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School of Linguistics & English Language

Staff Profile of Professor Eddie Williams

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Name:

Eddie Williams

Position:

Professor of Linguistics (retired)

Email:

Location:

Main Arts Building

Phone:

+44 (0) 1248 382263

Academic Interests

Language, literacy and development; reading in ESOL; assessment and evaluation of language skills and language programmes across cultures; the linguistic ethnography of minority language communities; language and affect in group formation.

Biography

My academic background is in languages, language teaching and applied linguistics. My first degree is in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford, with postgraduate work in Applied Linguistics at the Universities of London, Edinburgh and Reading. Before coming to Bangor in 2003, I worked in the Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Reading. Previous to that I taught at the University of Malta, and the Government Foreign Language Institute in Cyprus. I speak fluent English, French and Welsh.

Select Publications

2007 (with Annie Williams) ESOL and EFL: An Unhelpful Distinction? CfBT Education Trust. 

2007 (with Amos Paran) ‘Editorial: reading and literacy in developing countries’ Journal of Research in Reading, Vol. 30, Issue 1. pp. 1-6.

2007, ‘Extensive reading in Malawi: inadequate implementation or inappropriate innovation? Journal of Research in Reading, Vol 30, Issue 1. pp. 59-79.

2006,  Bridges and barriers: language in African education and development. [Encounters series: Gen Eds. Blommaert, J., Rampton, B, & Jacquemet, M.] Manchester: St. Jerome.

2006, Education in a former colonial language. In Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics Brown, K. (Gen. Ed.) Language & Education section, Spolsky, B. (Ed.) Oxford: Elsevier. Vol. 4, pp. 60-64.

2006. ‘Teaching reading: individual and social perspectives’ In Current trends in the development of the four language skills in a foreign language. (Usó, E., & Martinez, A. Eds. Amsterdam: Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 355-380.

2006. ‘The present perfect in English media discourse in the UK’ Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics. No. 3. pp. 1-26.

2005, (with Gathercole, V. M., Thomas, E. M., Deuchar, M.) ‘Language transmission among bilingual parents in Wales: background.’ In Language Transmission in Bilingual Families in Wales, Gathercole, V. M. (Ed.) [A report to the Welsh Language Board.] (pp. 1-6)

2005, (with Gathercole, V., Thomas, E. M, Deuchar, M.) ‘Multi-faceted approach to the study of current transmission practices: overall design’ In Language Transmission in Bilingual Families in Wales, Gathercole, V. M. (Ed.) [A report to the Welsh Language Board.] (pp. 7-14)

2005, (with Deuchar, M., Thomas, E., &. Gathercole, V. M.) ‘Parental control of idioms in Welsh and English’ In Language Transmission in Bilingual Families in Wales, Gathercole, V. M. (Ed.) [A report to the Welsh Language Board.] (pp. 225-265)

2004, Literacy Studies. In The Handbook of Applied Linguistics. Davies, A. and Elder, C. (Eds.) Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 576 – 603

2004, ‘The screening effects of English in sub-Saharan Africa’ In H. Sandøy, H., Brunstad, E., Hagen, J.E. & Tenfjord, K. (Eds.): Den fleirspråklege utfordringa. [The multilingual challenge.] Oslo: Novus Press. pp. 28 – 53

2002, (with James Cooke) Pathways and labyrinths: language and education in development. In TESOL Quarterly, 36, 3: pp 297 – 322.

2001, (with Thompson, P., Varela, G. and Makocho, A.) ‘“Again! Kaŵirinso!” Repetition in English and ChiChewa in Malawi classroom discourse.’ In Reading Working Papers in Linguistics, 2001. Georgiafentis, M., Kerswill, P. & Varlokosta,  (eds.). SLALS, University of Reading. pp. 67- 83.]

2001, Testimony from testees: the case against current language policies in sub-Saharan Africa. In Studies in Language Testing: Experimenting with uncertainty, Elder, C. et al. (eds.). Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. pp 200 – 210.

1999,  Reading: second language. In The Concise Encyclopaedia of Educational Linguistics, Spolsky, B. (ed.) Oxford, Pergamon. pp. 652-656

1998, Investigating Bilingual Literacy: Evidence from Malawi and Zambia. London, DFID Education Research Series.

1996, Reading in two languages at year 5 in African primary schools. In Applied Linguistics, 17, 2: pp 182 – 209.

1994, English grammar and the views of English teachers. In Bygate, M., Tonkyn, A. & Williams, E. (Eds.) Grammar and the language teacher, London, Prentice-Hall International. pp. 105-118.

1992, Consensus and conflict perspective on language use in bilingual contexts. In Elebitisuna eta Hizkuntz Jabekuntza / Bilingüismo y Adquisicion de Lenguas (Bilingualism and Language  Acquisition), Etxeberria, F. and Arzamendi, J. (Eds.) Bilbao, Spanish Association of Applied Linguistics: pp. 87-96.

Recent Research Reports

2007, (with Williams, A.) Report on ESOL and EFL. (Report commissioned by CfBT)

2004, (with de Montfort-Nayimfashe, L, Ntakirutimana, E &  O’Sullivan, B.) Proficiency in French and English of students in the higher education institutions in Rwanda. (Report commissioned by CfBT for the Department for International Development)

2003, (with de Montfort-Nayimfashe, L, Ntakirutimana, E &  O’Sullivan, B.) Proficiency in French, English and Kinyarwanda in the Primary and Secondary Sectors of the Rwandan Education System. (Report commissioned by CfBT for the Department for International Development)

Select Conference Presentations and Visiting Lecturer Series

2008: Conference: ‘Literacies in Context: Implications for Students, Teachers, and Educational Systems’’ at the American University of Cairo, Egypt. Keynote plenary: Literacy studies: implications for second language reading?

2007: Second International Conference ‘Language, Education and Diversity’, at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Paper: Resisting post-colonisation of the mind in Wales/Cymru

2007: Visiting lecturer at the University of Santiago, Spain “Research Design for Applied Linguistics”  (Postgraduate level)

2007: Conference “Neo-Colonial Mentalities in Contemporary Europe? Language and Discourse in the Construction of Identities”,Institute of Germanic & Romance Studies, Senate House, London. Paper: Resisting post-colonisation of the mind in Cymru

2006: Visiting Lecturer at the University of Rwanda “Applied Linguistics” (BA level).

2006: Workshop in Memory of Professor Alan Thomas “Wales: Language, Dialect and Identity” Cardiff University. Paper: Post-colonisation of the mind? What language attitudes in Wales tell us.

2005. 5th Annual English Language Teaching Conference, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman.  Keynote plenary: Reading, language learning and thinking

2004. 3rd International ADALEST Conference and 5th National Language Symposium, Mangochi, Malawi. Paper: The effect of the vehicular language on classroom participation in Malawi

2003. American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference, Arlington. Paper: Development and language education policy in Africa

2002. Joint Southern African Applied Linguistics Association & Linguistics Association of Southern Africa Conference, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Keynote plenary: Social inclusion and linguistic exclusion.  

2001. International Literacy Conference, University of Cape Town. Plenary: Repetition in Malawian classroom culture: the “discoursification” of text (co-presenter, Paul Thompson).

2001. Second Pan African Conference on Reading of the International Reading Association, in Abuja, Nigeria. Paper: Literacy and Language in African Education.

2001. Southern African Association of Applied Linguistics, 20th Annual Conference, Rhodes University, South Africa. Two papers: A naturally occurring experiment in Africa: language policy implications, and Again! Kaŵirinso! Repetition in English and ChiChewa in Malawian Classroom discourse.

2000. Applied Language Studies into the Millennium Conference. University of Cape Town, South Africa. Keynote Lecture Lotteries, Literacies and Languages in African Education: the role of applied language studies.

Select funded research and projects

2004-05: Research on intergenerational language transmission in Wales, with G. Gathercole, E. Thomas and M. Deuchar. (Welsh Language Board)

2002-2004: Language policy project for Rwanda. (CfBT and Department for International Development).

2003: Harmonising English language materials for Somaliland, Puntland  and Somalia. (UNESCO)

1999: Lexical diversity in English and ChiChewa medium teaching in Malawi. (Department for International Development.)

1997-1998: Zambia Primary Reading Programme. (Department for International Development.)

1995 - 1999: Evaluation of reading project in Malawi. (Department for International Development.)

1995: UNICEF Language Needs Mission Group for the Post-Emergency Phase in Rwanda (Department of International Development)

1994 - 1997: Evaluation of a “Read, Educate and Develop” project in South Africa (Overseas Development Administration).

1994: Evaluation of reading practices in English and local languages in schools in Malawi and Zambia (Overseas Development Administration)

1992 - 1997: Evaluation of the Zambian Reading Project (Overseas Development Administration (Overseas Development Administration)

1991 - 1992: Evaluation of proficiency in reading in English and local languages in Malawi and Zambia (Overseas Development Administration)

Professional Activities

  • 2007: Review of BEd and PGDE Courses in the Department of Languages and Social Sciences Education, University of Botswana
  • 2005-: Member of Review Board, Trinity College, London for ESOL/TESOL Qualifications
  • 2003-2005: BAAL Executive Secretary
  • 2001-2003; 2005-2006: Member of BAAL Executive Committee.

Member of editorial boards and panels of various journals

Research students

My current PhD students include:

Yukari Aiko: the relationship between first language reading proficiency and second language reading proficiency of Japanese students

Peter Brannick: Linguistic ethnography of the South Tyrol/Alto Adige in Italy

Frances Davies: Linguistic ethnography of Caernarfon

 

Alaa Al-Musali: Listening and note-taking skills in English of Omani students

Ursula Langgeger: The learning of second and third languages in a formal context

Cossie Rasana: language skills assessment in South African schools

Qiulin Wang: Simplified Readers in China

Successfully completed doctoral students include:

Sappapan, Pattama (2003-2007) Reading strategies of Thai university students in English

Anjoom Mukadam (1999-2003) “Gujarati speakers in London: age, gender and religion in the construction of identity”.

Violet Moumakwa (1999-2002) “Vocabulary and reading in Botswana Senior Secondary Schools”

Alastair Sharpe (1996-2000) “The readability of prescribed textbooks in social studies and science in Hong Kong secondary schools.”

Jane Kembo (1994-1997) “Inferencing in a Second Language: the role of language proficiency.”

Sally Burgess (1993-1997) “Discourse Variation across Culture: a genre-analytic study of writing on linguistics.”

Salasiah Che Lah (1993-1997) “Language Attitudes towards English and Language Proficiency in English: a sociolinguistic study of Penang Island.”