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- Volume 24, Issue, 2011
AILA Review - Volume 24, Issue 1, 2011
Volume 24, Issue 1, 2011
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Bringing the ‘folk’ into applied linguistics: An introduction
Author(s): Antje Wilton and Martin Stegupp.: 1–14 (14)More LessAs applied linguistics is mainly concerned with solving the language-related problems of laypeople, the examination of folk views constitutes an important research field and its relevance is illustrated in this issue of the AILA review. In this introductory article, we address some of the more general aspects that need to be considered in the scientific investigation of folk views of language and communication. Among those aspects are the nature and significance of folk knowledge and folk attitudes for applied linguistics, the social construction of the roles of expert, scientist and layperson, and the connection between folk linguistic research and other related approaches. As a general introduction into the topic, this contribution prepares the ground for the other articles collected in this issue.
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Methods in (applied) folk linguistics: Getting into the minds of the folk
Author(s): Dennis R. Prestonpp.: 15–39 (25)More LessThis paper deals with data gathering and interpretation in folk linguistics, but, as the parenthetical title suggests, it is not limited to any prejudged notion of what approaches or techniques might be most relevant to the wide variety of concerns encompassed by applied linguistics.
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Do non-linguists practice linguistics?: An anti-eliminative approach to folk theories
Author(s): Marie-Anne Paveaupp.: 40–54 (15)More LessThis contribution discusses two issues: (a) it provides a definition and an analysis of the term “non-linguist“, which is conceptualized as a non-discrete category on a continuum and as an activity rather than as a permanent status, and (b) it discusses the general value of folk linguistic theories, which should not, despite their potential imperfections, be a priori excluded from but rather integrated into the scientific data of linguistics. The article will also present a provisional typology of folk linguistic positions based on recent empirical research on folk linguistics conducted by the author. Finally, a plea is made for a new description of the object of linguistics, incorporating the different varieties and degrees of linguistic knowledge ranging from scientific to folk conceptions.
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Linking past and present: A view of historical comments about language
Author(s): Antje Wilton and Holger Wochelepp.: 55–67 (13)More LessIn this paper, we focus on comments on language issues from a historical perspective. The concept of the layperson (non-linguist) is discussed to identify laypeople and lay comments in history when the modern concept of a linguist did not yet exist. Two studies show how the historical perspective complements modern research on folk linguistics.Firstly, historical comments about Latin will be put in relation to comments about English, focusing on their roles as linguae francae and exploring the potential and application of the ‘Latin Analogy’.Secondly, an analysis of language appraisal texts of French and Romanian from 1500 to the present shows that the topoi used are still reflected in today’s perception of the languages by their native speakers, affecting the attractiveness of the languages for second language learners.
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Communication and understanding
Author(s): Karol Janickipp.: 68–77 (10)More LessThis article consists of two sections: in the first one, I discuss one of the most prevalent lay myths in the Western world with respect to communication and understanding, namely, the view that meaning resides in words and that it is transmitted from one language user to another in a conduit, as it were. In the second section, I refer to my own research illustrating the prevalence of the myth in question in a variety of domains, for instance, in politics and academia. I also refer briefly to my own empirical studies on the role that communicational and understanding problems play, in the opinion of the lay language user, in a variety of social contexts.
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First language acquisition and teaching
Author(s): Madalena Cruz-Ferreirapp.: 78–87 (10)More Less“First language acquisition” commonly means the acquisition of a single language in childhood, regardless of the number of languages in a child’s natural environment. Language acquisition is variously viewed as predetermined, wondrous, a source of concern, and as developing through formal processes. “First language teaching” concerns schooling in the language that is intended to become the child’s first (or “main”) one. Mainstream teaching practices similarly take languages as formal objects, focusing on literacy skills, so-called phonological awareness, and other teaching about the language. This article gives a first overview of folk beliefs associated with language acquisition and teaching, highlighting whether and how they can guide applied linguists’ concerns about child language development and early pedagogical practices.
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Folk beliefs about second language learning and teaching
Author(s): Michael Pasqualepp.: 88–99 (12)More LessWhat do students and teachers believe about the second language learning process? What if these beliefs are in conflict with each other or with prevailing applied linguistic theories? These are the types of questions that are investigated within folk linguistic research. Some researchers have taken a quantitative approach that relied on questionnaires (e.g., Horwitz 1985), while others have delved into the cognitive foundations of beliefs (e.g., Woods 2003). Lastly, some have used discoursal approaches which use discourse analytic (e.g., Pasquale & Preston, forthcoming) and culturally contextualized approaches (e.g., Barcelos 1995) suggesting that folk belief is a dynamic process. Therefore, a discoursal approach may provide insights into respondents’ reasoning rather than what might be considered more static domains of belief.
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That which We Call a Rose by any Other Name Would Sound as Sweet: Folk perceptions, status and language variation
Author(s): Robert M. McKenzie and Dietmar Osthuspp.: 100–115 (16)More LessFolk perceptions of language diversity often differ from the criteria laid out by linguists and have particular implications for applied/sociolinguists since the collective identification of language diversity largely determines the ways in which individuals regard the categorisation of their own (and others) linguistic uses as belonging to a specific social and/or regional variety. Folk perceptions can thus help define speech communities as well as explain sociolinguistic other phenomena. This paper provides a critical analysis of the existing folk linguistic research into language variation in a number of different contexts: the UK, the USA, France and Japan. It is hoped that the information gained will help build up a more detailed sociolinguistic picture of the complex and often contradictory nature of lay individuals’ attitudes towards linguistic variation. In the final sections of the paper the authors argue for a greater deal of recognition within modern linguistics of the value of examining folk perceptions of language diversity.
Volumes & issues
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Volume 37 (2024)
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Volume 36 (2023)
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Volume 35 (2022)
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Volume 34 (2021)
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Volume 33 (2020)
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Volume 32 (2019)
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Volume 31 (2018)
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Volume 30 (2017)
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Volume 29 (2016)
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Volume 28 (2015)
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Volume 27 (2014)
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Volume 26 (2013)
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Volume 25 (2012)
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Volume 24 (2011)
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Volume 23 (2010)
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Volume 22 (2009)
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Volume 21 (2008)
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Volume 20 (2007)
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Volume 19 (2006)
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Volume 18 (2005)
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Volume 17 (2004)
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Volume 16 (2003)
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