Open lecture by Ingrid Piller

In this presentation I will provide an overview of my current research into the relationship between language policy and social inclusion in societies that are linguistically and culturally diverse and economically largely guided by the assumptions of neoliberalism. I will first provide an overview of sociolinguistic research into the relationship between language learning, multilingualism and social exclusion, a line of inquiry that was until recently known as “language and poverty.” I will then move on to an Australian case study to explore the relationship between language policy and industrial policy and the outcomes their interplay has for the current generation of migrants. I will argue that without intervention at the level of industrial policies and awards, even an outstanding language policy is inherently designed to fail.

Ingrid Piller is Professor of Applied Linguistics at Macquarie University. Her research interests are in intercultural communication, language learning, multilingualism, and how they intersect with social inclusion and justice. The overarching question of her work is how the social order is produced and reproduced through linguistic practices and ideologies. She blogs about her research at www.languageonthemove.org