Vietnamese is a major community language in Australia. Replica of the Ngoc Lu Drum at Saigon Place, Bankstown, Sydney
The Linguistics Department at Macquarie University is hosting a lecture series showcasing current international research in linguistic diversity. [UPDATE: This post was updated on May 20 to add lecture by Dr Taylor-Leech on June 11]
Program
Tuesday, April 02, 2:00-3:30, AHH 1.1602
Katrijn Maryns, Ghent University, Belgium, Language and vulnerability: reflections on the management of linguistic diversity in the asylum determination procedure
If you missed our first lecture, find a report here.
Tuesday, April 30, 2:00-3:00pm, AHH 1.602
Andrew S. Ross, University of Sydney, Internet memes as a tool of political participation: Discursive possibilities in the new media landscape
Tuesday, May 14, 2:00-3:00pm, AHH 1.602
Jinhyun Cho, Macquarie University, English fever, language capital, American dreams
Tuesday, June 04, 2:00-3:00pm, AHH 1.602
Van Tran, Charles Sturt University, Factors affecting home language proficiency and use among Vietnamese-Australian children
Tuesday, June 11, 2:00-3:00pm, AHH 1.602
Kerry Taylor-Leech, Griffith University, Translanguaging and identity: Creating safe space for Samoan language and culture in an Australian a’oga amata
Abstracts
Tuesday, April 30, 2:00-3:00pm, AHH 1.602
Andrew S. Ross, University of Sydney, Internet memes as a tool of political participation: Discursive possibilities in the new media landscape
Abstract: Internet memes are a contemporary phenomenon situated at the nexus of language, society, and digital communication, and represent a relatively new form of participatory culture that can offer an opportunity for political expression, engagement and participation. Internet memes have been the subject of various definitions, but one of these described them as “groups of items sharing common characteristics of content, form and/or stance, which were created, transformed, and circulated by many participants through digital participatory platforms” (Gal et al., 2016, p. 1700). Arguably the most common type of Internet meme is the image macro (which is also the type that has been the focus of my own work), where the simplistic combination of text and image combine to form a new type of multimodal language in which messages are easily created and shared. Thus, Internet memes represent a novel and widespread form of language use in the new media context.
In this talk, I will draw on two themes of my own work on Internet memes as a way of showcasing their communicative potential and the ways in which combinations of language and image are utilised to convey messages. Firstly, I will discuss how they were employed during the 2016 U.S. Presidential campaign (both for primaries and the general election) as a tool of delegitimization. Second, from more recent work, I will highlight ways in which Internet memes have been used to frame the opposing sides of the climate change debate.
Reference: Gal, N., Shifman, L., Kampf, Z., (2016). “It gets better”: Internet memes and the construction of collective identity. New Media & Society, 18(8), 1698–1714. http://dx. doi.org/10.1177/1461444814568784.
Tuesday, May 14, 2:00-3:00pm, AHH 1.602
Jinhyun Cho, Macquarie University, English fever, language capital, American dreams
Abstract: This presentation will rethink the notion of English as a global language and examine local particularities and distinctive ideologies of English in the Korean context. English first arrived in Korea in 1882 and I will trace its historical development via the post-independence period (1945-1960), when the seed for the ongoing phenomenon of “English fever” was planted in Korean society. The evolution of English as valued language capital in Korea is inseparable from the cultural, economic and political influence of the United States. The dominance of the United States has turned English into a powerful tool in the minds of Koreans and is seen as enabling the pursuit of dreams for class mobility, distinction and female emancipation
Tuesday, June 04, 2:00-3:00pm, AHH 1.602
Van Tran, Charles Sturt University, Factors affecting home language proficiency and use among Vietnamese-Australian children
Abstract: The Vietnamese language is spoken by 300,000 people in Australia, equivalent to 1.2% of the country’s population and Vietnamese is in the top four most common languages other than English spoken in the country. Studies in home language maintenance show a tendency of language loss from the second generation onwards. With the first wave of Vietnamese immigrants coming to Australia in the 1970-80s, the Vietnamese community in Australia is experiencing a critical time in terms of maintaining their home language. Home language maintenance can be observed through indicators including language use and language proficiency (with speaking and understanding as oral proficiency and writing and reading as written proficiency). This study surveyed a total of 271 Vietnamese-Australian families regarding their children’s language proficiency and use and associated factors. Factors under examination belonged to four groups: child, parent, family, and community factors. Bivariate analyses including Pearson correlation and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted to explore the associations between language proficiency and use and a range of child, family and community factors. Multiple regression was later conducted to further explore the relative associations of significant bivariate factors and language proficiency and use. Notably, this study has found that factors significantly associated with child language proficiency and use are more related to parents than to children, family, or community. Moreover, no significant correlation was found between child language proficiency and use and a range of factors including children’s Vietnamese community language school attendance, parents’ gender and education, presence of relatives, and availability of community meeting places.
(Image credit: Good Start Early Learning)
Tuesday, June 11, 2:00-3:00pm, AHH 1.602
Kerry Taylor-Leech, Griffith University, Translanguaging and identity: Creating safe space for Samoan language and culture in an Australian a’oga amata
Abstract: Logan City, a diverse, fast-growing metropolis in southeast Queensland, contains pockets of significant social need. Thirty-two percent of its under-eights are considered vulnerable in one or more Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) domains. Logan’s large Pacific Islander population faces special challenges, the main one being a lack of clear pathways to Australian citizenship. The financial and social insecurity that can accompany extended temporary residence deters many of these families from taking advantage of early childhood education. Consequently, their children lose ground early, being less prepared for formal schooling than those who attend kindergarten. Children of Pacific Islander heritage are also categorised as speaking English as an additional language, but data on these children are not disaggregated to distinguish Pacific languages. Thus, many of these children miss out on language and literacy support at school.
In 2018, Hosanna Logan City Church and Goodstart Early Learning established an immersion kindergarten (a’oga amata) catering for children of Samoan heritage. Our research explored the extent to which the a’oga amata was supporting heritage language and culture, building positive Samoan identity, and enhancing children’s school readiness. In identifying how the educators mediated languages and learning, I reflect on the challenges they faced, the functions for which Samoan was used, and the translanguaging strategies we observed. I make a case for purposeful translanguaging and creating safe space for young bilingual learners (cf. Conteh & Brock, 2011). I also consider the achievements of the a’oga amata and speculate on its long-term prospects.
Reports about previous Lectures in Linguistic Diversity
- Asylum interviews as linguistic conflict zones
- Are bilinguals better language learners?
- What do migrant parents expect from schools?
- Bilingual children refusing to speak the home language
- How can we change language habits?
This work is licensed under a