28.1418, Calls: Anthro Ling, Gen Ling, Lang Acquisition, Socioling/Finland

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-28-1418. Tue Mar 21 2017. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 28.1418, Calls: Anthro Ling, Gen Ling, Lang Acquisition, Socioling/Finland

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Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2017 16:45:26
From: Elizabeth Peterson [elizabeth.peterson at helsinki.fi]
Subject: Similects, Universals or Something Else? Problematizing Historical and Social Perspectives on ESL Varieties

 
Full Title: Similects, Universals or Something Else? Problematizing Historical and Social Perspectives on ESL Varieties 

Date: 16-Jun-2017 - 16-Jun-2017
Location: Helsinki, Finland, Finland 
Contact Person: Elizabeth Peterson
Meeting Email: elizabeth.peterson at helsinki.fi
Web Site: http://www.helsinki.fi/elf10/2017/roundtable.html 

Linguistic Field(s): Anthropological Linguistics; General Linguistics; Language Acquisition; Sociolinguistics 

Call Deadline: 01-Apr-2017 

Meeting Description:

The characterization of English as a Second Language (ESL) varieties such as
Indian English is notoriously complicated by the considerable heterogeneity of
usage due to varied inter-individual proficiency. Many of the current
perspectives with which these varieties are researched and presented
over-simplify the complex histories and social fabric that give rise to
contemporary ESL varieties.

A few criticisms of the existing work on ESL varieties note that:

Language contact outcomes have been predominantly addressed in terms of
underlying acquisitional processes by individual learners rather than as being
“always the historical product of social forces” (Sankoff 2001:640).

Variation and the presence of structural uniformities, their continuity and
constancy over time are not seen as a reflection of a particular social order,
but from a failure – necessarily rooted in individuals – to meet the
designated target: varieties are most commonly portrayed, or constructed, as
“similects” (Mauranen 2012: 29), that is, as “result[ing] for parallel L1
influence on their speakers”.

There is a reluctance to deal with, e.g., Indian English in terms of being a
bona fide “community” (Kandiah 1987); i.e. where the general patterns used by
the community serve as the learner’s target in acquisition.

The overwhelming attention given to second language acquisition processes has
hindered at least three important research avenues on language change: (1) how
features which on the surface are identified as transfers get diachronically
divorced from active users of the substrate language, (2) how certain features
may indicate retention from the historical input and subsequent divergence of
diachronic trajectories, and (3) how changes independent of both the
aforementioned factors may also occur.

We are honored to host Professor Dr. Edgar W. Schneider (University of
Regensburg), a leader in research on varieties of English, as our invited
discussant and master of ceremonies for this one-day Round Table event. With
this Round Table, the aim is to create an opportunity for researchers to share
ideas and best practices that move beyond monolithic and over-simplified views
of world varieties of English.

The meeting, timed to take place immediately following the ELF and Changing
English conference, welcomes researchers and students who are interested in
the issues detailed above. The schedule, discussion points and reading
suggestions will be distributed to participants in advance of the Round Table.

The Round Table will consist of a morning session to which interested scholars
are welcome to apply as a participant. This session will be closed to the
public.

The afternoon session will be in the format of a moderated discussion,
following up on key issues from the morning meeting. This session will be open
to the public.


Call for Participation:

Please fill in this form to be a participant in the Round Table discussion:
https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/78184/lomake.html?rinnakkaislomake=ESLRo
undTable




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