Speaking of Language

S1E9 - Michael Fontaine - Reviving a Dead Language

We all know there are two types of human languages: “dead” ones and “living” ones.  But what would happen if a dead language came back to life, if contemporary people started speaking it, and teaching it?  In today’s episode we interview Professor Michael Fontaine, professor of Classics and Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education at Cornell.  He himself is a Latin speaker and teacher.  How does that work?

This episode also references the work of Christophe Rico, of the Polis Institute in Jerusalem.

S1E8 - Adeolu Ademoyo - Storytelling Across Sites

Last week, Dick Feldman and Chris Kaiser talked about the benefits of a distance-learning program that can unite learners of a less-commonly taught language across locations. Today, Dick speaks with Adeolu Ademoyo, who is approaching fifteen years of teaching Yoruba at Cornell University, as well as to students at Columbia and Brown via videoconference. An experienced and adventurous instructor in the distance-learning environment, Adeolu discusses his creative methods for unifying his multi-site classes, as well as his philosophy on using storytelling and narrative to teach language.

Adeolu Ademoyo is a senior lecturer in Yoruba language and culture at Cornell. His research interests include: African Philosophy: Ethics, Epistemology and Aesthetics, the locus of African Languages in delineating met-ethical concepts in African moral discourse, gender issues, and family and social structures.

S1E7 - Christopher Kaiser - Distance Learning for Less Commonly Taught Languages

In this episode, Cornell LRC director Dick Feldman speaks with Christopher Kaiser of Columbia University. Chris is the Program Manager of the Shared Course Initiative, which connects less commonly taught language classrooms at Columbia, Cornell, and Yale using high-definition videoconferencing. The two discuss the challenges and advantages of offering these classes, and reflect on lessons learned over more than half a decade of building a collaborative distance-learning program for less-commonly taught languages.

The Shared Course Initiative (SCI) was established through the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The SCI is a collaborative framework that uses innovative technology to share academic resources across institutional boundaries, enabling strategic partners to enrich existing curricula while respecting local institutional cultures.

Chris Kaiser’s areas of interest include second language pedagogy, distance learning, presence in the distance environment, inter-institutional collaboration, and language-learning advocacy.

For more information on Chris and the SCI, visit sharedcourseinitiative.org.

S1E6 - Error Correction in Second Language Acquisition

In a perfect world, we would be corrected all the time, and our output would be completely accurate. Unfortunately, our ability to process correction and produce language at the same time is limited. Certainly, our ego and other factors may get in the way. On this episode of Speaking of Language, Dick Feldman, director of the Language Resource Center at Cornell University, tackles the complex issue of error correction in second language acquisition.

This episode references the work of Natsuko Shintani, particularly her talk Examining the effects of corrective feedback: How, when and on which errors?

Natsuko Shintani obtained her PhD from the University of Auckland in 2011. She has worked as a language teacher in Japan and New Zealand, including in her own private language school for children. Her research interests include task-based language instruction, the role of interaction in second language acquisition and written corrective feedback. She has also worked on several meta-analysis studies of form-focused instruction. She has published widely in leading journals and is currently working on a single-authored book, The Role of Input-Based Tasks in Foreign Language Instruction for Young Learners, published by John Benjamins.

Twitter: @natsukonz

S1E5 - What is Intercultural Competence?

Dick Feldman explores the concept of intercultural competence. What is it, and what does it have to do with language learning? Why is it important to require students to study a language?

S1E4 - Susan Gass - Learning through Conversation

In today’s episode, LRC director Dick Feldman speaks with Susan Gass, Distinguished Professor from Michigan State University department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages. The two discuss pair work and how students acquire and build language skills when conversing with each other, regardless of any mistakes their partners make.

Susan Gass is a senior researcher in the field of second-language acquisition who has published extensively on language pedagogy-related topics. Among other areas, she has been especially central to the development of the importance of interaction in language learning.

S1E3 - Are There Good and Bad Language Learners?

On this episode, we take a step back and ask the question: are there good and band language students? Do some people have a knack for languages that gives them some sort of advantage? We chat once again with the director of the Language Resource Center at Cornell University, Dick Feldman.

S1E2 - English in the World

Today we talk about a familiar language, English, and its place in the world. Dick Feldman, director of the Language Resource Center, discusses how non-native English speakers deal with some of the complexities of the language.

S1E1 - Audiolingual Method and Reel-to-Reel Tape

One recent project at the Language Resource Center has been to archive a substantial number of vintage, language-related tapes, many of which were recorded at Cornell. Dick Feldman, director of the Language Resource Center, talks about the process of dealing with this rare material.