Call for papers - special issue of Language Learning Journal

The Language Learning Journal is the official journal of the Association for Language Learning (ALL)

This special issue will focus on the learning and teaching of 'Languages of the Wider World', defined as less-commonly taught languages that do not have a large presence in UK Higher Education (i.e. at tertiary level), either in terms of student numbers and/or spread and range of provision.  The geographical area covered is wide and includes the languages of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Russian and other Slavonic and East European languages, Hebrew, Yiddish, Dutch and Scandinavian languages. Amongst these are many minority and community languages in the UK as well as languages considered to be of strategic importance.

In the UK, following the 2005 HEFCE-commissioned Roberts Report's identification of languages as strategically important and vulnerable subjects, significant funding has been released to promote and support languages across sectors, develop networks for the teaching of professional skills, and engage in research. This has led to an increased awareness of the strategic, civic and cultural importance of languages of the wider world and the establishment of various initiatives in Higher Education (such as the Routes into Languages programme and the SOAS-UCL Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Languages of the Wider World).

In September 2008 the UK Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies (LLAS) and the SOAS-UCL Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Languages of the Wider World (LWW-CETL), brought together teachers, researchers, educational developers and policy makers to discuss practical and strategic issues relating to languages of the wider world in UK higher education.  This special issue of the Language Learning Journal aims to build on the conference by showcasing some of the work being undertaken and the challenges faced in higher education. Papers not presented at the conference will also be welcome, including those focusing on international and cross-cultural aspects of learning and teaching languages of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Russian and other Slavonic and East European languages, Hebrew, Yiddish, Dutch and Scandinavian languages in tertiary education.

We particularly welcome papers that address aspects of the teaching and learning of these languages in terms of (i) practitioner perspectives (e.g. curriculum and materials development, course recognition and accreditation, widening participation, staff training, and translation and interpreting); (ii) policy and other responses to the challenges of linguistic hyperdiversity found in nation states today.

The issue will be guest edited by Professor Itesh Sachdev (SOAS, University of London) in collaboration with:

Professor Richard Clément (University of Ottawa), Dr Jean Marc Dewaele (Birkbeck, University of London), Dr Jim Anderson (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Jo Eastlake (SOAS, University of London), Dr Shoshannah Holdom (University of Southampton), Dr Noriko Iwasaki (SOAS, University of London), Cristina Ros i Solé (UCL, University of London) and Vicky Wright (University of Southampton).

Enquiries and submissions should be addressed to:

Paula Davis,
Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies,
School of Humanities (65A Crawford Building, Rm 3011),
University of Southampton,
Southampton SO17 1BJ.

Email: llas@soton.ac.uk; Tel: 02380 594814; Fax: 02380 594815.

All submissions must be received no later than 1st February 2009.

Contributors are advised to consult the Notes for contributors for guidance on the length, organisation and format of articles.