Conference Chairman: Professor Thomas Tinnefeld 

Conference Programme

Fifth Saarbrücken Conference on Foreign Language Teaching

The Magic of Language -

Productivity in Linguistics and Language Teaching

29-31 October 2019

The theme of the Fifth Saarbrücken Conference on Foreign Language Teaching is productivity in linguistics and language teaching, the productive use of language often being marked by an undeniable magic. This magic does not only consist in the fact that people are capable of understanding each other, provided that they master the same code. It is also true when people talk about things they have never talked about and when new ideas occur to them or when they use notions and words that have not existed before, i.e. when they employ language productively and construct their own world. The relationship between the productivity and the magic of language works on various levels.

Productivity works on the level of pragmatics. Whenever people produce sentences and utterances, they are productive. The linguistic means that they have at their disposal allow them to create language structures and language patterns which aim at communicating information, arousing emotions and, eventually, eliciting reactions in their interlocutors.

Productivity also works on the level of languages for specific purposes. Any newly discovered phenomenon of the extralinguistic world will need to be named and classified. Neologisms, which provide a linguistic form for the corresponding notions, function at the word level and are often times of a specific nature. These languages for specific purposes, then, are productive sublanguages par excellence.

Whereas in the previous examples, the productivity of language refers to linguistics, it is equally present in the realm of language methodology. Whenever teachers instruct their pupils and students to communicate orally or in writing, they boost the latter's productivity. Teachers enable students to overcome boundaries in a language other than their mother tongue and, thus, to enter a terra incognita, which may give them a feeling for their own intellectual potential on the one hand, and a certain awareness of their chances to enter in contact with other people, who they would not have been able to communicate with if they did not master the target language. This aspect also stands for the magic of language as we understand it here.

The magic of language also refers to the interpersonal and intercultural mechanisms which are characteristic of any communication situation. In situations like critical incidents, for example, boundaries, which generally exist between individuals and also between people of different cultural imprints and socialisations, will be overcome. The processes involved will then lead to a redefinition of such relationships and, thus, be productive.

The processes going on in the brains of bilingual and multilingual people are different from those going on in the brains of monolingual people. Therefore, the brains of bilingual and multilingual people develop into structures that are different from the ones of monolingual people. It is clear, then, that productivity has a direct influence on the mental and intellectual development of human beings and their personalities. However, there also exist emotional factors that come into play.

We all may have found that we are “different” in situations when we are speaking a foreign language as compared to those situations in which we are using our mother tongue. Acting multilingually, we seem to have different personalities – one for each language we speak. The fact that speaking or writing in different languages makes us feel different may be exemplified by the question of how easy or how difficult it is to make emotionally charged utterances – e.g., a sentence like I love you – in our native language. When giving it a thought, we will soon notice that it is much easier to make such utterances in a foreign language than in our mother tongue, as in the foreign language, our emotions are redefined and we feel freer in terms of behaviour and use of language.

These few reflections illustrate the fact that language in general and the teaching and learning of foreign languages in particular generally provide us with new insights. This is true for various areas of linguistics as well as for our daily and professional lives and, last but not least, for language methodology. The magic of language, which is closely intertwined with the productivity of language, is the theme of the Fifth Saarbrücken Conference on Foreign Language Teaching. This theme surely is less accessible, less "handy", than other potential themes, but it surely is one that allows creativity to happen and that may generate multiple stimuli for the professional practice of teachers and researchers.

Aiming to provide a platform to bring scholars and researchers together for mutual inspiration and idea exchange, we hope we will have the pleasure of your participation in our fifth conference in 2019.

Deadline of abstract submission in until 31 August 2019 by email to 

fremdsprachentagung@googlemail.com

The duration of the section talks will be 30 minutes plus 10 minutes for the Q&A session.

As the number of time slots available for talks is limited, it is highly recommended that abstracts be submitted in good time. 

Registration is open from now on until 31 August 2019 (for talk presentation) and 30 September 2019 (for mere participation), respectively.

Please send an e-mail to

fremdsprachentagung@googlemail.com

Conference fee (inclusive of VAT): 

• Presenters and participants: 60,- € (for three days)
• Students: 30,- € (for three days)
• Day ticket (not for presenters): 25,- €

For our foreign participants' convenience, the conference fee can be paid in cash (euros) on arrival at the conference office. A bank transfer in the run-up to the conference is not provided. 

The conference fee includes:

• participation in the reception on the first day
• the evening buffet on the second day
• light lunch on all the three conference days
• coffee and cake offered during the numerous breaks
• the conference bag and the conference folder

Conference Chairman: Professor Thomas Tinnefeld

Professor Eli Hinkel (Seattle, USA) 

The Magic of Language Teaching, Learning, and Limitless Productivity

Abstract and Biodata

Professor Bessie Dendrinos (Athens, Greece)

The Magic of Learning and Using Language Creatively:
Creating Meaning(s) and Opportunities for Language Learners

Abstract and Biodata

Professor Nikolay Slavkov (Ottawa, Canada)

Where the Magic Happens: Fostering Language Learning, Bilingualism and Multilingualism through Linguistic Risk-Taking

Là où la magie se produit : Favoriser l'apprentissage des langues, le bilinguisme et le multilinguisme par la prise de risques linguistiques

Bilingual Presentation (English / French)

Abstract and Biodata 

Conference Chairman: Professor Thomas Tinnefeld 

Tagungsprogramm /  Conference Programme

Sektion 1: Produktivität in Sprache und Linguistik

Sektion 2: Produktivität in der Fremdsprachenvermittlung

Section 3: Productivity in Language and Linguistics (English Section)

Section 4: Productivity in Language Teaching (English Section)

Section 5: Productivité en linguistique et en didactique des langues étrangères (Section française)

Bitte beachten: Länge der Sektionsvorträge: 30 Minuten plus 10 Minuten für die Diskussion.

Please note: Duration of the section talks: 30 minutes plus 10 minutes for the Q&A session.

Nota bene: Longueur des conférences présentées dans les différentes sections: 30 minutes plus 10 minutes pour les questions-réponses.

Section 3: Productivity in Language and Linguistics

Section Leader: Professor Ronald Kresta (Giessen, Germany)

Section Description

Talks (in alphabetical order):

Professor Johannes Brinkmann, Professor Beate Lindemann & Professor Hans Jörg Schlierer (Tromsø, Norway):

Publish in English or Perish - Language Discrimination Risks in Academia (e.g. Business Ethics) (Abstract)

Sara El-Sayed Ibrahim (Alexandria, Egypt):

Gender Representation in Disney Animation Dubbings - A Feminist Perspective (Abstract)

Professor Douglas Fleming (Ottawa, Canada):

Problematizing Language: The Native Speaker and Deleuze (Abstract)

Professor Irina Gvelesiani (Tbilisi, Georgia):

Some Neologisms – Their Productivity and Dissemination (Abstract)

Lynda Marouf & Professor Zoubir Dahmani (Mostaganem, Algeria):

New Applications in Modeling Bilingualism Via Fractional Dynamics (Abstract)

Dr. Katrin Menzel, Dr. Stefania Degaetano-Ortlieb & Professor Elke Teich (Saarbrücken, Germany):

Insights from the Royal Society Corpus on English Academic Writing (Abstract)

Professor Jozsef Szakos (Taipei, Taiwan):
Innovation and Productivity in the Transmission of Indigenous Languages of Taiwan (Abstract)

Professor Brikena Xhaferi (Tetovo, Republic of North Macedonia):
Disagreement Strategies in Albanian and English – A Contrastive Analysis (Abstract)

Section 4: Productivity in Language Teaching

Section Leader: Professor Don Kiraly (Mainz, Germany) 

Section Description

Talks (in alphabetical order):

Professor Don Kiraly (Mainz, Germany)

Is it Magic, Child’s Play or Perhaps… Complexity?: A Post-Teaching Approach to Additional Language Emergence in Adults (Abstract) (Talk cancelled)

Dr. Heidi Altmann & Professor Sabine Zerbian (Stuttgart, Germany):

Persistent Accentual Features of German Pre-Service EFL Teachers (Abstract)

Professor Sandro R. Barros (East Lansing (MI), USA):
The Magic of Training Foreign Language Educators (Abstract)

Professor Joara Martin Bergsleithner (Brasília, Brazil):
Cognitive Aspects and Instruction in L2 Oral Productivity (Abstract)

Dr. Adcharawan Buripakdi (Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand):
Disturbing the Conventional Discourse in English Education: Asian Perspectives (Abstract)

Professor Anna Burnley (Tallahassee, Florida, USA):
An Exploration of Pre-Service Teachers’ Measures of Emotional Resilience and Flexibility / Openness toward English Learners (Abstract)

Dr. Youssef Baba Khouya (Busan, South Korea):

The Big Five Personality Factors as Predictors of English Language Reading Anxiety: a Comparative Study on Moroccan and Korean EFL learners (Abstract) (Last-minute cancellation)

Dr. Rudi Camerer (Frankfurt / Saarbrücken, Germany):
Introducing the new CEFR-Companion Volume (CEFR-CV) (Abstract)

Lizeta Demetriou (Essex, UK):

Greek-Cypriot Learners’ Knowledge of Phrasal Verbs (Abstract)

Professor Olga Dobrunoff (West Point, USA):
Modality in Russian and Development of Students' Cultural and Pragmatic Competence (Abstract)

Professor Martin East (Auckland, New Zealand):

Enhancing Foreign Language Students’ Spoken Proficiency through a new Classroom-Based Assessment Model. A Case Study (Abstract)

Dr. Rashit Emini (Tetovo, Republic of North Macedonia):

Adapting Teaching to Learning Styles in Primary Education (Abstract)

Dr. Alexander Gerashchenko & Professor Tatiana Shaposhnikova (Krasnodar, Russia):
A Course of English for Teachers within the International Mobility Project at a Russian Technological University (Abstract)

Dr. Cornelia Gerhardt, Dr. Verena Bernardi, Daniel Honert & Dr. Henry Rademacher (Saarbrücken, Germany):

Teaching (How to Teach) Vocabulary: A Moodle-Based Blended Learning Class at University Level Focusing on Learning Styles (Abstract) (Last-minute cancellation)

Leila Gholami (Tehran, Iran):

Incidental Focus on Form Revisited through the Lenses of Formulaic Language (Abstract) (No-show)

Norman Gomez-Hernandez (Mainz, Germany):

The Magic of Manipulation through Language: Rewriting and Ideology in Language Policies in Hispanic-American History (Abstract) (Last-minute cancellation)

Professor Thomas H. Goetz (Sapporo, Japan):

Setting Up Classes for the Magic to Happen (Abstract)

Professor Noureddine Guerroudj (Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria):
Teaching Alice Munroe’s short story Face in an EFL Context: towards an interactive approach (Abstract)

Professor Birgit Huemer, Professor Katrien Deroey & Dr. Eve Lejot (Luxemburg):
Comparing Academic Languages: German, English, French (Abstract)

Professor Hulya Ipek & Dr. G. Müge Kanatlar (Eskişehir, Turkey):
Enhancing Language Production through Speaking: The TV Project (Abstract)

Professor Adil Ishag (Khartoum, Sudan):

Self-perceived Competence and L2 Willingness to Communicate: Findings from an Empirical Investigation (Abstract)

Dr. Ourania Katsara (Patras, Greece):

How Adult are Greek University Students in an English-for-Specific-Academic-Purposes Class? A Case Study (Abstract)

Dr. Bernd Klewitz (Jena, Germany):

The Interplay between Language and Content - Building Blocks of CLIL-Enriched Innovative Language Teaching (Abstract)

Bochra Kouraichi (Szeged, Hungary):
Improving ESP Students’ Motivation towards Communicating in English (Abstract)

Professor Ronald Kresta (Giessen, Germany):

Bewitched yes, but not for life: An empirical investigation of persistent sound-related errors by German college students in ESP classes (Abstract)

Professor Oksana Kutsa & Professor Svitlana Kravets (Ternopil, Ukraine):
Developing Emotional Intelligence in the English Language Classroom Using Technology: Challenges and Benefits (Abstract)

Chahrazad Mouhoubi-Messadh (Algiers, Algeria):
The Magic of Enjoyment in Foreign Language Productivity: Insights from Speaking and Writing Classes (Abstract) (Last-minute cancellation)

Supalak Nakhornsri (Bangkok, Thailand):
From the Classroom to the Real World: Application of Outcomes-Based Assessment in English Courses (Abstract) (No-show)

Professor Goretti Prieto Botana & Professor Andrea G. Parra (Los Angeles, USA):

The Effectiveness of Short-Term Study Abroad on Complex Grammatical Items (Abstract)

Professor Alesia Prakharenka & Professor Tatyana Vaitekhovich (Minsk, Belarus):
The Heuristic Potential of Educational Pages in Social Media (Abstract)

Kujtim Ramadani (Tetovo, Republic of North Macedonia):

Communicative Approaches and Assignment-Based Learning – A Case Study at the Language Centre of the Southeast European University (Abstract) (Last-minute cancellation)

Professor Víctor Hugo Ramírez Ramírez, Professor Verónica Rodríguez Luna & Professor Jorge Martínez Cortés (Veracruz, Mexico):
The Alchemistic Power to Transform Readers to Writers in the EFL Classroom (Abstract)
(Last-minute cancellation)

Rodrigo Rodrigues (Curitiba, Brazil):
Foreign Language Teaching in a Needy Community in Brazil (Abstract)

Sid Ali Selama (Algiers, Algeria):
Training on Educational Technologies and its Effectiveness in Enhancing EFL Classroom Practices (Abstract)

Safia Serai (Portsmouth, United Kingdom):
An Investigation of Translanguaging in Algerian University EFL Classrooms (Abstract)

Geoff Tranter (Dortmund, Germany):
Making ESP Courses Meaningful and Profitable for University Students (Abstract)

Raksamon Yordming (Ayutthaya, Thailand):

Pronunciation Problems of Thai EFL-Teaching Major Students (Abstract)

Dr. Melissa H. Yu & Professor Barry Lee Reynolds (Macau, China):

Developing a Language Course to Teach English for Communication to Administrative Staff in an International University (Abstract)

Workshops

The following workshops will be held on the occasion of the Fifth Saarbrücken Conference on Foreign Language Teaching:

Während der fünften Saarbrücker Fremdsprachentung werden die folgenden Workshops angeboten:

31 October 9:00-10:25

Workshop   Dr. Ian McMaster 

Helping language learners to change their behaviour and not to be too authentic

31. Oktober  9.00-10.25 (cancelled)
Workshop   Marvin Scherschel

WORDBEAT 

31 October 10:30-11:55
Workshop   Claire Hart

Free your inner Business English chameleon! 

31. Oktober 10.30-11.55
Workshop   Dr. Albrecht Klemm

Wortschatzerwerb und Wortschatzvermittlung im DaF-Unterricht

——————————————————

Workshop 

Helping language learners to change their behaviour and not to be too authentic
Dr. Ian McMaster

In this workshop, we will discuss the natures of “authenticity” and “self” and their relevance for (language) learning. These concepts have been investigated by philosophers as far back as Plato, and a variety of sometimes contradictory interpretations have been put forward.

What does this all mean for learners of English for the world of work? If the concepts of authenticity and self are slippery, how can we apply them to learning situations? Can we tap into our learners’ “real” self and therefore optimize the learning process, or are we constantly aiming at a moving target.

Related issues are those of language “input” and language “output”. In what sense should these be “authentic”? To what extent does the “real” world provide a model that is useful for learners?

Finally, we will reflect on the importance for teachers, trainers, coaches and learners of developing the flexibility to be able to adapt and optimize their various “selves” to different contexts. 

Dr. Ian McMaster is editor-in-chief of the business communication magazine Business Spotlight (www.business-spotlight.de). The magazine is aimed at people who need to use English internationally and is published by Spotlight Verlag in Munich, Europe’s leading publisher of language-learning magazines (www.spotlight-verlag.de). Spotlight Verlag is part of the DIE ZEIT publishing Group.

Ian joined Spotlight Verlag in 1992 and was editor-in-chief of the monthly general English magazine Spotlight from 1995-2003, and from 2006-2009. He founded Business Spotlight in 2001. In 2007, Business Spotlight was awarded the title of Germany’s trade journal of the year for the category “Law, science, tax and business”. It also has a licence edition for the Czech Republic.

Ian holds the CertTEB qualification as a business English trainer and is a former coordinator of the worldwide business English teachers’ organisation, IATEFL-BESIG (https://besig.iatefl.org/). He is co-author (with Bob Dignen) of Communication for International Business and Effective International Business Communication (both HarperCollins); and English for Business: 100 Tips for Effective Communication (Spotlight Verlag, e-book).

Workshop 

Die musikalische Eselsbrücke – 
Mit Songs aus den Charts Vokabeln lernen!
Marvin Scherschel

Müsste es nicht möglich sein, zu jeder schwierigen Vokabel einen bekannten Song aus den Charts als Eselsbrücke zu finden? Die Antwort auf diese Frage - ein Jugend-forscht-Projekt und viele Entwicklungsstunden später - besteht in WORDBEAT, der ersten Lernstreaming-Plattform, die durch eine Kombination von Vokabeln und bekannten Chartsongs ihren Nutzern ein einzigartiges Lernerlebnis ermöglicht. Dazu liefert sie zu jeder englischen Vokabel Ausschnitte aus Songtexten, in denen das entsprechende Wort vorkommt und die dazugehörige Musik als Merkhilfe. Auf diese Weise wird der Lernprozess durch die Einbettung der Vokabel in den Kontext des Liedes und die Verknüpfung des Wortes mit einem emotional auditiven Reiz in Form der Lied-Melodie unterstützt.

In diesem Workshop wird die Entwicklung des Projektes von der Schulbank, über Jugend forscht bis hin zum E-Learning-Startup aufgezeigt, es werden Einblicke in die Funktionen der Plattform gegeben und gezeigt, welche Möglichkeiten die Verknüpfung authentischer Kontexte für die Zukunft des schulischen Sprachenlernens bieten kann. 

Marvin Scherschel ist Geschäftsführer der Firma WORDBEAT.

Workshop 

Free your inner Business English chameleon!
Claire Hart

By necessity or design, many Business English trainers end up teaching a wide range of different courses in different places. They may start their day with a group of apprentices at a car manufacturer and end it with a conversation course at a language school, after having taught a group of university Business English students somewhere in between. The pace is usually very fast and preparation time is often short. 

In this workshop we're going to look at how Business English trainers can rise to this challenge by adapting materials, activities and teaching ideas to a range of contexts. This should allow them to concentrate more on the most important people in the room -- learners -- and it will make their life easier, too.  

Claire Hart has been involved in English language training for over ten years, while working in France, the UK, and Germany, where she is now based. She has gained valuable experience as a teacher / instructor in secondary and tertiary education, language schools and in-company contexts. Currently, Claire spends most of her time developing print and digital materials for learners of English in Germany, and around the world. She is the author of the textbook Career Express New (Cornelsen).

Workshop 

Wortschatzerwerb und Wortschatzvermittlung im DaF-Unterricht

Dr. Albrecht Klemm 

Viele Deutschlernende stehen vor der Herausforderung, in einem kurzen Zeitraum eine große Anzahl an Wörtern und Wendungen lernen zu müssen. Die Anwendung effektiver Strategien zum Wortschatzerwerb ist daher unerlässlich. Ausgehend von Erkenntnissen der Fremdsprachenerwerbsforschung diskutieren wir im Workshop Materialien und Techniken zum Wortschatzerwerb und gehen dabei im Besonderen auf die Potenziale von Lern-Apps ein.

Dr. Albrecht Klemm promovierte an der Universität Leipzig über die erwerbsfördernde Wirkung schriftlicher Fehlerkorrekturen im DaF-Unterricht. Zu seinen Forschungsinteressen zählen zudem die Curriculumsentwicklung, der fachorientierte Sprachunterricht und Deutsch als Wissenschaftssprache. Er arbeitet als Redakteur beim SCHUBERT-Verlag.