Dr. Johann Unger from Lancaster University gave a talk ''Approaching Language Policy from a Critical Perspective: the Role of Discourse Studies" at the National Research Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies on 22nd October, 2013.

In this lecture, Dr. Unger outlined some of the main theoretical and methodological considerations involved in applying a critical discourse studies framework to the study of language policies and language attitudes, such as critical discourses analysis. Then he took two case studies to illustrate the point. The first based on his PhD thesis, a study of the Scots language, was to show how language attitudes pervade the public and private spheres, and how often languages are evaluated positively, but not necessarily valued. The second was the findings he got from an investigation into attitudes towards the use of English as a Lingua Franca at a higher education institution inFrance. Dr. Unger presented the data he collected in both cases, including “top-down” data such as policy documents and debates among power elites and “bottom-up” data gathered from language users affected by policies and attitudes. Dr. Unger concluded that to fully account for the impact of policy and attitudes on the lives of language users, we must look at how both powerful and affected groups structure, instrumentalise, and recontexcualise discourse on language and language varieties.

The audience showed great interest in Dr. Unger’ studies and asked questions about data collection, ideology and theoretical framework. Dr. Unger kindly shared his research experiences with the interested teachers and students.