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A&H
Editorial: Languages in Higher Education
W i t h o u t l a n g uag e / s , e d u cat i o n could not exist. Paradoxically,
when it comes to the teaching of language/s, the medium and the content
are the same. These two characteristics set languages apart from other areas
of inquiry. With the current trends of globalization (of markets) and inter-
nationalization (of education), and the growing interest internationally in
intercultural approaches to (languages) education, issues around language/s in
higher education are brought into sharp focus. In this special issue dedicated
to languages, different facets of the situation of languages in higher education
are explored. Although the contexts are different (UK, Australia, Japan, USA),
some powerful common themes emerge which have wider implications for
the Arts and Humanities.
First, the (perceived) value of languages is interrogated, resulting in a
dichotomy based on symbolic or functional value – Hajek and Nicholas, and
Willis, demonstrate that an emphasis on one or the other alone is not enough
to sustain languages. Allied to this are questions about the nature of the
educated person.
Second, the role of English as a global lingua franca (Willis, Coleman,
Brumfit), or as synonymous with foreign language study tout court (McVeigh),
is underscored and the ramifications of this situation explored.
Third, the notion that languages are the people is a recurrent theme;
whether in Moss’s insightful exploration of Italian in Australian universities,
in Coleman’s description of the place of literature in the higher education
languages curriculum or in Hajek and Nicholas’s outline of Modern Greek
in Australia.
Fourth, questions of the effects of language study on the learner’s identity
(McVeigh,Willis) are explored, as are issues of language and power, plagiarism
and the Internet (Brumfit).
Reagan offers us a useful distinction between language study and language
knowledge, and provides us with three motivations for language study. This
distinction could easily apply to any other area of inquiry where it is

Arts & Humanities in Higher Education

Copyright © 20 04, sage publications, London, Thousand Oaks and New Delhi ISSN 1474-0222
vol 3(2) 123–124 doi: 10.1177/1474022204042 6 82

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Arts and Humanities in Higher Education 3(2)

important to realize that how we understand is as valuable as what we under-
stand.
Taken as a whole, the issue perhaps paints a bleak picture for languages.
References to decline, crisis, closure and so on appear throughout the various
contributions. It is worthwhile pondering this situation especially given the
once central position of languages in education, as described by Brumfit. This
issue therefore poses a challenge; a challenge to language colleagues to
(re)assess what you are doing and where you are heading with your languages
programs in higher education, especially in view of student choice
(Coleman), curriculum mismatches (Willis, Coleman, Hajek and Nicholas)
and trends in enrolment and study (Moss, Willis, Coleman, Hajek and
Nicholas); a challenge to our colleagues in the Arts and Humanities to realize
the important role that languages should play in higher education programs.
Of course, as a converted language ‘type’, this is easy for me to say, but increas-
ingly in a world where the confusion of languages at Babel (to invoke a
biblical reference) may be seen to contribute to fatal misunderstandings, our
need for linguistic and cultural sensitivity has never been greater. The inter-
national perspectives offered in this issue provide a firm foundation on which
to build ongoing dialogue both within and outside the field of languages.

Matthew Absalom

b i o g ra p h i ca l n o t e
mat t h e w a b s a l o m holds degrees in Music, Education and Arts (Honours in
Italian) and graduate diplomas in linguistics and higher education. His doctoral
research is in the area of Italian phonology. Matthew has been teaching and under-
taking research in tertiary institutions since the early 1990s. His research interests
span linguistics, teaching and learning in higher education and the use of infor-
mation technology in the teaching and learning of languages. Matthew is
currently a Research Fellow in the Research Centre for Languages and Cultures
Education of the University of South Australia. Correspondence to: Research Centre
for Languages and Cultures Education, University of South Australia, Magill SA
5072, Australia. [email: matthew.absalom@unisa.edu.au]

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