Current RUMACCC Projects
Linked on this page
Reports:
Raising Children in more than one language / Raising Deaf Children in more than one language
RUMACCC conducts regular workshops for families raising their children bi- or tri-lingually and for interested professionals. We have been able to offer these workshops free of charge due to the generous support of the Victorian Multicultural Commission and Community Languages Australia. The workshops include presentations from Dr Susanne Dopke and Professor Michael Clyne, two internationally respected authorities in the field of raising children bi/multilingually who have both successfully raised their own children to be bilingual, and as well as other presenters.
The Raising Children in more than one language seminars have been very popular and well received. Our most recent workshop in August 2008 attracted over 400 parents, grandparents and caregivers interested in raising their children with more than one language.
Meredith Bartlett and Sandra Leanne have organised seminars for Raising Deaf Children in more than one language across Australia over the last few years. Currently, there are no projected dates for upcoming Raising Deaf Children in more than one language seminars.
If you would like to receive details if upcoming seminars, please email Dr. Jo-anne Hughson: rumaccc-info@unimelb.edu.au
Reports:
Address in Some Western European Languages
Research output: monograph
Clyne, Michael, Norrby, Catrin and Warren, Jane. 2009 forthcoming. Language and Human Relations: Styles of Address in Contemporary Language. Cambridge University Press.
The way in which people address one another is crucial to expressing social relationships and is closely linked with cultural values. In English we call some people by their first names, and others ‘Mr’ or ‘Ms’, followed by their surname. In some other languages there are different ways of saying ‘you’ depending on the degree of social distance. Exploring practices in the family, school, university, the workplace and in letters, this book reveals patterns in the varied ways people choose to address one another, from pronouns to first names, from honorifics to titles and last names. Examples are taken from contemporary English, French, German and Swedish, using rich data from focus group research, interviews, chat groups, and participant observation.
- A revealing investigation into the different ways people choose to address each other
- Data is derived from multiple sources, such as focus groups, interviews and participant observation
- Explores address practices in a variety of situations including the family, school and the workplace
Researchers:
Professor Michael Clyne, Dr Leo Kretzenbacher, Dr Catrin Norrby and Dr Jane Warren
Local Research Assistants:
Leo Conroy, Jo Hughson, Doris Schüpbach with the assistance of Dr Judy Hadju
Overseas Research Assistants:
Kristin Gogolok (Germany), Emanuelle Guérin (France), Christophe Mafart (France), Maria Hansson (Sweden), Sandra Lachmann (Germany), Ann Mahieu-Bottequin (France), Jenny Nilsson (Sweden), Heidi Nyblom (Finland), Maria Weissenböck (Austria)
Funding: ARC Discovery Grant
Institutional involvement:
This project was conducted at the University of Melbourne, in partnership between the Research Unit for Multilingualism and Cross-Cultural Communication (RUMACCC) and the School of Languages and Linguistics.
Other Address Research Initiatives
Teaching and Learning Languages Other Than English (LOTE) in Victorian Schools
In 2007, Sue Fernandez began work with the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) on a publication titled Teaching and Learning Languages Other Than English (LOTE) in Victorian Schools that ‘aims to provide a succinct overview of LOTE as part of students’ essential learning’. The report was published in 2008 and already serves as a source of valuable information for language teachers and government employees in Victoria. The report can be downloaded from http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/publ/research/publ/language-learning-report.pdf.
Languages Other Than English in Victorian Government Schools
In 2007, Yvette Slaughter wrote the annual report, Languages Other Than English in Victorian Government Schools, 2007 for the DEECD. The report will be available in the near future from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/lote/research.htm. 2003 to 2006 reports are also available from the same web address.
Annual report for the ESL Multicultural Programs Unit
In 2007, Yvette Slaughter, along with the DEECD ESL unit, produced the annual report English as a second language in Victorian government schools, 2007. The report will be available in the near future from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/programs/esl/resources/onlineeslreports.htm. 2004 and 2005 reports are also available from this web address.