Suresh Canagarajah | |
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Known for | Work on translanguaging and linguistic imperialism |
Academic background | |
Education | |
Thesis | Negotiating competing discourses and identities: A sociolinguistic analysis of challenges in academic writing for minority students (1990) |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Linguist |
Sub-discipline | English as a second or foreign language |
Institutions |
Athelstan Suresh Canagarajah is a Tamil-born Sri Lankan linguist and currently an Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Applied linguistics,English,and Asian studies at Pennsylvania State University,where he has been a member of the faculty since 2007. His research covers World Englishes and teaching English to speakers of other languages. He has published works on translingualism,translanguaging, [1] linguistic imperialism, [2] and social and political issues in language education. [3] His book,Translingual Practice:Global Englishes and Cosmopolitan Relations, has won three nationally recognized best book awards. [4] [5] [6]
Linguistic imperialism or language imperialism is occasionally defined as "the transfer of a dominant language to other people". This language "transfer" comes about because of imperialism. The transfer is considered to be a sign of power;traditionally military power but also,in the modern world,economic power. Aspects of the dominant culture are usually transferred along with the language. In spatial terms,indigenous languages are employed in the function of official (state) languages in Eurasia,while only non-indigenous imperial (European) languages in the "Rest of the World". In the modern world,linguistic imperialism may also be considered in the context of international development,affecting the standard by which organizations like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank evaluate the trustworthiness and value of structural adjustment loans.
Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field which identifies,investigates,and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems. Some of the academic fields related to applied linguistics are education,psychology,communication research,information science,natural language processing,anthropology,and sociology.
Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of discourse that views language as a form of social practice. CDA combines critique of discourse and explanation of how it figures within and contributes to the existing social reality,as a basis for action to change that existing reality in particular respects. Scholars working in the tradition of CDA generally argue that (non-linguistic) social practice and linguistic practice constitute one another and focus on investigating how societal power relations are established and reinforced through language use. In this sense,it differs from discourse analysis in that it highlights issues of power asymmetries,manipulation,exploitation,and structural inequities in domains such as education,media,and politics.
The Conference on College Composition and Communication is a national professional association of college and university writing instructors in the United States. Formed in 1949 as an organization within the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE),CCCC currently has about 6000 members. CCCC is the largest organization dedicated to writing research,theory,and teaching worldwide.
Plurilingualism is the ability of a person who has competence in more than one language to switch between multiple languages depending on the situation for ease of communication. Plurilingualism is different from code-switching in that plurilingualism refers to the ability of an individual to use multiple languages,while code-switching is the act of using multiple languages together. Plurilinguals practice multiple languages and are able to switch between them when necessary without much difficulty. Although plurilingualism is derived from multilingualism,there is a difference between the two. Multilingualism is connected to situations wherein multiple languages exist side-by-side in a society but are utilized separately. In essence,multilingualism is the coexisting knowledge of separate languages while plurilingualism is the interconnected knowledge of multiple languages. In general,plurilinguals have had contact with languages not native to them through educational institutions,however the education system plays only a small role in the linguistic competence of these individuals. Learning a second language is thought to stimulate someone's plurilingualism.
An English-medium education system is one that uses English as the primary medium of instruction—particularly where English is not the mother tongue of the students.
The British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL) is a learned society,based in the UK,which provides a forum for people interested in language and applied linguistics.
David J. Bartholomae is an American scholar in composition studies. He received his PhD from Rutgers University in 1975 and is currently a Professor of English and former Chair of the English Department at the University of Pittsburgh. His primary research interests are in composition,literacy,and pedagogy,and his work engages scholarship in rhetoric and in American literature/American Studies. His articles and essays have appeared in publications such as PMLA,Critical Quarterly,and College Composition and Communication.
NNEST or non-native English-speaking teachers is an acronym that refers to the growing body of English language teachers who speak English as a foreign or second language. The term was coined to highlight the dichotomy between native English-speaking teachers (NEST) and non-native English-speaking teachers (NNEST).
Translingual phenomena are words and other aspects of language that are relevant in more than one language. Thus "translingual" may mean "existing in multiple languages" or "having the same meaning in many languages";and sometimes "containing words of multiple languages" or "operating between different languages". Translingualism is the phenomenon of translingually relevant aspects of language;a translingualism is an instance thereof. The word comes from trans-,meaning "across",and lingual,meaning "having to do with languages (tongues)";thus,it means "across tongues",that is,"across languages". Internationalisms offer many examples of translingual vocabulary. For example,international scientific vocabulary comprises thousands of translingual words and combining forms.
Alison Wray FAcSS is a Research Professor in Language and Communication at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. She is known for her work on formulaic language.
Terrence G. Wiley has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington,DC (2010-2017),Professor Emeritus of Educational Policy Studies and Applied Linguistics at Arizona State University,and member of the College of Education,Graduate Faculty at the University of Maryland.
TESOL Quarterly is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of TESOL International Association. It covers English language teaching and learning,standard English as a second dialect,including articles on the psychology and sociology of language learning and teaching,professional preparation,curriculum development,and testing and evaluation. The editors-in-chief are Charlene Polio and Peter De Costa,both at Michigan State University. TESOL also publishes TESOL Journal.
Translanguaging can refer to a pedagogical process of utilizing more than one language within a classroom lesson or it can be used to describe the way bilinguals use their linguistic resources to make sense of and interact with the world around them. The term "translanguaging" was coined in the 1980s by Cen Williams in his unpublished thesis titled “An Evaluation of Teaching and Learning Methods in the Context of Bilingual Secondary Education.”Williams used the term to describe the practice of using two languages in the same lesson,which differed from many previous methods of bilingual education that tried to separate languages by class,time,or day. In addition,Vogel and Garcia argued that translanguaging theory posits that rather than possessing two or more autonomous language systems,as previously thought when scholars described bilingual or multilingual speakers,bilinguals and multilingual speakers select and deploy their languages from a unitary linguistic repertoire. However,the dissemination of the term,and of the related concept,gained traction decades later due in part to published research by Ofelia García,among others. In this context,translanguaging is an extension of the concept of languaging,the discursive practices of language speakers,but with the additional feature of using multiple languages,often simultaneously. It is a dynamic process in which multilingual speakers navigate complex social and cognitive demands through strategic employment of multiple languages.
Cheryl Glenn is a scholar and teacher of rhetoric and writing. She is currently Distinguished Professor of English and Women’s Studies Director at Pennsylvania State University.
Charlene Polio is an American linguist. She is currently a professor in the Department of Linguistics,Languages,and Cultures at Michigan State University,The United States. Her research focuses on second language acquisition with a special focus on second language writing.
Martin Bygate is a British linguist. He is currently an honorary professor at the Department of Linguistics and English Language of Lancaster University,United Kingdom. His research focuses on applied linguistics with a special focus on tandem language learning,pedagogical grammar and task-based language learning.
Alison Mackey is a linguist who specializes in applied linguistics,second language acquisition and research methodology. She is currently a professor in the Department of Linguistics at Georgetown University. Her research focuses on applied linguistics and research methods.
Min-Zhan Lu is a composition professor and scholar. She serves as Professor Emerita of English at the University of Louisville. She is the 2005 recipient of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Richard M. Braddock Award and the 2012 CCCC Outstanding Book Award.
Ingrid Piller is an Australian linguist,who specializes in intercultural communication,language learning,multilingualism,and bilingual education. Piller is Distinguished Professor at Macquarie University and an elected fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Piller serves as Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Multilingua and as founding editor of the research dissemination site Language on the Move. She is a member of the Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts.