bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the predictive capacity of dead fuel moisture models for Eastern Australia grasslands
Authors: Cruz Miguel G. , Kidnie Susan , Matthews Stuart , Hurley Richard J. , Slijepcevic Alen , Nichols David , Gould Jim S.
Published: July 2016

The moisture content of dead grass fuels is an important input to grassland fire behaviour prediction models. We used standing dead grass moisture observations collected within a large latitudinal spectrum in Eastern Australia to evaluate the predictive capacity of six different fuel moisture prediction models. The best-performing models, which ranged from a simple empirical formulation to a physically based process model, yield mean absolute errors of 2.0% moisture content, corresponding to a 25–30% mean absolute percentage error. These models tended to slightly underpredict the moisture content observations. The results have important implications for the authenticity of fire danger rating and operational fire behaviour prediction, which form the basis of community information and warnings, such as evacuation notices, in Australia.
The Focus Group Interview
Authors: Ho Debbie G.E.
Published: July 2016

This paper explores the possibility of expanding the focus group interview into the field of English as a Second Language (ESL), where this research methodology is yet to be thoroughly explored. Specifically, it aims to challenge popular criticisms about the reliability and validity of the focus group as a qualitative research methodology. It does this by first setting up a list of five main criticisms of the focus group interview drawn from current literature on research methodology within the social sciences and education. Based on transcripts of interactional data gathered from focus group interviews carried out among ESL students in a formal ESL context, it then provides a direct and detailed response to each criticism. The arguments put forward demonstrate that the focus group interview, as a method of data collection, may be particularly relevant in gathering the viewpoints and opinions of participants who have traditionally not been well represented through the more conventional and common methods currently employed in ESL research studies. Furthermore, the paper raises conscious awareness about the potential of the focus group as a viable and verifiable tool in qualitative research methodology.
Patterns of address in Dili Tetum, East Timor
Authors: Williams-van Klinken Catharina , Hajek John
Published: July 2016

This article focuses on a detailed description of patterns of address in Dili Tetum today. It outlines the complexities of the address system and points to considerable variation in its evolving presentday use. We find, amongst other things, that a speaker may use a range of address strategies even to the same addressee, and that the use of polite pronounsItaandIta-Bootappears to be spreading as the language extends into new domains not previously available to it.
Dealing with new multilingualism in Europe
Authors: Extra Guus
Published: July 2016

The focus of this paper is on immigrant minority languages in urban Western Europe. Both multidisciplinary and cross-national perspectives will be offered on two major domains in which language transmission occurs, i.e., the domestic domain and the public domain. Prototypical of these two domains are the home and the school, respectively. At home, language transmission occurs between parents and children; at school this occurs between teachers and pupils. Viewed from the perspectives of majority language speakersversusminority language speakers, language transmission becomes a very different issue. In the case of majority language speakers, language transmission at home and at school is commonly taken for granted: at home, parents speak this language usually with their children; at school this language is usually the only or major subject and medium of instruction. In the case of minority language speakers, there is usually a mismatch between the language of the home and the language of the school. Whether parents in such a context continue to transmit their language to their children is strongly dependent on the degree to which these parents conceive of this language as a core value of cultural identity.

After a short introduction, we offerphenomenologicalperspectives on the semantics of our field of study and some central European notions in this field. Next we discuss major agencies and documents onlanguage rightsat the global and European level. We also discuss the utilisation and effects of differentdemographiccriteria for the definition and identification of (school) population groups in a multicultural society. Next we offersociolinguisticperspectives on the distribution and vitality of immigrant minority languages across Europe. In this context the rationale and major outcomes of theMultilingual Cities Project, realised in six major multicultural cities in different European Union nation-states, are presented. Finally we offer comparative perspectives oneducationalpolicies and practices in the domain of immigrant minority languages in the six European Union countries under discussion. We conclude with an overview on how multilingualism can be promoted for all children in an increasingly multicultural Europe.

Immigrants have made this country more American, not less American. (George W. Bush, presidential election campaign 2004)
Language use in asynchronous computer-mediated communication in Taiwan
Authors: dummy contact - do not alter ZZZ
Published: July 2016

This paper describes how Chinese-English bilinguals in Taiwan use their languages in asynchronous computer-mediated communication, specifically, via Bulletin Board System (BBS) and email. The main data includes two types: emails collected from a social network and postings collected from two BBS websites. By examining patterns of language choice and language use in these two types of data, the aim of this research is to investigate how a language contact phenomenon – code-switching (CS) – is realized via different writing systems in online environment

The data reveals that there are two levels of CS: CS between languages and CS between writing systems. In terms of CS between languages, three patterns are found: CS between Mandarin and Taiwanese, CS between Mandarin and English, CS between Mandarin, Taiwanese and English. In terms of CS between writing systems, three patterns are also identified: CS between Standard Written Chinese (SWC) and Zhuyin, CS between SWC and English alphabet, and CS between SWC, Zhuyin and English alphabet. This paper presents the two levels of CS by using the examples found in the data and describes the complex relationship between different writing systems and different languages. It is concluded that CS is found to be a common phenomenon on asynchronous CMC, where it fosters multilingualism and multi-orthography.
‘Working your words’
Authors: dummy contact - do not alter ZZZ
Published: July 2016

This paper explores the language used by Australian Football League (AFL) footballers and Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) journalists in their post-match interviews broadcast on ABC (774 Melbourne) radio. From Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), Appraisal is used to investigate the evaluative language expressed by the AFL footballers in their exchanges with ABC journalists. Despite the many applications of linguistics to media discourse, especially within SFL, this research is the first to analyse the language of Australian athletes in their post-match interviews. It is found that irrespective of the result of the game, ABC journalists and AFL footballers maintain a neutral stance by countering expressions of positive Attitude with negative Attitude, as well as employing Graduation and Engagement resources that reduce authorial endorsement. These findings are summarized and discussed, including reference to neutralism from Conversation Analysis. The paper goes on to claim that the tenor between AFL footballers, ABC journalists and the broadcast audience makes it difficult for AFL footballers to express authoritative evaluations. The ultimate aim is to show that AFL footballers do well to negotiate a particularly challenging register.
Critical and alternative directions in applied linguistics
Authors: Pennycook Alastair
Published: July 2016

Critical directions in applied linguistics can be understood in various ways. The termcriticalas it has been used incritical applied linguistics, critical discourse analysis, critical literacyand so forth, is now embedded as part of applied linguistic work, adding an overt focus on questions of power and inequality to discourse analysis, literacy or applied linguistics more generally. In this paper I will argue, however, that although critical discourse analysis and critical literacy still make claims to a territory different from their ‘non-critical’ counterparts, much of this work has become conventional and moribund. The use of the term ‘critical’ (with its problematic claims and divisions) has perhaps reached saturation level. This is not to say, however, that the basic need to bring questions of power, disparity and difference to applied linguistics is any way diminished, but rather that we may need to look in alternative directions for renewal.

Here I want to pursue two main possibilities: On the one hand, the effects of critical work have been widely felt, so that the issues and concerns raised by work in this tradition have filtered through to many parts of the field. Work today that might be deemed critical may no longer need to wear this label. On the other hand, a range of different social theories (captured in part by a series of ‘turns’) has started to shift the thinking in many domains of applied linguistics in important ways. Just as work in sociolinguistics, for example, has shifted from a central focus on variationist accounts of language to include style, identity, practices and politics more broadly, and work in bi- and multilingualism has started to question the ways in which these are framed (hence, for example, multilanguaging, polylingualism and metrolingualism), so applied linguistics has shifted from a central focus on language teaching, testing and second language acquisition to a broader and more critical conceptualization of language in social life. It has started to take on board the implications of new ‘turns’ in the social sciences (practices, sensory, somatic, postmodern, ecological, decolonial) and new influences from previously overlooked sources (queer theory, critical geography, postcolonial studies, philosophy). Critical and alternative directions in applied linguistics, therefore, may be found across a variety of domains that are engaging with notions such as language as a local practice.
Teacher awareness and understandings about Aboriginal English in Western Australia
Authors: Oliver Rhonda , Rochecouste Judith , Vanderford Samantha , Grote Ellen
Published: July 2016

Repeated assessments of literacy skills have shown that Aboriginal students do not achieve at the same level as their non-Aboriginal peers. Many Aboriginal students speak Aboriginal English, a dialect different from the Standard Australian English used in schools. Research shows that it is crucial for educators in bidialectal contexts to be aware of students’ home language and to adopt appropriate educational responses. For over a decade, the ABC of Two-Way Literacy and Learning Professional Development Program has sought to improve outcomes for Aboriginal students in Western Australia. By promoting a two-way bidialectal approach to learning, Aboriginal English is valued, accommodated and used to bridge to learning in Standard Australian English. This paper draws on a large research project, which used qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate the impact of the on-going professional development for teachers. It reports on the attitudes and understandings of teachers, with and without professional development and working in different contexts.
‘Ideal-Problem-Solution’ (IPS) Model
Authors: Adnan Zifirdaus
Published: July 2016

Research article introductions (RAIs) play a significant role in gaining publication, and therefore have been studied by many applied linguists. Research into RAIs published in Indonesia has begun to be developed (Adnan, 2009; Mirahayuni, 2001; Safnil, 2000), and generally conclude that Indonesian Humanities RAIs were structured differently from English RAIs. However, as these are early studies, their findings still awaits scrutiny, and little information on Indonesian RAIs especially in Education has been published. Several models describing discourse structure of research article introductions have been proposed, but they have been problematic when applied to analyse RAIs. This paper reports an examination of the applicability of two important models, the CARS (Swales, 1990) and the PJP model claimed to be an Indonesian model of Humanities RAIs (Safnil, 2000), using a selection of 21 Indonesian research article Introductions (RAIs) written by Indonesian academics in Education. It concentrates on the following questions: To what extent do these models fit the data and why? The examination found that none of the RAIs fit the CARS, and only less than half fit the PJP model for various reasons. Therefore a new model is proposed. This model fits most of the data. The paper claims that apart from national concerns, discourse patterns of RAIs are also affected by writing guides provided by the discipline.
You sound attractive! Perceptions of accented English in a multilingual environment
Authors: Eisenchlas Susana A. , Tsurutani Chiharu
Published: July 2016

Sociolinguistic research on attitudes towards language has revealed that native speakers of English are drawn towards those who share their native accent and respond cautiously, perhaps negatively, towards those speaking in ‘accented’ English (Lambert, Hodgson, Gardner & Fillenbaum, 1960; Rubin, 1992). These perceptions greatly disadvantage migrants in competitive job and educational markets. This study investigated perceptions held by Australian university students learning foreign languages towards lecturers with non-standard English accents. The investigators used a modified matched-guised technique to test students’ responses to speech samples from six speakers, one Australian born and raised and five foreign born and raised. Results contrasted clearly with those of previous studies; students rated those who they heard as ‘accented’ speakers highly in many personality dimensions, suggesting the students’ greater readiness to accept foreign accents. The results highlight the importance of foreign language learning in fostering acceptance of linguistic and cultural difference and in facilitating mutual understanding among groups, particularly in multicultural societies.
The status and future of bilingual education for remote indigenous students in the Northern Territory
Authors: Devlin Brian
Published: July 2016

This article analyses the status and future of bilingual education programs using Indigenous languages and English in remote Northern Territory schools. It explains why this educational approach is so contested at present, resulting in an unresolved situation which can best be regarded as an uneasy compromise on the ground and a stalemate at higher levels of political decision making. If the bilingual education approach was better understood by the current NT Government, there would a strong impetus now to refine and effectively implement a model of schooling that is appropriate for students in remote areas. Instead, current politicians debunk the bilingual approach, thereby robbing schools and literacy plans of any momentum and distracting attention away from the work that needs to be done. Meanwhile, student attendance rates have fallen away to worryingly low levels (Dickson, 2010). The current regime may well resolve the impasse, but in the absence of any meaningful, open negotiation the future looks uncertain. It is too soon to judge the cost of this uncertainty, but it may well result in further alienation and the emergence of non-government alternatives.
Rekindling warm embers
Authors: Gale Mary-Anne
Published: July 2016

This paper reviews the teaching of Aboriginal languages in the tertiary sector of Australia, looking at the stronger languages taught in the university sector versus those languages under revival that tend to be taught in the TAFE sector. The paper summarises the status of courses offered state by state, and sets the scene with some historical background. The metaphor of ‘rekindling warm embers’ is used to describe revival programs, with a focus on the Ngarrindjeri experience in South Australia. The point is made that language teaching programs require the involvement and support of Elders, whether taught in the TAFE or university sector.
Policy and Indigenous languages in Australia
Authors: McKay Graham R.
Published: July 2016

The use of Indigenous languages has been declining over the period of non-Aboriginal settlement in Australia as a result of repressive policies, both explicit and implicit. The National Policy on Languages (Lo Bianco, 1987) was the high point of language policy in Australia, given its national scope and status and its attempt to encompass all aspects of language use. Indigenous languages received significant recognition as an important social and cultural resource in this policy, but subsequent national policy developments moved via a focus on economic utility to an almost exclusive emphasis on English, exacerbated by a focus on national literacy standards. This is exemplified in the Northern Territory’s treatment of Indigenous bilingual education programs. Over recent years there have been hopeful signs in various states of policy developments supportive of Indigenous languages and in 2009 the Commonwealth Government introduced a new National Indigenous Languages Policy and a plan for a national curriculum in languages. Support for Indigenous languages remains fragmentary, however, and very much subservient to the dominant rhetoric about the need for English skills, while at the same time ignoring research that shows the importance of Indigenous and minority languages for social well-being and for developing English language skills.
Naplan language assessments for Indigenous children in remote communities
Authors: Wigglesworth Gillian , Simpson Jane , Loakes Deborah
Published: July 2016

The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assessments are designed to assess literacy and numeracy of all Australian school children in years 3, 5, 7 and 9, and to act as diagnostics as to whether children are meeting intended educational outcomes. Tests began in May 2008, and have been run annually since then. Results of the 2008 tests indicated that Indigenous children in remote communities had the lowest test scores, and results were used to make a policy decision that effectively scrapped bilingual education in the Northern Territory.

In this paper, we evaluate the literacy component of the NAPLAN test for Year 3, and the language samples for each year level. Literacy components assess reading, writing and language conventions (grammar, spelling and punctuation), and we focus on the reading and language conventions components.

We argue that the NAPLAN tests need to be very carefully monitored for appropriateness for the assessment of children living in remote Indigenous communities. This is because tests are standardised on groups of English language speaking children. The content of some sample tests relies on cultural knowledge which Indigenous children cannot be expected to have. Spelling tests need to be monitored to ensure that they are testing spelling rather than grammatical knowledge. Finally, it is difficult to create language convention tests which are truly diagnostic because of the mixed test population of native English speakers, ESL learners and EFL learners in remote Indigenous communities.
Researching task difficulty from an individual differences perspective
Authors: Ben Maad Mohamed Ridha
Published: July 2016

This paper reports on a study which highlighted goal orientation as an approachable individual difference (ID) variable which may further our understanding of foreign/second language learning experience. The study sought to (i) gauge the extent of goal orientation in foreign language learners' profile and (ii) examine how goal orientation affects their perception of task difficulty and motivation. Analysis of the findings revealed two distinct goal orientation levels which reflected two significantly different response types to task difficulty. Where one goal group responded positively to unfamiliar and cognitively demanding tasks, the other goal group did not. In light of these results, this paper calls for the necessity to revisit the reductionist research format that confines task variation to design and sequencing factors.
Language, faith and identity
Authors: Hatoss Anikó
Published: July 2016

While most language-planning and policy (LPP) studies have focussed on language decisions made by government bodies, in recent years there has been an increased interest in micro-level language planning in immigrant contexts. Few studies, however, have used this framework to retrospectively examine the planning decisions of religious institutions, such as “ethnic” churches. This paper explores the language decisions made by the Lutheran church in Australia between 1838 and 1921. The study is based on archival research carried out in the Lutheran Archives in Adelaide, South Australia. The paper draws attention to the complex interrelationships between language, religion and identity in an immigrant context.
Strategies for building social connection through English
Authors: Taylor-Leech Kerry , Yates Lynda
Published: July 2016

This article draws on ethnographic data from a longitudinal study of newly-arrived immigrants of non English-speaking background in the Australian Adult Migrant English Program to investigate their opportunities for using English and the language learning strategies (LLS) they used to make the most of these opportunities. Analysis of their reports of spoken interactions in and beyond the classroom suggests that many participants had little awareness of the strategies they could use to increase their opportunities to interact with other English speakers. Most participants did not use any LLS and those they did use were largely social in nature and motivation. With a particular focus on social strategies, we consider participants’ use of LLS to improve their English. We identify some constraints on their use of social strategies and some ways in which contextual and individual factors interacted for learners at different levels of proficiency. We conclude with some practical implications for LLS instruction in English language programs for new arrivals. The findings suggest that explicit instruction particularly in social talk and interaction could help learners increase their contact with Englishspeakers. Families and communities could also benefit from information to promote understanding of the communication challenges facing newly arrived immigrants of non English-speaking background.
Constructions of language and learner identity in the classroom
Authors: Cruickshank Kenneth
Published: July 2016

Teachers and learners can hold differing ideas about language and goals for language learning which are then played out in classroom interactions. Constructions of what counts as language and learning impact on learner engagement and identity and the outcomes of language learning. This study analyses a researcher’s account of the learning of Arabic in three different contexts. Data consist of journals, reflective notes and document collection and are analysed using content and thematic analysis. The study found that conflicting views of language impacted on learner engagement and on the identity positions available to learners, especially to background speakers. It argues that the constructions of language and identity positions offered to learners need to be taken into account in language classrooms for language learning and teaching to be effective.
A rationale for acknowledging the diversity of learner achievements in learning particular languages in school education in Australia
Authors: Scarino Angela
Published: July 2016

In school languages education in Australia at present there is an increasing diversity of languages and learners learning particular languages that results from a greater global movement of students. This diversity builds on a long-established profile of diversity that reflects the migration history of Australia. It stands in sharp contrast to the force of standardisation in education in general and in the history of the development of state and national frameworks for the learning of languages K-12 in Australia and indeed beyond. These frameworks have characteristically generalised across diverse languages, diverse learner groups and diverse program conditions, in particular, the amount of time made available for language learning. In addition, in the absence of empirical studies of learner achievements in learning particular languages over time, the development of such frameworks has drawn primarily on internationally available language proficiency descriptions [such as the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the International Second Language Proficiency Rating Scale (ISLPR), and more recently the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)] that were developed primarily to serve reporting and credentialing rather than learning purposes.

Drawing on a description of the current context of linguistic and cultural diversity and on a brief characterisation of the history of curriculum and assessment framework development for the languages area, I provide a rationale for acknowledging in the development and use of frameworks (i.e. descriptions of achievements) the diversity of languages that comprise the languages learning area in Australia and, in particular, the diverse learner groups who come to their learning with diverse experiences of learning and using particular languages. The Student Achievement in Asian Languages Education (SAALE) study provides an example of the development of descriptions of achievement that are sensitive to these dimensions of context. I discuss the rationale for such context-sensitive descriptions in relation to their potential purposes and uses at the language policy and planning and educational systems level, at the teaching and learning level, and in ongoing research.
Understanding the nature of performance
Authors: Scrimgeour Andrew
Published: July 2016

While Chinese language learning in Australian schools is characterised by predominantly second language programs for learners who have had no prior exposure to the target language, there is increasing participation by Australian-born children who speak Putonghua (Mandarin) or another dialect at home. Curriculum and assessment frameworks and syllabuses at senior secondary level have responded to the diversity in learner background through the provision of separate curricula and assessment schemes for different learner groups based on country of birth, prior educational experience and languages used at home. However the impact of learner background on learning and achievement as learners progress through Chinese language programs both in primary and secondary school remains under-researched. In particular, evidence of how the performance of second language learners differs from that of learners who a) speak the language at home and b) may have substantial community schooling experience beyond the school classroom, or c) were born and initially educated in Chinese, is very limited.

This paper reports on the results of the Student Achievement in Asian Languages Education (SAALE) Project (Scarino et al., 2011; Scarino, this issue and Elder, Kim & Knoch, this issue) with regard to student achievement in Chinese. It focuses on the writing performance of Year 10 learners of Chinese and considers specifically the impact of language background by comparing performances between Australian-born students who do and do not speak Chinese at home. Scores assigned to students’ writing gathered on common test procedures confirms the expectation that background language learners perform at significantly higher levels and suggests that the two groups also differ in the nature of that performance. The implications of this data for the teaching, learning and assessment of Chinese in schools, and for the appropriate provision of programs for these different groups of learners is discussed.
Investigating apology response strategies in Australian English and Bahasa Indonesia
Authors: Adrefiza  , Jones Jeremy F.
Published: July 2016

Studies on apologies have proliferated in pragmatics research, but little research has been conducted on apology responses (ARs). The present inquiry contributes to filling the gap in the literature, and it does so by examining such responses in two languages, Australian English (AE) and Bahasa Indonesia (BI). The study ultimately focuses on two variables, gender and culture. It probes behavioural differences in the genders in and between the two societies, and considers cultural differences in the expression of ARs. Using oral discourse completion tasks (DCTs), the researchers recorded and analyzed a total of 360 responses to three apology situations. The findings reveal that ARs in both languages were complex and elaborate, embodying various subsidiary speech acts and expressions. The ARs generally showed indirectness and mitigated face threats towards interlocutors. However, one striking result is that there was no marked gender difference in AR strategy either within or between languages, thus challenging a stereotype that females are more accepting and ‘polite’ than males (Brown, 1980; Holmes, 1995, 2008). Another surprising result was that, in a significant minority of cases, Indonesians were revealed to be more direct and face-threatening than their Australian counterparts, again confronting a stereotype of speech behaviour, in this case that Asians are more indirect and ambiguous than native English-speakers in Western cultures
Learning to hear by learning to speak
Authors: Linebaugh Gary , Roche Thomas
Published: July 2016

In this paper we explore English pronunciation teaching within an English as an International Language (EIL) framework, arguing that teaching learners how to produce English phonemes can lead to an improvement in their aural ability. English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners often have difficulty discriminating between and producing specific sounds of the target language; Arabic speakers, for example, typically have difficulty distinguishing between /p/ and /b/ in words such as pin and bin. The research described here indicates that explicit articulatory training in the production of two problematic sounds, /p/ and /b/, improves learners’ ability to perceptually discriminate between the two. Following articulatory training, participants were better at correctly identifying which member of a minimal pair they heard (pack or back, for example), whereas simply providing focused aural exposure to those sounds, as advocated in the non-form focused intuitive-imitative approach, did not lead to similar improvement. This suggests that for sounds that are perceptually difficult for learners, complementing exposure as advocated by the intuitive-imitative approach with articulatory training may produce the best results in terms of segmental discrimination and ultimately target language production. We also point to evidence that accuracy in segmental production is especially relevant in the EIL context.
A cross-cultural analysis of stance in disaster news reports
Authors: Liu Lian , Stevenson Marie D.
Published: July 2016

This study examines stance in cross-cultural media discourse by comparing disaster news reports on the Sichuan earthquake of May 2008 in a Chinese, an Australian Chinese, and an Australian newspaper. The stance taken in the news reports is examined using the Attitude sub-system of Martin and White’s (2005) Appraisal framework. The analysis revealed that stance patterns in the reports from the three newspapers varied systematically, and that the reports from the three newspapers could be placed on a continuum, with the Chinese-Australian news reports taking an intermediate stance, though leaning more towards the Chinese stance. For instance, whereas the Australian reports focused primarily on evaluating the actual earthquake situation, both the Chinese and the Australian Chinese reports focused more on assessing the participants and their behavior during the aftermath of the earthquake. Findings are linked to features of the Chinese and Australian sociocultural contexts, and the implications of the study are discussed for understanding the discourse of migrant ‘sub-cultures’ in relation to the discourse of the cultures to which they are connected.
Teaching creole-speaking children
Authors: Wigglesworth Gillian , Billington Rosey
Published: July 2016

There are now significant numbers of children who speak a language other than English when they enter the formal school system in Australia. Many of these children come from a language background that is entirely different from the school language. Many Indigenous children, however, come from creole-speaking backgrounds where their home language may share features with the school language whilst remaining substantially different in other ways. What often makes this situation more challenging is the tendency to view creole, rather than as a different language, as a kind of deficient version of the standard language. Children entering the school system with a creole thus often encounter considerable difficulties. In addition, teachers who are not trained in teaching creole-speaking children may not recognise these difficulties. This paper explores some of these issues in the Australian context with reference to home languages such as Kriol and Torres Strait Creole (TSC) as well as minority dialects such as Australian Aboriginal English (AAE), and discusses possible resolutions.
Conducting communication assessments with school aged aboriginal children in the Kimberley region of Australia
Authors: Salter Claire
Published: July 2016

Speech pathology assessment within cross-cultural contexts, where the assessor and client differ in their cultural backgrounds, can create many challenges for assessment usage and implementation. With Australia being home to people from many cultures, this isa particular challenge for speech pathologists working in this country. This paper outlines the development of an assessment specifically for Aboriginal children living in a discrete region of the Kimberley in Western Australia. This assessment was developed in collaboration with local language experts as well as speech pathologists experienced in the area of assessment with Indigenous children. Nearly all parts of the assessment were administered by a local co-worker in the children’s first language, Kimberley or Fitzroy Valley Kriol. The paper outlines the specific components of the assessment as well as the approaches taken to ensure fair and accurate assessment of children’s communication skills. It highlights the benefits of collaborating with local co-workers and provides those working with Indigenous children in Australia with practical activities to consider.
Exploring the bilingualism of a migrant community through language dominance
Authors: Santello Marco
Published: July 2016

This study outlines a linguistic profile of two subgroups of Italian English circumstantial bilinguals – one dominant in English and the other dominant in Italian – by exploring for the first time their linguistic repertoire through the Gradient Bilingual Dominance Scale (Dunn & Fox Tree, 2009). The scale takes into account language background/history, language use and phonological interference, three main clusters of indicators that make up their dominance. The analysis is further complemented by additional descriptors adapted from Marian, Blumenfeld and Kaushanskaya (2007) and Baker (2011). Over one hundred English dominants (EDs) and Italian dominants (IDs) of Italian descent living in Australia were administered a survey. Results indicate that the scores yielded by the scale broadly parallel the data on self-reported dominance. The contrastive analysis of single variables, however, reveals both discrepancies and similarities between the two groups. While both groups use and are exposed to both languages and self-report high proficiency in the four skills, EDs differ from IDs across indicators such as language attrition and phonological interference. These outcomes confirm that the examination of these subgroups of Italians through the components of their language dominance offers a concise analysis of their linguistic features that makes allowance for both the individual and the societal elements of their bilingualism.
Language and social inclusion
Authors: Musgrave Simon , Bradshaw Julie
Published: July 2016

Social inclusion policy in Australia has largely ignored key issues of communication for linguistic minorities, across communities and with the mainstream community. In the (now disbanded) Social Inclusion Board’s reports (e.g., Social Inclusion Unit, 2009), the emphasis is on the economic aspects of inclusion, while little attention has been paid to questions of language and culture. Assimilatory aspects of policy are foregrounded, and language is mainly mentioned in relation to the provision of classes in English as a Second Language. There is some recognition of linguistic diversity but the implications of this for inclusion and intercultural communication are not developed. Australian society can now be characterised as super-diverse, containing numerous ethnic groups each with multiple and different affiliations. We argue that a social inclusion policy that supports such linguistic and cultural diversity needs an evidence-based approach to the role of language and we evaluate existing policy approaches to linguistic and cultural diversity in Australia to assess whether inclusion is construed primarily in terms of enhancing intercultural communication, or of assimilation to the mainstream.
Dodgy data, language invisibility and the implications for social inclusion
Authors: Dixon Sally , Angelo Denise
Published: July 2016

As part of the ‘Bridging the Language Gap’ project undertaken with 86 State and Catholic schools across Queensland, the language competencies of Indigenous students have been found to be ‘invisible’ in several key and self-reinforcing ways in school system data. A proliferation of inaccurate, illogical and incomplete data exists about students’ home languages and their status as English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) learners in schools. This is strongly suggestive of the fact that ‘language’ is not perceived by school systems as a significant operative variable in student performance, not even in the current education climate of data-driven improvement. Moreover, the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), the annual standardised testing regime, does not collect relevant information on students’ language repertoires and levels of proficiency in Standard Australian English (SAE). Indigenous students who are over-represented in NAPLAN under-performance data are targeted through ‘Closing the Gap’ for interventions to raise their literacy and numeracy achievements (in SAE). However, Indigenous students who are EAL/D learners cannot be disaggregated by system data from their counterparts already fluent in SAE. Reasons behind such profound language invisibility are discussed, as well as the implications for social inclusion of Indigenous students in education.
Contemporary tutorial call
Authors: Merlo Jarrad R. , Gruba Paul A.
Published: July 2016

Despite an increased emphasis on form-focused instruction (FFI), the use of the computer as a grammar tutor has remained largelyunexamined for nearly two decades. With new technologies at hand, there is a need to take a fresh look at online grammar tutors andlink designs more strongly to contemporary second language acquisition (SLA) principles and the concept of a teaching presence. Theaim of this study, therefore, is to investigate the potential of using a purpose-built digital video series as a virtual grammartutor. To achieve this aim, we used a pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test to evaluate the impact of a purpose-built grammar video on 62 EFL university students. The results of the study demonstrate that purpose-built video has strong potential for use as a virtual grammar tutor. Consequently, it may be possible to improve the state of Tutorial CALL from a drill-based approach to one that is more substantive through the development of a series of step-based video tutorials that tutor, allow for the practice of and evaluate second language (L2) grammar skills.
The effectiveness of written corrective feedback and the impact Lao learners’ beliefs have on uptake
Authors: Rummel Stephanie , Bitchener John
Published: July 2016

This article presents the results of a study examining the effectiveness of written corrective feedback (CF) on the simple past tense and the impact beliefs may have on students’ uptake of the feedback they receive. A seven-week study was carried out with 42 advanced EFL learners in Vientiane, Laos. Students’ beliefs about written CF were first collected, after which they were assigned to either the control group or to groups that received written CF according to their feedback preferences. Students produced four pieces of writing (pre-test, post-test and two delayed post-tests) that responded to four different narrative prompts. The targeted grammatical feature was the simple past tense. The study found that the three feedback groups showed significant improvement in the use of the targeted feature while the control group did not. Furthermore, the results seemed to indicate that beliefs might have impacted on the extent to which the Lao students improved their linguistic accuracy because the students who received their preferred type of feedback were more successful at eliminating the targeted errors than the ones who did not.
The Battle of Chālderān: Official History and Popular Memory
Authors: Wood Barry
Published: July 2016

This article examines some manuscripts of the so-called “Anonymous Histories of Shah Esmāʿil” with a view to answering the question: How did people in post-1514 Iran remember the Battle of Chālderān? After a brief examination of these manuscripts, the article focuses on three moments of the battle—the Safavid council of war, Esmāʿil’s clash with Malquch-oghli, and the Ottoman cannonade—to explore the ways in which popular memory embellished and altered the events we know from the official histories. Such changes reveal that the loss at Chālderān may have marked the end of Shah Esmāʿil’s aura of invincibility, but not of his larger-than-life image in the minds of his countrymen.
Microbial priming elicits improved plant growth promotion and nutrient uptake in pea
Authors: Verma Shikha , Adak Anurup , Prasanna Radha , Dhar Shri , Choudhary Harshwardhan , Nain Lata , Shivay Yashbir Singh
Published: July 2016

Legume–microbial interactions focus mainly on Rhizobium. The present study aimed to evaluate the plant growth-promoting (PGP) potential of bacterial and cyanobacterial formulations and variety-specific differences following their inoculation in two varieties of pea (Pisum sativum L.), namely Arkel and GP-17. Providencia sp. PW5–Anabaena laxa CW1 treatment was the most promising, with an 11%–76% increase in defense enzyme activity in both varieties. Interestingly, Arkel responded better in terms of nitrogenase activity, which was enhanced several-fold in the inoculated treatments, and exhibited a significant correlation (r = 0.787, 0.778, 0.755; p < 0.05) with shoot length, fresh weight and nodule number per plant, respectively. Nodule number was significantly correlated (r = 0.74, 0.81; p < 0.05) with PAL and PPO activity, respectively, and with microbial biomass carbon, alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase activity (r = 0.582, 0.538, 0.666; p < 0.05), respectively. Variety GP-17, however, responded better in terms of increasing the polysaccharide and glomalin content of soil. This study reveals the promise of co-inoculation of PGPRs (plant growth-promoting Rhizobacteria) as synergistic partners for improving plant growth mobilization of major nutrients in pea. However, there is a need to study root exudate patterns to identify promising microbe–variety combinations.
Fatty acid profiles of monofloral clover beebread and pollen and proteomics of red clover (Trifolium pratense) pollen
Authors: Čeksterytė Violeta , Navakauskienė Rūta , Treigytė Gražina , Jansen Eugene , Kurtinaitienė Bogumila , Dabkevičienė Giedrė , Balžekas Jonas
Published: July 2016

Fatty acids were identified in monofloral beebread (BB) and bee pollen (BP) loads collected from Trifolium pratense L. A gas chromatography method was used to identify and quantify fatty acids: Thirty-five fatty acids were identified in BB and 42 in BP. A high amount of the healthy n-3 fatty acids was found. The ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 to n-6 reached a value of 8.42 and 3.35 in the latter products. The proteomic analysis also was performed on the manually collected T. pratense pollen, and the most abundant protein groups were subjected to mass spectrometry analysis. Proteins identified in T. pratense pollen are involved in the main cellular functions (cell membrane formation, organelles traffic, and mainly metabolic processes). Because of the composition of fatty acids in BB and BP and a variety of proteins present in pollen, these products are considered to be favorable for human nutrition and health.
Using severity factor as a parameter to optimize krill treatment under subcritical water conditions
Authors: Koomyart Intira , Nagamizu Hironori , Khuwijitjaru Pramote , Kobayashi Takashi , Shiga Hirokazu , Yoshii Hidefumi , Adachi Shuji
Published: July 2016

The aim of this study was to optimize the conditions for subcritical water treatment of krill, as expressed with a single parameter: the severity factor (log R0). Raw krill was treated under subcritical water conditions at various log R0 values (1.54–3.75) by varying the treatment temperatures (120–180 °C) and times (0–10 min) in two different sizes of batch-type vessel (10 and 117 mL). The log R0 value could efficiently describe changes in various properties of the obtained liquid extracts and solid residues. The most desirable shrimp-like flavor intensity and highest sensory preference were obtained for log R0 values of 2.75–3.01. The results also proved that severity factor can be used as a single parameter to control subcritical water treatment conditions in differently sized batch-type vessels to produce shrimp-like flavor extract and residue from krill.