The English Studies Dept. co-organises the 5th Language in Focus International Conference in Thessaloniki

A truly multicultural and interdisciplinary event

The University of Sheffield International Faculty, CITY College announces the successful completion of the 5^th consecutive Language in Focus conference (LIF), which took place on 3-5 May 2018 at the Grand Palace Hotel in Thessaloniki. The event was co-organised by Çukurova University, Turkey, the English Studies Department of the University of Sheffield International Faculty, CITY College and the Southeast European Research Centre (SEERC).

The Conference featured five distinguished keynote speakers, 150 presentations and workshops delivered by participants coming from 37 countries and representing 100 academic institutions, strengthening the event’s international and multicultural character.

Language in Focus is an international annual conference that has gradually become a reference point for researchers working on Linguistics, Education and languages world-wide, as it has continuously offered an academically challenging environment for the exchange of ideas and research among established academics, young researchers and zealous practitioners.

This year’s LIF conference hosted a variety of talks by prominent scholars and practitioners in the fields of education and language learning. The Conference opening statement was delivered by Prof. Panayiotis Ketikidis, Vice Principal of Research, Innovation & External Relations, and Chairman of the South-East European Research Centre (SEERC).

Dr Luke Prodromou, Lecturer at The University of Sheffield International Faculty CITY College, delivered a very interactive plenary talk examining the notion of ‘creative idiomaticity’ and how language learners’ creativity comes into play in language learning. Dr Prodromou attempted a redefinition of the notion of fluency, which takes into account the needs and capabilities of the diverse users of English as a Lingua Franca – and the realities of the classroom.

In her talk, Prof. Sylviane Granger, Professor Emerita and Invited Professor at the University of Louvain, Belgium, challenged a persistent tendency in language teaching to treat the single word as the prominent unit in language learning. The main focus of her presentation was on collocations and lexical bundles, two highly-frequent types of unit that are largely transparent and therefore tend to escape learners’ notice.  

Diane Larsen-Freeman, Professor of Linguistics, and a Research Scientist at the English Language Institute of Michigan (USA), shed light upon language learners as agents actively involved in the teaching-learning process. Her presentation concluded with some insightful suggestions about what teachers can do to promote learner agency so that learners and teachers can better cope with today’s challenging times.

Finally, David Singleton, Emeritus Fellow of Trinity College Dublin, and Professor at the University of Pannonia Hungary, and at the State University of Applied Sciences, Konin, Poland, looked at the interplay between L1 and L2 in bi/multilingual individuals.

Academic staff of our English Studies Department had a strong presence in the event, making a solid contribution to this year’s conference through their presentations. Ms. Filio Chasioti, Dr Vicky Papachristou, Dr Kelly Pasmatzi, Ms. Maria-Araxi Sachpazian, Ms. Despina Sarantidou, and Dr Zoi Tatsioka, all delivered enlightening presentations. The English Studies Department was also represented by the graduates: Evangelos Chatzipanagiotidis, Efthymia Kalaitzidou, Eva Kanonidou, Paola Marrone, and Iro Sapouna, who presented research conducted within the Department highlighting also its research-oriented profile.

We would also like to thank our colleagues from the University of Sheffield who honoured us with their presence and delivered insightful presentations and workshops. More specifically, we would like to thank Richard Simpson (Director of the English Language Teaching Centre), Dr Gabriel Ozon (School of English), Dr Nigel Russell and Dr Karen Ford (Learning and Teaching Services), who travelled to Thessaloniki in order to take part in the event.

In addition to the conference sessions, participants had the opportunity to experience a rich social and cultural programme, making their stay in Thessaloniki even more enjoyable. The programme included a visit at the archaeological site of Vergina, the Ancient City of Aiges (i.e. the first capital of Macedonia) as well as a city tour in Thessaloniki. Our guests were impressed by both destinations and had the change to get a flavour of the Greek cultural heritage.

Overall, the event was an overwhelming success which managed to bring together academics from the four corners of the earth. Warm congratulations for their endeavours to organise this great Conference are due to the three Members of the Organising Committee: Associate Professor Cem Cam (Conference President), Dr Paschalia Patsala (Head of the English Studies Department) and Dr Zoi Tatsioka (Lecturer and Research Director of our English Studies Department).

Finally, special thanks are due for their hard work to the Conference Secreteriat, the members of the Scientific Committee, the Chairs of the Conference sessions, as well as the amazing and friendly team of student-volunteers coming from the English Studies Department.

We are pleased to announce that the 6^th Language in Focus Conference (LIF2019) will be held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 2-4 May 2019, also with the presence of outstanding Keynote Speakers in the areas of Linguistics and English language teaching:

• Prof. Guy Cook (King’s College London, UK),
• Prof. Susan Hunston (University of Birmingham, UK),
• Prof. Suzanne Romaine (University of Oxford, UK),
• Prof. Nina Spada (University of Toronto, Canada), and
• Prof. Penny Ur (Haifa University, Israel).

With the successful completion of LIF2018, a solid collaboration has been established between the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield and Çukurova University, setting the ground for a long-standing and fruitful future collaboration.