Language as a Local Practice addresses the questions of language, locality and practice as a way of moving forward in our understanding of how language operates as an integrated social and spatial activity. By taking each of these three elements – language, locality and practice – and exploring how they relate to each other, Language as a Local Practice opens up new ways of thinking about language. It questions assumptions about languages as systems or as countable entities, and suggests instead that language emerges from the activities it performs. To look at language as a practice is to view language as an activity rather than a structure, as something we do rather than a system we draw on, as a material part of social and cultural life rather than an abstract entity. Language as a Local Practice draws on a variety of contexts of language use, from bank machines to postcards, Indian newspaper articles to fish-naming in the Philippines, urban graffiti to mission statements, suggesting that rather than thinking in terms of language use in context, we need to consider how language, space and place are related, how language creates the contexts where it is used, how languages are the products of socially located activities and how they are part of the action. Language as a Local Practice will be of interest to students on advanced undergraduate and post graduate courses in Applied Linguistics, Language Education, TESOL, Literacy and Cultural Studies.

This volume inserts the place of the local in theorizing about language policies and practices in applied linguistics. While the effects of globalization around the world are being discussed in such diverse circles as corporations, law firms, and education, and while the spread of English has come to largely benefit those in positions of power, relatively little has been said about the impact of globalization at the local level, directly or indirectly. Reclaiming the Local in Language Policy and Practice is unique in focusing specifically on the outcomes of globalization in and among the communities affected by these changes. The authors make a case for why it is important for local social practices, communicative conventions, linguistic realities, and knowledge paradigms to actively inform language policies and practices for classrooms and communities in specific contexts, and to critically inform those pertaining to other communities. Engaging with the dominant paradigms in the discipline of applied linguistics, the chapters include research relating to second language acquisition, sociolinguistics, literacy, and language planning. The majority of chapters are case studies of specific contexts and communities, focused on situations of language teaching. Beyond their local contexts these studies are important for initiating discussion of their relevance for other, different communities and contexts. Taken together, the chapters in this book approach the task of reclaiming and making space for the local by means of negotiating with the present and the global. They illuminate the paradox that the local contains complex values of diversity, multilingualism, and plurality that can help to reconceive the multilingual society and education for postmodern times.

The Practice of Foreign Language Teaching: Theories and Applications is a collection of essays which will appeal to teachers of modern languages no matter the level of instruction. The volume analyzes the concepts of foreign language education and multicultural competence, including the notion of the intercultural speaker. It also discusses the ways in which language education policy develops, by comparing the theories and purposes of foreign language education. The essays collected here highlight the various different methods and approaches in language teaching, and introduce more experienced teachers to new approaches and teaching ideas. The book will also provide language instructors with the theoretical background and practical solutions they need to decide which approaches, materials, and resources can and should be used in their L2 classrooms.

The Routledge Handbook of Language and Identity provides a clear and comprehensive survey of the field of language and identity from an applied linguistics perspective. Forty-one chapters are organised into five sections covering: theoretical perspectives informing language and identity studies key issues for researchers doing language and identity studies categories and dimensions of identity identity in language learning contexts and among language learners future directions for language and identity studies in applied linguistics Written by specialists from around the world, each chapter will introduce a topic in language and identity studies, provide a concise and critical survey, in which the importance and relevance to applied linguists is explained and include further reading. The Routledge Handbook of Language and Identity is an essential purchase for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of Linguistics, Applied Linguistics and TESOL. Advisory board: David Block (Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats/ Universitat de Lleida, Spain); John Joseph (University of Edinburgh); Bonny Norton (University of British Colombia, Canada).

The Routledge Handbook of Language Policy and Planning is a comprehensive and authoritative survey, including original contributions from leading senior scholars and rising stars to provide a basis for future research in language policy and planning in international, national, regional, and local contexts. The Handbook approaches language policy as public policy that can be studied through the policy cycle framework. It offers a systematic and research-informed view of actual processes and methods of design, implementation, and evaluation. With a substantial introduction, 38 chapters and an extensive bibliography, this Handbook is an indispensable resource for all decision makers, students, and researchers of language policy and planning within linguistics and cognate disciplines such as public policy, economics, political science, sociology, and education.

There is a growing interest in understanding how early years care and education is organised and experienced internationally. This book examines key influential approaches to early years care as well as some less well-known systems from around the world. In particular the book aims to: Inform those studying early years about perspectives in other countries Encourage critical thinking about issues, influences and the complexities of early years provision around the world Promote critical reflection on students’ own provision and the current context of that provision Each chapter provides an overview of early years provision and explores historical and current influences in context, as well as offering insights into daily life through short vignettes, longer case studies and commentary from practitioners. Whilst many approaches - such as Reggio Emilia, Te Whariki and Head Start - are widely admired, it is important for reflective practitioners to understand the motivation which gave rise to these influential approaches in their original context. Additionally, broadening understanding through information on less widely known systems, the book provides students with a good grounding in the international context of early years, the provenance of different early years approaches and principles, and the influences on their own countries’ provision. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, the book is designed to meet the needs of students studying modules related to international perspectives on a range of foundation, bachelor and master’s degrees in early years. Contributors: Verity Campbell-Barr, Federica Caruso, Carmen Dalli, Rebecca Carter Dillon, Annie Davy, Chandrika Devarakonda, Alena Drzalová, Hasina Banu Ebrahim, Susan Edwards, Dora Ho, Valerie Huggins, Anne Hunt, Kerstin Kööp, Éva Kovácsné Bakoski, Caroline Leeson, Beth Marshall, Nancy McDermott, Julia Morgan, Joce Nutall, Elin Eriksen Ødegaard, Philip Selbie, Paolo Sorzio, Manabu Sumida, Keang-ieng (Peggy) Vong, Karen Wickett “The book rightly challenges common assumptions about the value of Western perspectives of ECEC and skilfully enables the reader to recognize the various social, political and economic drivers and processes that have shaped early years pedagogy on a global level.” Dr Janet Rose, Early Years Education Award Leader, Bath Spa University, UK “Given the ever increasing interest and importance of global early childhood education and care, this critically informed book offers valuable and challenging internationalised comparative arguments for students and academics at all levels.” Dr Guy Roberts-Holmes, Senior Lecturer, Early Years and Primary Education Department, University of London, UK

"This book argues for a broad cosmopolitan perspective that emphasizes local as well as global forms of citizenship and identification and sees human connectedness as being deeply underpinned by various accents, styles, and uses of language in everyday practices"--

Bloomsbury World Englishes offers a comprehensive and rigorous description of the facts, implications and contentious issues regarding the forms and functions of English in the world. International experts cover a diverse range of varieties and topics, offering a more accurate understanding of English across the globe and the various social contexts in which it plays a significant role. With volumes dedicated to research paradigms, language ideologies and pedagogies, the collection pushes the boundaries of the field to go beyond traditional descriptive paradigms and contribute to moving research agendas forward. Volume 3: Pedagogies addresses the teaching of English as a world language. Chapters in this volume consider the teaching and learning of English(es) from a range of perspectives and on the basis of experiences and research from many parts of the world.

The adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 September 2007 was acclaimed as a major success for the United Nations system given the extent to which it consolidates and develops the international corpus of indigenous rights. This is the first in-depth academic analysis of this far-reaching instrument. Indigenous representatives have argued that the rights contained in the Declaration, and the processes by which it was formulated, obligate affected States to accept the validity of its provisions and its interpretation of contested concepts (such as 'culture', 'land', 'ownership' and 'self-determination'). This edited collection contains essays written by the main protagonists in the development of the Declaration; indigenous representatives; and field-leading academics. It offers a comprehensive institutional, thematic and regional analysis of the Declaration. In particular, it explores the Declaration's normative resonance for international law and considers the ways in which this international instrument could catalyse institutional action and influence the development of national laws and policies on indigenous issues.