CFP: AAA panel on language play

[Chad Douglas Nilep]

I am organizing a panel for the 2010 AAA annual meeting on play in language learning. I welcome submissions for papers on various aspects of play or humor in language pedagogy, acquisition, socialization, or revitalization.

Biological and evolutionary anthropologists such as Deacon (1998) suggest that language acquisition relies on "game-like ritualization" in which the forms and functions of language are played with so that they can be learned. Linguists such as Crystal (1998) claim that joking, rhyming, language games, and other forms of play appear in almost one of every four utterances. Yet despite the ubiquity and utility of play, it has until recently been a relatively minor part of language pedagogy.

Recent work such as Cook (1997, 2000), Jacobs-Huey (2003), Debenport (2009), and Amery (2009) have illustrated some uses of language play in foreign language teaching, language socialization, heritage language learning, and language revitalization. This panel seeks to explore some of the ways that play is used in contemporary education by bringing together ethnographies and other studies of teaching and learning.

Papers should address uses of linguistic humor, games, or other play in language acquisition, literacy, socialization or the like. Topics could include (but are not limited to) the following:

* Use of games, dramas, or other play in language revitalization attempts
* Ethnographic study of role playing in schools or other language pedagogy
* Analysis of literacy training schemes based on poetic or humorous texts
* Reactions against traditional schooling, testing, or the like

The theme of the panel will likely be made more specific as abstracts come in and the panel develops. Interested scholars should send a preliminary abstract or brief description to Chad.Nilep at Colorado.edu.