Skip to the content | Change text size

Annual Lectures

Fifth Annual Language and Society Centre Lecture - 2012

New Definitions of English Proficiency and Changing Pedagogical Priorities

Presenter: Professor Suresh Canagarajah, LASC Distinguished Visiting Professor

Debates about assessment of international English have revolved around two important questions: Whose norms should we apply? How do we define proficiency in the English language? The answers to these questions have been dominated by positions belonging to two well-entrenched ideological camps that I would label the World Englishes (WE) perspective (see Lowenberg 2002) and the Standard English (SE) perspective (see Davies 2002). Find out more...

 

Annual Lectures

Fourth Annual Language and Society Centre Lecture - 2011

Decoding Chinese English (CE): Definitions, Features, and Attitudes

A presentation by Dr Zhichang Xu, Monash University

In this public lecture, Dr. Xu will review definitions of CE using World Englishes and Asian Englishes as a theoretical framework. He will also describe the lexical, syntactic, discourse and pragmatic features of CE, and report the findings of two surveys on Chinese university students’ attitudes towards CE. Find out more.

 

Third Annual Language and Society Centre Lecture - 2010

Intercultural communication in the new era

A presentation by Associate Professor Farzad Sharifian, Director, Language and Society Centre, Monash University

The 2010 LASC Annual Lecture was Michael Clyne's final contribution to the Centre. In this lecture, Farzad Sharifian discusses the progression of the study of intercultural communication and outlines Michael's influential works in the area. It is hoped that this lecture serves as a reminder of Michael's insight, talent, and respect within the linguistic community. Find out more.

 

Second Annual Language and Society Centre Lecture - 2009

"A Peculiar Language" Early Australian English and Beyond

A presentation by Professor Kate Burridge, Monash University

In this lecture, Kate Burridge explores the characteristics of early Australian English based on evidence from 19th century police reports. Australian English is a 'melting pot' of linguistic inputs, from the influence of dialects from southeast England, Ireland and Scotland in early settlements, to more recent diversity from Aboriginal English and migrant Englishes. This talk discusses the development of Australian English as a distinctive and diverse language. Find out more.

 

First Annual Language and Society Centre Lecture - 2008

Australia's unrecognized resources boom – languages for Australia's future

A presentation by Emeritus Professor Michael Clyne

In this talk, given during Monash University's Research Month to celebrate the UN International Year of Languages, Emeritus Professor Michael Clyne postulates that Australia must develop its multilingual potential to promote dynamism and innovation. He recommends ways in which Australia can become a vital link nation between Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. Find out more.