A strategic partnership for the study of Portuguese in multilingual settings

Author: Sophie Bennett (Page 1 of 4)

HL2C seminar: Míriam Buendía Castro (University of Granada, Spain), Design of a school science dictionary (English-Spanish) for bilingual primary schools in Spain

We are pleased to announce the next HL2C/SLLAT seminar, taking place on Wednesday 15th June 2022, from  12 noon to 1pm (Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London).

Presenters:

Míriam Buendía Castro (University of Granada, Spain)

Title:

Design of a school science dictionary (English-Spanish) for bilingual primary schools in Spain

How to join:

Our seminars are free to attend. Simply sign up to the HL2C Mailing List to receive the link to join us via Microsoft Teams link. You do not need a Teams account to access the talk.

Abstract:

In recent years, the interest in the English language has grown dramatically, driven largely by the European Union and its desire to consolidate a multilingual society. In Spain, this has resulted in the introduction of bilingual education programmes in many schools, and nowadays about two million children study in an English-Spanish bilingual school in Spain. Bilingual programmes in Spain use the CLIL approach (Content and Language Integrated Learning). The main problem faced by both parents and teachers of subjects taught in a foreign language, such as Science in English, is often the lack of knowledge of specialised English lexis and the limited resources to teach these specialised subjects in English. This project proposes the design of a school science dictionary (English-Spanish) for bilingual primary schools in Spain following both a bottom-up and top-down approach, i.e. the analysis  of corpus and dictionaries.

New Camões Lectureship at the University of Konstanz

From left to right: Dr. Fátima Silva (Camões Institute), Dr. Filipa Gonçalves (Konstanz), Professor Georg Kaiser (Konstanz), and Professor Cristina Flores (HL2C, Minho).

Thursday, May 5, 2022, marked World Portuguese Language Day and the creation of a new  Lectureship for the teaching of Portuguese at the University of Konstanz. The event included a lecture by Professor Cristina Flores, HL2C Vice Director, exploring the theme “Portugiesisch in der Diaspora: Erwerb und Erhalt einer Familiensprache” (Portuguese in the diaspora: Learning and Preservation of a spoken language in a family context). The new Portuguese Lectureship is co-funded by the Camões Institute and the University of Konstanz, and will be based at the Department of Linguistics (Fachbereich Linguistik/Sprachlehrinstitut).

 

HLAW 2022: Thank you, Lisbon, and see you in Amherst!

HLAW organizers and keynotes. From left to right: Professor Peter Austin (SOAS), Professor Sílvia Melo-Pfeifer (Hamburg), Professor Jason Rothman (Tromsø), Professor Ana Lúcia Santos (HL2C, Lisbon), Professor Naomi Nagy (Toronto), Professor Cristina Flores (HL2C, Lisbon), Professor Luiz Amaral (HL2C, Amherst).

The Heritage Languages ​​Around the World (HLAW) conference took place between May 18-20, 2022, at the University of Lisbon, one of the HL2C founding institutions. The meeting was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. But it was well worth the wait! HLAW 2022 was a joyful and uniting event that brought together leading scientists and students from linguistics, psychology and education to share novel research in the domain of heritage language research.

Many congratulations to the organizers, Ana Lúcia Santos, Cristina Flores, Hugo Cardoso and Luiz Amaral, for a wonderful event, and thank you to the Centro de Linguística  (CLUL, The University of Lisbon), Centro de Estudos Humanísticos (CEHUM, The University of Minho), the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the Camões Institute, for supporting this important event.

The conference remains a regular event of the Heritage Language 2 Consortium (HL2C), and we already look forward to the next edition of HLAW, to take place at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in June 2024!

The participants of HLAW 2022. Thank you to the organizers, keynotes and all those who attended to make this a special event. See you in Amherst for HLAW 2024!

 

HL2C Seminar: João Veríssimo (Lisbon), L2 morphological processing reveals the internal differentiation of the language system

We are pleased to announce the next HL2C/SLLAT seminar, taking place on Thursday 9th June 2022, from  3pm to 4pm (Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London).

Presenters:

João Veríssimo (University of Lisbon)

Title:

L2 morphological processing reveals the internal differentiation of the language system

How to join:

Our seminars are free to attend. Simply sign up to the HL2C Mailing List to receive the link to join us via Microsoft Teams link. You do not need a Teams account to access the talk.

Abstract:

Two broad perspectives have been advanced to account for observed differences between L1 and L2 speakers in attainment and processing. In one view, such differences are fundamental and possibly selective, with particular parts of the language system becoming hard or impossible for late learners to acquire in a native-like way – likely due to maturation. In another view, L1-L2 contrasts can be attributed to general factors, such as slower processing speed or amount of exposure, and are expected to be more gradient in nature, as well as more general in scope. In this talk, I will present results from experiments and meta-analyses examining the L2 processing of morphology, as a test case for these larger perspectives.

Our results indicate that differences between L1 and L2 speakers show remarkable selectivity and are restricted to specific parts of the morphological processing system (e.g., inflection, conjugation clases); in contrast, other sub-domains of morphology (e.g., word formation) can be processed in a native-like way, even when the L2 was acquired later in life. At the same time, the observed L1-L2 differences were often found to be gradient rather than all-or-none, for example, becoming more pronounced at later ages of acquisition. This suggests that a full account of L2 processing may require models that can accommodate gradient levels of nonnative-likeness and morphological constituency, while nevertheless respecting the internal differentiation of the language system.

HL2C Seminar: Yvonne Foley (Edinburgh), Diverse Critical Literacies: Pedagogies of Recognition

Our next exciting HL2C/SLLAT seminar will take place on Wednesday 1st June 2022, from 12 noon to 1pm (Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London).

Presenters:

Yvonne Foley (Edinburgh)

Title:

Diverse Critical Literacies: Pedagogies of Recognition

How to join:

Our seminars are free to attend. Simply sign up to the HL2C Mailing List to receive the link to join us via Microsoft Teams link. You do not need a Teams account to access the talk.

Abstract:

There are increasing numbers of pupils learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) in schools in the United Kingdom. In excess of a million pupils across UK schools currently speak one or more languages in addition to English, many of whom are refugees fleeing war and violence. There are very few papers that report on research that explores the diverse accounts of pupils learning EAL and their experiences in schooling contexts. Their voices remain silent. This study sought to begin to address those gaps by exploring how teachers draw on critical literacy practices to engage in identity work with their pupils.

This paper will present initial findings from a case study that set out to foreground a linguistically diverse group of EAL learners’ own voices about their identities and their school experiences as they develop literacies within an English-medium environment. A secondary focus of attention investigated how teaching staff within that context perceived the current situation and the needs of EAL learners, along with what they viewed as appropriate responses to these needs as learners constructed their sense of self.

A sociocultural lens was used to examine these perceptions and the interpretation of findings has drawn on recent theorizing on identity, belonging and migration. Interviews and classroom observations were used to address two main questions: how do EAL pupils talk about their sense of self during critical literacy practices? And what identities do teachers make space for during the teaching and learning of literacy in their school and classroom settings?

Initial findings and recommendations about ways in which both learner and teacher perceptions could be used to understand how multilingual identities are formed through the use of critical literacy practices will be discussed.

Refresher course in teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language

The Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto (FLUP) and Camões Instituto da Cooperacao e da Língua, IP,  is jointly offering a remote refresher course in teaching  Portuguese as a Foreign Language (CAPPLE). The course is open to teachers of Portuguese as a Foreign Language who wish to update their professional knowledge in teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language and teachers of Portuguese who wish to train in teaching Portuguese as a foreign/second language. Holders of a degree at a Portuguese university (with preference being given to degrees that integrate Portuguese Studies) or a degree obtained at a foreign university with a component of Portuguese Studies may also apply. Applications are open between March 24, 2022 and June 8, 2022.

The course is accredited by the Conselho Científico-Pedagógico da Formação Contínua (CCPFC), which is relevant for the career progression of teachers in teaching groups associated with the Portuguese language, and awards 3 ECTS in the European System of Accumulation and Transfer of Credits. The main objectives of the course are

  • to reflect on the key linguistic areas for learners of Portuguese as a non-native language
  • to perceive language as a means of social interaction and the identity of individuals in their interactions and relationships with the learning environment
  • to know the current cultural and social elements of the Portuguese language
  • to know the regulatory documents of the disciplinary domain in question
  • to familiarize trainees with techniques and procedures for the development of teaching Portuguese as a non-native language

Candidates may also apply for one of the 10 grants of €250  from Camões, IP to attend this edition of the course. Candidates wishing to apply for a Camões, IP scholarship must submit their application for the course online and indicate their intention to apply for the scholarship. The course application documents must include a CV and qualification certificates, as well as a motivation letter justifying the scholarship application. These must be submitted as part of the online application and also sent to the following email address: uec@letras.up.pt . The documents will be sent to Camões, IP, the institution responsible for the decision to award the scholarship.

For more information, please click here .

Event poster and sessions calendar

International Conference on Heritage Languages Around the World in two weeks!

Only two weeks remain until the International Conference on Heritage Languages Around the World (HLAW), an exciting event taking place in person which brings together various research perspectives on heritage languages in order to contribute to a better understanding of the effects of language development and education in immigrant and minority language communities around the world.

Dates and location: 18th to 20th May 2022, University of Lisbon.

Organisers: HL2C members Ana Lúcia Santos (Lisbon), Cristina Flores (Minho), Luiz Amaral (UMass Amherst) and Hugo Cardoso (Lisbon) and by their respective institutions, Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, Centro de Estudos Humanísticos da Universidade do Minho, the Portuguese Program and the Heritage Language Research Group at UMass Amherst.

Programme: The programme is available here. The four keynote speakers are as follows

  • Peter Austin (University of London)
    Issues and challenges in language endangerment and heritage languages: some Australian examples
  • Sílvia Melo-Pfeifer (University of Hamburg)
    At the interface of heritage language learning and teacher education: motorways, short-cuts and no-go areas
  • Naomi Nagy (University of Toronto)
    Promoting linguistic and cultural diversity through Heritage Language Sociolinguistics
  • Jason Rothman (University of Tromso)
    Theoretical Epistemology and Methodology in Heritage Language Bilingualism

 How to register: To register, please consider the payment information available on the website and fill in the form available here.

For more information, please see the HLAW website or contact heritage.languages.conference@gmail.com.

HL2C Seminar: Christopher Hall (York St John), Modelling plurilithic orientations to English with trainee teachers: A comparative international study

Our next exciting HL2C/SLLAT seminar will take place on Wednesday 4th May 2022, from 12 noon to 1pm (Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London).

Presenters:

Christopher Hall

Title:

Modelling plurilithic orientations to English with trainee teachers: A comparative international study

How to join:

Our seminars are free to attend. Simply sign up to the HL2C Mailing List to receive the link to join us via Microsoft Teams link. You do not need a Teams account to access the talk.

Abstract:

A major challenge in TESOL is how to address the learning needs of diverse global learners in a world where monolithic beliefs about English are still deeply entrenched. This study explored the extent to which such beliefs can be challenged in teacher education programmes using practitioner role models. In particular, we examined the role of ‘peerness’ in role models, i.e. whether or not they are demographically close to the student teachers they are expected to inspire. Accordingly, video clips featuring young, early-career English teachers from Germany and China modelling a ‘plurilithic’ orientation to the language were played to MA TESOL students in Germany, Austria, China, the UK, and Spain. The teachers from Germany and China were ‘near peers’ for the German L1 students and Mandarin L1 students respectively. The teachers from China also served as ‘more distant peers’ for students in the UK and Spain with other L1s. Survey and interview data indicated that viewing the role models was associated with increases in plurilithic orientation, and that the effect was greater for near peers than for more distant peers. We take these results as support for the use of near peer video modelling to promote ontological clarity about English in trainee teachers.

Conference: Principles and Practices of Training in Foreign Languages

On 20th and 21st June 2022, the IV Conference on Principles and Practices of Training in Foreign Languages ​​will take place at the Auditório da Escola de Letras e Ciências Humanas, The University of Minho, organised by the directorates of the Masters in Spanish as a Second Language/Foreign Language, Portuguese and German Studies, and Portuguese as a Second Language/Foreign Language. Its purpose is to bring together students from these courses and from other ELACH Masters, as well as researchers and teachers interested in issues related to foreign languages and the learning, acquisition and teaching processes that underlie them. Thus, these Conferences are, since their first edition, a space for reflection and debate, with a multilingual, multicultural and intergenerational focus.

Call for papers: International Conference ‘Language MOOCs and OERs: new trends and challenges’

Deadline for submitting abstracts: June 11

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The Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto (PT) is organizing the International Conference “Language MOOCS and OERS : new trends and challenges” in collaboration with the University for Foreigners of Perugia (IT), the University of Masaryk (CZ), the Jagiellonian University (PL), The University Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopia (MK), and the National Federation of Teachers Initiative Center for Europe – FENICE (IT). The Universities join in partnership for the project ‘LMOOC4Slav – Romance Languages ​​for Slavic-Speaking University Students’, funded under the Erasmus+ programme. The conference will take place at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto, Portugal, in person, on October 7th and 8th, 2022.The conference aims to bring together higher education professionals, experts in applied linguistics and experts in educational technologies working on issues related to language learning and teaching, namely: MOOCs, OERs, new approaches to language teaching and learning, mobility academic, linguistic description, linguistic diversity, languages ​​for specific purposes, digital transformation in Education and new educational technologies, new collaborative projects, multiculturalism and inclusion.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is June 11th .
Papers can be submitted in Portuguese, Italian or English.
More information about the conference and abstract submission at:

 

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