Springer Multiculturalism, Multilingualism and the Self: Studies in Linguistics and Language Learning (Second Language Learning and Teaching)

This book offers several insights into cross-cultural and multilingual learning, drawing upon recent research within two main areas: Language Studies and Multilingual Language Learning/Teaching. It places particular emphasis on the Polish learning environment and Poles abroad. Today’s world is an increasingly complex network of cross-cultural and multilingual influences, forcing us to redefine our Selves to include a much broader perspective than ever before. The first part of the book explores attitudes toward multiculturalism in British political speeches, joking behaviour in multicultural working settings, culture-dependent aspects of taboos and swearing, and expressive language of the imprisoned, adding a diachronic perspective by means of a linguistic study of The Canterbury Tales. In turn, the studies in the second part focus on visible shifts in contemporary multilingualism research, learners’ attitudes towards multiple languages they acquire, teachers’ perspectives on the changing requirements related to multiculturalism, and immigrant brokers’ professional experience in the UK. From the Back Cover This book offers several insights into cross-cultural and multilingual learning, drawing upon recent research within two main areas: Language Studies and Multilingual Language Learning/Teaching. It places particular emphasis on the Polish learning environment and Poles abroad. Today’s world is an increasingly complex network of cross-cultural and multilingual influences, forcing us to redefine our Selves to include a much broader perspective than ever before. The first part of the book explores attitudes toward multiculturalism in British political speeches, joking behaviour in multicultural working settings, culture-dependent aspects of taboos and swearing, and expressive language of the imprisoned, adding a diachronic perspective by means of a linguistic study of The Canterbury Tales. In turn, the studies in the second part focus on visible shifts in contemporary multilingualism research, learners’ attitudes towards multiple languages they acquire, teachers’ perspectives on the changing requirements related to multiculturalism, and immigrant brokers’ professional experience in the UK. About the Author Danuta Gabryś-Barker is a Professor of English at the University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, where she lectures and supervises M.A. and Ph.D. theses in applied linguistics, psycholinguistics, and especially in second language acquisition and multilingualism. She has published approximately one hundred and fifty articles and the books Aspects of multilingual storage, processing and retrieval (2005) and Reflectivity in pre-service teacher education (2012). She has also edited eleven volumes, among others for Multilingual Matters, Springer and the University of Silesia Press. Prof Gabryś-Barker has been the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Multilingualism (Taylor & Francis/Routledge) since 2010 (with Prof Eva Vetter) and the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the journal Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition (University of Silesia Press) since 2015 (with Prof Adam Wojtaszek). She is also one of the main organizers of the annual international SLA conference held in Szczyrk, Poland, a major academic event of international prominence. Dagmara Gałajda received her Ph.D. degree in linguistics from the University of Silesia, where she works as an Assistant Professor. Apart from communication studies, her research interests focus on teachers’ action zone in facilitating group dynamics, affect in language learning, individual learner differences in SLA/FLL and reflective teaching. Her recent publications include: “Anxiety and perceived communication competence as predictors of willingness to communicate in ESL/FL classroom” in D. Gabryś-Barker, J. Bielska (eds.) (2013) The Affective Dimension in Second Language Acquisition. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters; “