What Is Critical In Language Studies

This volume examines the notion of criticality in language studies. Drawing on the work of the Frankfurt School – Adorno, Habermas, Horkheimer, and Marcuse, among others – the chapters in the volume examine a variety of linguistic contexts: from gender activism to web journalism, from the classroom to the open streets. It also presents theoretical and methodological guidelines to researchers interested in • Expanding their critical outlook for meaning brought on by the notion of criticality in contemporary language studies. • Understanding criticality in languages through historical, political, and social perspectives. • Using linguistics and language studies as tools to dissect and disclose social injustices. This book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of language studies and linguistics, philosophy, politics, and sociology and social policy.

This volume begins by locating critical inquiry within the epistemological and methodological history of second language study. Subsequent chapters portray researcher-participant exploration of identity and agency while challenging inequitable policies and practices. Research on internationalization, Englishization, and/or transborder migration address language policies and knowledge production at universities in Hong Kong, Standard English and Singlish controversies in Singapore, media portrayals of the English as an Official Language movement in South Korea, transnational advocacy in Japan, and Nicaraguan/Costa Rican South to South migration. Transnational locations of identity and agency are fore-fronted in narrative descriptions of Korean heritage language learners, a discursive journey from East Timor to Hawaii, and a reclaimed life history by a Chinese peasant woman. Labor union and GLBT legal work illustrate discourses that can hinder or facilitate agency and change. Hawaiian educators advocate for indigenous self-determination through revealing the political and social meanings of research. California educators describe struggles at the front-lines of resistance to policies and practices harmful to marginalized children. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) project portrays how Latina youth in the U.S. “resist wounding inscriptions” of the intersecting emotional and physical violence of homes, communities, and anti-immigrant policies and attitudes. Promoting agency through drawing on diversity resources is modeled in a bilingual undergraduate PAR project. The volume as a whole provides a model for critical research that explores the multifaceted and evolving nature of language identities while placing those traditionally known as participants at the center of agency and advocacy.

The Readings in Language Studies series presents international perspectives on important and emergent themes in language studies: critical pedagogy, language and power, language and identity, second language acquisition, conceptualizations of language, teachers and teaching. Each volume in the series is developed and edited in partnership with the International Society for Language Studies (www.isls.co), an interdisciplinary association of scholars who explore critical perspectives on language. A resource for students and scholars, each themed volume in the series represents the latest thought, literature, research, and methodology in language studies and features authors from across the globe. The series, which includes this current volume, is an essential scholarly resource for universities and personal libraries. ENDORSEMENTS: "This volume illuminates critical issues in language studies by questioning unequal relations of power regarding race, gender, sexuality, ability, language, multimodality, communication, and more. The authors’ critical engagement offers renewed understandings of identity, pedagogy, and policies." — Ryuko Kubota, University of British Columbia "ISLS continues to deliver on its mission of promulgating critical scholarship in language-related studies. This volume continues this now two-decades long mission and includes contributions from both well known and promising scholars. This volume belongs on the shelves of those who recognize the role languages play in sustaining and interrupting relationships of power. "— Terry A. Osborn, University of South Florida

This volume applies the critical pedagogical approach to the area of language learning, and in doing so, it addresses such topics as critical multiculturalism, gender and language learning, and popular culture.

This accessible guide and introduction to critical applied linguistics provides a clear overview, highlighting problems, debates, and competing views in language education, literacy, discourse analysis, language in the workplace, translation and other language-related domains. Covering both critical theory and domains of practice, the book is organized around five themes: the politics of knowledge, the politics of language, the politics of texts, the politics of pedagogy, and the politics of difference. It is an important text for anyone involved in applied linguistics, TESOL, language education, or other language-related fields.

This book introduces Critical Language Awareness (CLA) Pedagogy as a robust and research-grounded framework to engage and support students in critical examinations of language, identity, privilege and power. Starting with an accessible introduction to CLA, chapters cover key topics—including World Englishes, linguistic prejudice, news media literacy, inclusive language practices, and more—in an inviting and thought-provoking way to promote reflection and analysis. Part I provides an overview of the foundations of CLA pedagogy, while Part II highlights four instructional pathways for CLA pedagogy: Sociolinguistics, Critical Academic Literacies, Media/Discourse Analysis, and Communicating Across Difference. Each pathways chapter is structured around Essential Questions and Transferrable Skills, and includes three thematic learning sequences. Part III offers tools and guidance for tailoring CLA pedagogy to the reader’s own teaching context and to students’ individual needs. The volume’s wealth of resources and activities are a pedagogical toolkit for supporting and embracing linguistic diversity in the classroom. The cohesive framework, concrete strategies, engaging activities, and guiding questions in this volume allow readers to come away with not only a deeper understanding of CLA, but also a clear roadmap for implementing CLA pedagogy in the classroom. Synthesizing relevant research from educational linguistics and writing studies, this book is ideal for courses in English/literacy education, college composition, L2 writing instruction, and educational linguistics.

This new edition of takes a fresh look at enduring questions at the heart of fundamental debates about the role of schools in society, the links between education and employment, and conflicts between linguistic minorities and "mainstream" populations.

Communities of Practice in Language Research provides an up-to-date and critical introduction to the community of practice framework and how this can be applied to language research. Critiquing and offering alternative suggestions for the ways in which researchers frame research participants as members of communities of practice, with the goal of inspiring use of the Community of Practice (CofP) model in new areas of research, this book: engages in extended critical analysis of past research as well as questioning recent applications and suggesting limitations incorporates instructive examples from multiple fields, including Sociolinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Critical Discourse Studies, Language Teaching & Learning, Literacy Studies, and a trailblazing section on Language & Digital Media brings up-to-date the key questions and concerns around the Communities of Practice model, debunking myths and re-emphasising ongoing challenges. Communities of Practice in Language Research is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying research methods or undertaking research projects in those areas.

This book, addressed to experienced and novice language educators, provides an up-to-date overview of sociolinguistics, reflecting changes in the global situation and the continuing evolution of the field and its relevance to language education around the world. Topics covered include nationalism and popular culture, style and identity, creole languages, critical language awareness, gender and ethnicity, multimodal literacies, classroom discourse, and ideologies and power. Whether considering the role of English as an international language or innovative initiatives in Indigenous language revitalization, in every context of the world sociolinguistic perspectives highlight the fluid and flexible use of language in communities and classrooms, and the importance of teacher practices that open up spaces of awareness and acceptance of --and access to--the widest possible communicative repertoire for students.

[This book] guides language instructors and course developers through the process of creating materials and developing curricula that promote cultural inquiry exploration. The purpose is to sustain learners' interest in cultural study and prepare them to effectively communicate in the target language in a variety of personal and professional situations."--P. [4] of cover