New journal/call for papers: JOURNAL OF MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

[Scott McGinnis]

A Call for Papers is issued for the new 'Journal of Multilingual
Communication Disorders' to launch in 2003.

Journal of Multilingual Communication Disorders (to launch 2003) Taylor
& Francis Inc, London & Philadelphia

EDITOR: Dr Nicole Müller, Department of Communicative Disorders,
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P O Box 43170, Lafayette, LA
70504-3170, USA. Tel: +1 337 482 6870, Fax: +1 337 482 6195, E-mail:
nmueller at louisiana.edu

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Dr Martin J. Ball, Department of Communicative
Disorders, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P O Box 43170,
Lafayette, LA 70504-3170, USA. Tel: +1 337 482 1077, Fax: +1 337 482
6195, E-mail: mjball at louisiana.edu

Dr Müller is Assistant Professor in Communicative Disorders at the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, having previously been Lecturer in
Communication at Cardiff University, and Lecturer in Clinical
Linguistics at the University of Central England. She has published in
both book and journal form in the areas of language disorders and Celtic
linguistics. She is currently Book Reviews Editor for the Taylor and
Francis journal International Journal of Language and Communication
Disorders.

Dr Ball is Hawthorne-BoRSF Distinguished Professor in Communicative
Disorders at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, having previously
held the Professorship of Phonetics and Linguistics at the University of
Ulster. He is Founder Editor of the Taylor and Francis journal Clinical
Linguistics and Phonetics, and author or editor of nearly twenty books
and many articles in the fields of language disorders and minority
languages/multilingualism. He is President of the International Clinical
Phonetics and Linguistics Association.

Aims and scope
In recent times there has been a marked increase in the emphasis on
multilingual and multicultural concerns in Speech-Language Pathology,
perhaps especially in the United States where it has been strongly
promoted by ASHA, the professional body. While anglophone areas and
those of the major European languages (such as Scandinavia, Germany,
France and Italy) have long had a strong tradition of work and
publications in the area, new work has been forthcoming on, among
others, the Cantonese and Putonghua varieties of Chinese, Thai, Turkish,
Brazilian Portuguese, new and old world Spanish, and with certain
minority languages (for example, Welsh and Irish).

At the same time, the field of communication disorders has matured to
the extent that alongside the traditional journals that cover the entire
field, we have begun to see the increasing emergence of specialist and
interdisciplinary journals. For example, there are disorder-specific
journals (such as the Journal of Fluency Disorders), and domain-specific
journals (such as the Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology). We
feel, therefore, that now is a good time to provide a forum for this
work.

We see the area of research to be covered by this journal to be
three-fold. First, there is research into multilingualism (including
multidialectalism) and communication disorders. This would encompass
research into how communication disorders are manifested in multilingual
individuals (for example differential language disturbances in aphasia,
patterns of interference in delayed phonology); how treatment is best
undertaken for multilingual clients (for example, choice of language to
treat in, use of translators); and provision of multilingual assessments
materials (e.g. translation of standard tests, development of assessment
materials for specific language groups, development of specifically
bilingual assessment procedures).

Secondly, we would wish to include work into communication disorders or
normal acquisition patterns in languages other than English.  Such work
clearly sheds light on underlying processes in normal language and in
language breakdown, and the proposed journal will bring more of this
research to a wider audience. Indeed, the journal title was deliberately
chosen to allow an ambiguity between a coverage of topics that is
multilingual, and disorders involving multilingual speakers. Clearly,
some of this work may also involve subjects who use two or more
languages (such as research into Punjabi-English bilinguals in Britain,
or Spanish-English bilinguals in the US), and this type of material will
be especially encouraged.

Finally, we recognize that multiculturalism is an important concern in
speech-language pathology, as in many other spheres. By this we
understand aspects of cultural difference beyond specific linguistic
interests. Nevertheless, cultural identities often do involve some kinds
of linguistic markers (of dialect, or accent), and so we feel that
multicultural research in communication disorders (including aspects of
public policy) could also find a home in the journal.

Research articles will be the usual form of presentation in the journal.
However, we recognize that review articles (either extended reviews of
publications or of a field of study) are often useful additions to the
background literature in a field, and these will also be encouraged. We
are aware also of the need in professional fields of work that is
specifically directed to the practicing professional, therefore we will
include occasional clinical fora and tutorial reviews. We are not
intending to have a regular book reviews section, as currently the
appearance of book-based material in this field of study is not regular
enough to warrant it.

Brief description
The Journal of Multilingual Speech-Language Pathology aims to fill a gap
in the communication disorders periodical literature, and provide a
forum for debate in the increasingly important area of multilingualism
and multiculturalism and their impact on speech-language pathology. The
journal will publish work on multilingual and multicultural clients with
the full range of communication disorders, including research, for
example, on differential language retention in aphasia, provision of
assessment materials for bilinguals, establishment of language norms in
multicultural populations and clinical management of multilingual
clientele. The journal will also promote research on speech-language
disorders and normal acquisition in lesser-researched languages. There
will be special emphasis on languages that have not been the focus of
study in communication disorders, including minority languages. The
journal is edited by two specialists in clinical linguistics and
multilingualism who have assembled an impressive editorial board of
international experts. The launch of this journal is timely, given the
importance assigned to this area by many of the professional bodies in
the field of speech-language pathology.