Ongoing Communication in
International Projects: Applying
Linguistics to these Realities
Helen Spencer-Oatey &
Stefanie Stadler
Centre for Applied Linguistics
Overview
1. David Crystal’s challenge to applied
linguistics
2. Communication challenges faced by the
eChina-UK project members
3. Case study of one meeting:
communication challenges
4. Questions for applied linguistics
Crystal’s Challenge
Agreed, you need to know your linguistics before
you can develop a mature & sophisticated
applied linguistics; but should one not need to
know applied linguistics before one can
develop a mature & sophisticated linguistics?
Should there not at least be a discussion of
cases where applied linguistic questions make
linguists refine or rethink just what it is they
possess?”
Crystal 2003: 9-10
e hina-UK
eLearning Programme
•
•
•
•
Set of Sino-British collaborative projects
on eLearning in education
Funded by HEFCE (£4M) & supported by
Chinese MoE
Involved British and Chinese universities
4 initial projects, 3 follow-up projects,
with each project having core team of
about 16 to 35
e hina-UK
eLearning Programme
Initial projects:
• 3 projects were to work collaboratively to
develop e-learning materials in teacher
training
• 1 project to conduct overarching
research
See http://www.echinauk.org/
Communication Challenges
Numerous communication challenges!
2 key factors that affect analytic framework:
• Ongoing nature of the communication/
interaction beyond a single speech event
• Involvement of multiple parties, including
‘powerful’ stakeholders
Multiple parties
Stakeholder/
Management
U of
Nottingham
Universities
Team
Members
Trainees
MoE
HEFCE
WUN
Senior
Management
BNU
Open/
Cambridge
Academics
BFSU
Tsinghua U
Technical
Staff
Case study of a
meeting
Background (1)
1. This meeting was held at a UK HEI in
June 2003, near beginning of eChina-UK
Programme.
Focus: Plan the Overarching Research
2. 3 sets of project partners had been
designated at Joint Steering Committee
meeting in Beijing in October 2002 & had
met in Beijing in March 2003
3. Overarching research strand was
identified in JSC meeting report, but no
partners specified
Background (2)
4. UK had allocated budget for overarching
research project (Dec. 02) & had selected
UK partner on competitive basis (Mar. 03)
5. UK wanted to establish Chinese partner,
& following informal explorations in Beijing
in Mar 03, had identified most suitable
partner. June 03 meeting aimed to
progress this.
6. Major time slippage re all aspects of the
Programme (stakeholder issues & SARS)
Key Participants of Meeting
•
•
•
UK eChina-UK Programme manager
(Helen S-O)
UK Professor (lead researcher) + a few
additional academics
Chinese Professor + assistant
Only the Chinese Professor had attended the
Joint Steering Committee meeting in
Beijing
Meeting
• Discussion of Transcript
Communication Challenges
1. Absence of communication
Reasons given:
• Poor English
• Don’t know what British would like to
know
• British were told clearly at another
meeting
Communication Challenges
2. Agreeing the meaning & focus of ‘research’
Chinese View
•
Practical focus on •
4 issues (IPR,
QA, choice of
platform,
management
system)
British View
These issues are
integral to the
projects & thus
cannot be studied
over a long period
of time
Communication Challenges
2. Agreeing the meaning & focus of
‘research’(2)
Chinese View
•
Agreed at the
Joint Steering
Committee
meeting
British View
•
Other issues also
mentioned; these
4 issues were not
necessarily the
focus of the
research element
Communication Challenges
2. Agreeing the meaning & focus of ‘research’
(3)
Turning point – a crucial question:
“Were you given a deadline?”
 We had been working with different assumptions
Communication Challenges
2. Agreeing the meaning & focus of the
‘research’ (4)
Non-matching assumptions revealed:
Chinese
Assumption
•
Research to be
completed within
1 or 2 months
•
British
Assumption
Research to be
conducted over 3year period
Levels of Communication
•
•
•
•
Current Speech Event
The Meeting Speech Event (several days)
The Steering Committee Meeting
Communication (or lack thereof) between
China-UK on the overarching research
issue
• Communicational context established over
the entire duration of the project (several
years)
Questions for AL
1. Unit of analysis
What unit of analysis can we use for
handling ongoing communication over
multiple communicative events?
2. Analytic framework
What analytic framework can give
sufficient attention to the “whether” of
communication (i.e. whether it takes
place or not)?
Questions for AL
3. Analytic framework
What analytic framework can give
sufficient attention to the multiple
participants of a project (e.g. how
communication networks can be
optimised; understanding the impact of
stakeholders)
Questions for AL
4. Questioning assumptions
How can we help people become aware
of their assumptions, and to learn to
question them?
Thank You!
Any Suggestions?
Any Questions?