First, second, foreign, heritage and multiple language learning and socialization
■ Language learning and socialization among people with special language and communication needs
■ Learners' creativity and resourcefulness in language learning and socialization
■ Language learning and socialization and intercultural communication

About the keynote speaker:

Dr Patricia Duff is Professor of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia, Canada. She has taught English in Korea, Japan, Canada and USA and applied linguistics in China. Amongst her many publications are Ethnographic Research in Applied Linguistics (2012), Language Socialization (Vol. 8, Encyclopedia of Language and Education, with  Nancy Hornberger, 2008), Case Study Research in Applied Linguistics (2008), Inference and Generalizability in Applied Linguistics (with Micheline Chalhoub-Deville and Carol Chapelle, 2006), and two special issues of the Canadian Modern Language Review, on 'Language and Work' (2000) and on 'Indigenous, Heritage and Minority Language Education in Canada' (2009). She serves on the editorial boards of Applied Linguistics, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Canadian Modern Language Review, Chinese Language and Discourse, Classroom Discourse, and Modern Language Journal, and edited the Research Issues section of the TESOL Quarterly for 12 years.

Submission of Abstracts:

20 minutes will be given to each oral presentation in parallel sessions. Abstracts of 300 words in English should be submitted to: roundtable@bbk.ac.uk, by Friday 20th April, 2012. Decisions will be made by early May. Enquiries can be made at the same email address.

Research Training Workshop

A research methods training workshop on Doing Language Socialization Research for postgraduates and early career researchers will be held on Friday 29th June. It is included in the standard registration fees.

Free access to Applied Linguistics Review:

Participants who pay the standard registration fees will also receive free online access to Applied Linguistics Review (De Gruyter Mouton) for 2012.