Applied Linguistics Projects
Project Summary: This group focuses on providing practical solutions to language-related problems. Areas in which they have a particular interest include: the teaching, learning and inter-generational transmission of languages (particularly indigenous languages); language policy and planning; contrastive rhetoric; critical discourse analysis; the theory and practice of translation; and bio-cultural conservation (including linguistic and ethical aspects of the classification of natural phenomena and the digitisation of indigenous knowledge). Since 2006, 11 researchers have completed PhDs in the context of this programme and a further 8 PhD projects are in progress. Members of the group have attracted externally-funded research contracts and a many fellowships, scholarships and research and travel awards, including doctoral scholarships awarded by the Tertiary Education Commission, overseas Ministries of Education and the Mellon-Hawaii Native Hawai’i Scholarship Programme, and post-doctoral fellowships awarded by the Tertiary Education Commission and the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. Members of the group have produced a large number of books, book chapters and peer-reviewed academic articles and given many conference presentations in New Zealand and overseas.
Keywords: Indigenous langauges, language transmission, policy, contrastive rhetoric, critical discourse analysis, translation, ethics, digitisation.