Invited Colloquium Chair

Alessia Cogo

Department of English and Comparative Literature

Goldsmiths, University of London (United Kingdom)

Panelists:

Luciana Cabrini, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Brazil
Alessia Cogo, Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom
Telma Gimenez, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Brazil
Michele El Kadri, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Brazil
Fatma Said, Zayed University, UAE
Dylan Williams, Seoul National University, Korea
Sender Dovchin, Curtin University, Australia

Title of Colloquium:

ELF and translanguaging: challenging ideologies and promoting linguistic justice

Main Abstract:

The aim of this colloquium is to bring together researchers and practitioners who work with multilingualism and ELF in higher education in order to challenge certain language ideologies and help against processes of social discrimination, linguistic injustice and colonization.

Certain language ideologies still dominate in EMI contexts. They are those that sit at the heart of English language Education, such as native speakerism, English-only, monolingualism, standard language, one-language-at-a-time, and essentialism. These have long been called into question by a wide range of critical ELF work. Although challenged and criticised they still remain in place in English classrooms around the world today. They also have important repercussions not only for EMI education choices (concerning e.g., curricula, materials and assessment) but also for attitudes towards students and lecturers in EMI contexts (concerning e.g. linguistic prejudice).

Drawing on multilingualism and English as a lingua franca (ELF) research, the papers in this colloquium explore the potential ways of adopting a more inclusive and decentered approach to EMI in education. Their aim is twofold: (1) to see how a multilingual perspective and translanguaging lens could be used to dismantle ideologies and work towards linguistic justice in EMI, but also (2) to see how these multilingual practices /translanguaging perspective are resisted and what can be done about it.

Brief Bio:

Dr. Alessia Cogo is a senior lecturer in applied linguistics/sociolinguistics at the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London and is director of the MA Program in Multilingualism, Linguistics and Education. Her research concerns the diversity of English, especially transcultural and transnational phenomena like English as a Lingua Franca and translanguaging. She focuses on the tensions between the use of different linguistic resources and the impact of attitudes, identities and ideologies on linguistic practices. She is currently working on super-diversity and internationalization in migration and business contexts, as well as pedagogical applications and implications. She is Editor-in-Chief of the ELT Journal, founder and co-convenor of the AILA Research Network on English as a Lingua Franca.

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