Language meetings and language choice in learning environments and research: The role of Swedish and English in academia

The (sometimes) much debated increase in the use of English in higher education and research in Sweden follows a global trend that is generally attributed to internationalization. The internationalization coin has two sides and Sweden's decision to internationalize its universities has led to increased use of English, which has had direct consequences for the use of Swedish. But, what does the relationship between Swedish and English really look like within the internationalized academy? In this seminar, Hans Malmström presents the findings from a recent study* of the linguistic landscape of Sweden’s higher education and research (the study was conducted in collaboration with the Language Council of Sweden (the Institute for Language and Folklore). The overall purpose of the study was to describe the position of English in relation to Swedish (and to some extent other languages) in the Swedish university context. 

Two specific questions that guided the study were: 

·      To what extent do students encounter English in their education? Two important domains that were highlighted were the language of instruction, and the use of English texts in courses with Swedish as the language of instruction.

·      What language do Swedish researchers choose when they publish their results? The issue of language of publication was examined in both doctoral dissertations and journal articles.

Welcome to a presentation – and a conversation – on a topic that everyone has opinions on!

*) The report is available Open Access (in Swedish only) for anyone interested, though no reading is expected in preparation for the seminar. 

www.isof.se/lar-dig-mer/publikationer/publikationer/2022-02-01-sprakval-och-internationalisering 

About Hans Malmström

Hans Malmström is Professor of Communication and Learning in Science at Chalmers University of Technology. His research focuses on English-Medium Instruction, on language learning, and the integration of language, communication and subject content in higher education. He is (together with Diane Pecorari) Editor of the Journal of English-Medium Instruction and Series Editor for Routledge Studies in English-Medium Instruction.