120228 SE MA Seminar - Focus: Applied Linguistics / Linguistics Seminar (2017W)

There is usually a distinction made between the language that learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) produce in pedagogical contexts and that of users of English employing English as a lingua franca (ELF) as a means of communication with speakers of other languages in naturally-occurring contexts for purposes such as work, study or leisure.
In this seminar, we will explore the similarities and differences between these two 'kinds of English' as they occur in speaking and writing. Can ‘learning’ and ‘using’ English really be kept so separate? To address this question, we will investigate the degrees of conformity to Standard English and native-speaker conventions in learner English and ELF interactions and the extent in which ‘learners’ and ‘users’ exploit the resources of the language in creative ways. In doing so, we shall make use of various data sources (such as learner corpora and ELF corpora) to focus on selected elements of grammar that figure prominently in textbooks and reference works and then consider the forms we find as indications of the same process of exploiting the meaning-making potential inherent in the language. We will also discuss potential implications of findings that emerge from research into learner English and ELF for the teaching of English and for teacher education.

Students will develop their understanding of the phenomena of learner language and English as a lingua franca and theoretical approaches to studying these. They will become familiar with topics and findings of research in these areas and with ways of critically reflecting on these. By undertaking their own small-scale empirical projects, they will gain informed insights into the nature of these phenomena, use appropriate methods for investigating them, and evaluate the relevance their findings may have for their understanding of the learning and use of English in today's globalized world.

This seminar combines lecturer input, on- & offline assignments, reading-based group work and discussions, and individual research work leading to student presentations and seminar papers.
In the first phase of the seminar, we shall engage in some shared reading and discussion of key texts and get familiar with selected corpora. Participants will then be able to design their own projects, and will discuss their ideas and findings both during the weekly sessions as well as at the seminar conference on January 12-13 (see above).