sociolinguistics symposium reminder : you can still register ( at the standard rate of 140 pounds sterling until february 28 , thereafter 160 pounds ) for ' ss12 ' - the 12th ( uk ) sociolinguistics symposium . this is the sociolympics - at least on the european side of the atlantic ! ' ss12 ' will be held at the institute of education university of london 20 bedford way london wc1h oal uk from thursday 26th march ( mid-day ) to saturday 28th march ( mid-day ) 1998 programme plenaries colloquia papers in parallel sessions short ' work in progress ' reports poster presentations publishers displays social events british sign language interpretation available to participants who request this in advance . academic organising committee professor jenny cheshire , queen mary & westfield college , university of london ; professor jennifer coates , roehampton institute london ; dr penelope gardner - chloros , birkbeck college , university of london ; dr ben rampton & celia roberts , thames valley university ; euan reid , institute of education , university of london . ; professor brian street , king 's college , university of london . plenaries professor jan blommaert ( university of antwerp / international pragmatics association ) : reconstructing the sociolinguistic image of africa : grassroots writing in shaba , congo . professor debbie cameron ( university of strathclyde , glasgow ) , good to talk ? the discourse and practice of communication skills . professor penny eckert ( stanford university ) variation , style & identity . professor susan gal ( university of chicago ) language ideologies and linguistic boundaries : the semiotics of differentiation . colloquia 1 . speech representation & institutional discourse convenors : stef slembrouck , dept of english , university of gent , belgium & mike baynham , centre for language & literacy , university of technology , sydney this colloquium aims to bring together concerns with institutional discourse and an interest in discourse representation phenomena ( ' reported speech ' ) . its focus will be on how institutional members ( clients , professionals and novices ) represent , incorporate and appropriate the discourses ( ' voices ' ) of ' the other ' in their own discourse . this theme is intended to reflect the growing body of research into practices of discourse representation in a range of sites ( media , legal , educational , social work ) . in these sites , such practices are often constitutive of institutional processes and affect institutional outcomes . the colloquium theme also ties in with the current interest ( within pragmatics , discourse analysis , etc . ) in re-contextualisation and processes of ( re ) formulation . contributors include : malcolm coulthard , janet maybin , geert jacobs , titus ensink , greg myers , graham hall , srikant sarangi & akira satoh , 2 . constructing the university : problematizing the notion of language in academic discourse . convenors : carys jones & brian street , school of education , king 's college , university of london the aim of this colloquium is to explore issues surrounding academic literacies and the genre of faculty feedback , with particular reference to british and international students in higher education . rather than focus on study skills or academic socialisation , the dominant discourses in this field , the session will address from a number of perspectives the model of academic literacies and discourses , which problematise the varied literacy practices involved in the constitution of ' the university ' . in particular the focus will be on the gap between student and faculty expectations of academic writing processes and the conceptualisation and representation of ' language ' embedded in them . contributors will include , in addition to the convenors , fiona english , monika hermerschmidt , mary lea , mary scott , joan turner & theresa lillis . 3 . language , gender & sexuality convenor : debbie cameron ( university of strathclyde ) this colloquium is a response to the rapid development of sociolinguistic work in which sexuality or sexual identity is a key social variable . among the questions we hope to reflect on , in papers , responses to papers and open discussion , are : is there and should there be a distinctive gay / lesbian sociolinguistics ? how should we theorise the relationship between sexuality and gender ? have sociolinguists talked too little about heterosexualities ? how do sociolinguists position themselves with regard to existing theories of sexual identity / practice , especially feminist theory and queer theory ? contributors : kathryn remlinger , paul mcilvenny , joanne winter . 4 . oral narratives across contexts & cultures convenors : alexandra georgakopoulou , dept . of byzantyne and modern greek studies , king 's college , university of london & shoshana blum - kulka , department of communication , hebrew university , jerusalem , israel . the goal of the colloquium is to bring together ethnographic , discourse analytical and interactional sociolinguistic perspectives to discuss the role of context and culture in the discursive shaping of oral narrative modes and functions . the papers presented will attempt to combine micro-level with macro-level analytic concerns , and their scope will cover a wide range of oral narrative modes ( e . g . conversational stories , life histories , mediated discourse narratives , family dinner narratives ) in different communities . papers will be presented by catherine snow , shoshana blum - kulka , alexandra georgakopoulou , esther schelly - newman and tamar katriel . the discussants of the presentations will include johanna thornborrow , maria sifianou , mike baynham and paddy scannell . 5 . disability , language & social identity convenor : graham h . turner , deaf studies group , department of education studies , university of central lancashire , preston this interdisciplinary colloquium sets out to address questions raised by claims about ' deaf identity ' - in the sense of an identity shaped by distinct linguistic and cultural forms - and other disabled identities , by focusing upon the role of language in discourse practices that construct and reflect such identities . does the language currently used by and about disabled people ( including deaf people ) sustain the distinction , and what part does language play in any changes being witnessed ? in spite of the existence of theoretical deaf and disability literature , relatively little has to date emerged by way of empirical accounts of language choices in either personal or institutional discourse , and there has been little theorization of language practices in such contexts . while sociolinguists ' discussions of ( for instance ) ethnicities move on from the debate about group-membership - as-acquired - disposition versus group-membership - as-situated - performance , there remains little exploration of even these two notions in relation to language and disability . the purpose of this colloquium is to assess the state of knowledge in this field and to begin to explore ( a ) the role of disabled people in effecting language change , ( b ) the extent to which communicative practices are defining in relation to disabled identities , ( c ) what ( if any ) patterns emerge from the cross-referencing of different groups in this regard and ( d ) what kinds of research could tell us more about the role of language in constructing and performing disability . within this session ( which will have british sign language / english interpretation ) four 25 - minute papers will be followed by short independent responses from two discussants and an open workshop session for exploration of issues arising . contributors include : jenny corbett , mairian corker , susan gregory , & kyra pollitt . 6 . computer - mediated communication , language and society convenor : dr . simeon j . yates , discipline of sociology , faculty of social sciences , open university . the colloquium will cover a range of sociolinguistic topics relating to the use of computer - mediated communication ( cmc ) in contemporary society . cmc systems range from the personal forms of electronic mail and internet-relay chat , through on-line forms of audio and video conferencing , to the world wide web and other digital media formats . the aim of the colloquium is to explore , through the discussion of presented papers , the connections between language use , cmc and key aspects of contemporary society , such as : globalisation , work , politics , identity , gender and media genres . this colloquium represents a development of the session on the socio-linguistics of computer - mediated communication ( cmc ) held at ss11 , and will provide an opportunity for researchers in this field to present and discuss current theories and findings . the focus of the session will be upon the relationship between contemporary society , contemporary language use and the various forms of cmc . speakers will include : simeon j . yates , susan herring , john paolillo , lynn cherny , lorenzo mondada , robert fouser , zazie todd , p . nayar & jacqueline johnson lambiase . . 7 . maintaining indigenous languages , with special reference to latin america - state planning vs grass - roots initiatives : convenors : jane freeland ( univ of portsmouth ) & rosaleen howard - malverde ( univ of liverpool ) latin american governments are giving increasing attention to the maintenance of indigenous langauges , mainly through formal education . however , outcomes frequently clash with , are even destructive of , language maintenance strategies developed by organised indigenous groups . this workshop will explore the relationship between these different approaches , through a series of brief case studies ( pre-circulated ) , but above all through extensive discussionof the language planning issues raised by this clash . speakers will include : kendall king , sheila aikman , serafin coronel - molina , tim marr & eliseo canulef m . 8 . language & multimodality convenor : prof . gunther kress , culture communication and societies ( ccs ) group , institute of education , london texts in many domains of public communication are becoming more intensely multimodal : that is , they make a deliberate use of the visual as well as the written ( where before that might have been an incidental matter ) for overt purposes of communication . social difference therefore finds expression not only in the linguistic mode whether written or spoken ( as in generic or discursive differences , eg ) but in other modes . different combinations , different emphases of modes may respond to different social purposes , so that even at this level there is a new issue of what the consequences are for language . if in a multimodal text some information is carried visually and some verbally - where before it was all carried verbally - it follows that language will play a different role in the overtly multi modal text than it did in the formerly ( at least ostensibly ) monomodal text . other participants : theo van leeuwen , david graddol , roz ivanic & fiona ormerod , radan martinec , carey jewitt , and judy delin . 9 . teaching & learning bilingually in post - colonial contexts convenors : marilyn martin - jones , university of lancaster & peter martin , universiti brunei darussalam . over the last decade , there has been an increasing amount of research into language practices in schools and classrooms in a number of post-colonial contexts . in each of these multililngual contexts , a former colonial language is still used as a medium of instruction . the aim of this colloquium is to bring together researchers working in different multilingual sites and to enable them to compare insights from research which combines detailed analysis of bilingual classroom discourse with ethnographic observation . our specific objectives are ( 1 ) to compare the ways in which teachers and learners in these settings accomplish lessons in two languages ; ( 2 ) to identify commonalities and differences in bilingual discourse practices observed and analysed in different institutional sites ; ( 3 ) to discuss the implications of these commonalities and differences . contributors include : casimir rubagumya , grace bunyi & nancy hornberger , angel lin & jo arthur , in addition to the convenors . 10 . language play & the construction of meaning among working class teenagers in hong kong . convenor : angel lin , city university of hong kong . other contributors will include isaac lam , michelle kwan , tit - wing lo & kevin chu , with chris candlin as discussant . 11 . there will also be a postgraduate workshop , convened by kristina bennert , of university college , cardiff . bennert @ cardiff . ac . uk . further details on programme by post : the full provisional programme is now being sent by post to people as they register , along with local travel details , and hotel booking arrangements . on the internet : our website is being updated regularly until the event itself , and you can find us at : http : / / www . ioe . ac . uk / ccs / ss12 papers as well as the colloquia , the programme includes c60 35 - minute ' papers ' - where presenters are being encouraged to speak for no more than c20 minutes , leaving c15 minutes for questions and discussion , c20 15 minute ' reports ' on work in progress ) , and c12 ' posters ' . the criteria for selection were : originality , significance , estimated contribution to conceptual development of the field , lucidity . all submissions , including those for the colloquia , were subject to anonymous review by members of the committee during september and october 1997 , with the help of colloquium convenors where appropriate . in addition to those speaking in the colloquia , presenters will include david barton , stella bortoni - ricardo , jennifer coates , jenny cheshire , gemma moss , anne pauwels , mark sebba , alison sealey . costs standard symposium fee - 140 pounds sterling late symposium fee - 160 pounds sterling ( for bookings received after february 27 , 1998 ) student / unwaged symposium fee - 95 pounds , ( on production of satisfactory evidence of status ) day symposium fees ( only available after the standard booking period ends on february 27 , 1998 , and if places are left ) . registration the form which follows is only about registration for the symposium itself , administered by the institute of education 's conference office : email c . bird @ ioe . ac . uk , not , please not , the sender of this message ! ( for accommodation see note at end . ) payment of the appropriate symposium fee is obligatory , and will entitle you to all documents for the meeting ( programme , abstracts booklet , participants list ) , and to a badge giving admission to sessions , tea / coffee etc at breaks , and buffet lunches . conference registration form : ( print this off and fax or mail it , or use the electronic version on our website - address of this at the end of the posting ) please complete the following as you would like it to appear on the participants ' list - only one person on each form ] : your title : ( mr / ms / dr / prof / . . . . . ) your family name : your other name ( s ) : your institution & departmental address : phone and fax numbers for communication ( say if work or private ) : your email number : address for correspondence if different from your institution : please reserve a conference place for me : date of booking . . . . . either for the whole meeting or @ standard rate of 140 pounds or @ late rate of 160 pounds or for the following half-days thursday 26 / 3 @ 45 pounds friday 27 / 3 am @ 45 " friday 27 / 3 pm @ 45 " saturday 28 / 3 @ 45 " completed registration forms , along with sterling cheques ( non-sterling cheques or bank transfers add 10 % please ) payable to ' institute of education - ss12 ' , should be sent to the conference office ( ss12 ) , institute of education , 20 bedford way , london wc1h 0al , uk . booking enquiries can be made to the conference officer there , cathy bird ( c . bird @ ioe . ac . uk ) tel : + 44 . 171 . 612 . 6017 . . . . fax : + 44 . 171 . 612 . 6402 . accommodation bookings should be made independently , or through hotelscene , a reservation service offering discounted accommodation in a range of hotels etc within a few minutes walk from the institute of education in the bloomsbury district of west central london . hotelscene information will be normally only sent to you on receipt of your registration forms , but can be sent earlier if you need it - on request to the conference office . single room and breakfast prices will be from about 20 pounds per night in a student hall of residence [ not many of these left now ] , to about \ 163100 per night in a first class hotel - less per head in double rooms . website address for updates on ss12 : http : / / www . ioe . ac . uk / ccs / ss12 . euan reid culture , communication and societies institute of education university of london 20 bedford way london wc1h 0al tel : + 44 171 612 6524 / fax : + 44 171 612 6177