It’s International Women’s Day! And what better way to celebrate IWD than by looking at some of the amazing women who have transformed linguistics, language education and communication forever?
Language is something that is constantly evolving, and it is thanks to the work of linguists that we are able to understand it and use it effectively. Linguists study the origins of language, how it develops, and how it is used.
Language teaching is a vital part of bridging communication gaps, and there are many different approaches and methods that have been developed over the years. Application of such methodologies and an open mind to combining and building teaching techniques is at the core of truly boosting learning in all age groups and constantly revitalizing this important calling.
There are countless women who have progressed the field and advanced the gift of communication among peoples around the globe, often without receiving due recognition. These women have made invaluable contributions to our understanding of language and how it is learned and best used to convey our thoughts and, most importantly, reflect our true selves.
Anna Wierzbicka – Polish Australian linguist who worked on developing a Natural Semantic Metalanguage
Anna Wierzbicka is a Polish Australian linguist who developed a Natural Semantic Metalanguage, a system of meaning-based principles on which natural languages are constructed. Much of Wierzbicka’s work has been focused on the study of semantics and she is credited with the development of several semantic primitives, which are the basis for the Natural Semantic Metalanguage. Wierzbicka’s work has influenced many linguists, philosophers, cognitive scientists and researchers. She has also done extensive work on cross-cultural pragmatics, which has helped in the understanding of how language is used in different cultures. Her work has helped linguists to bridge the gap between different language communities and to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the workings of language. Her research has had a profound influence on the way in which language is taught, learned and used in diverse cultural contexts.
Deborah Tannen – American sociolinguist whose work has helped to improve our understanding of communication between men and women
Deborah Tannen is an American sociolinguist whose work has helped to improve our understanding of communication between men and women. Tannen is best known for her book, You Just Don’t Understand, which was a groundbreaking study of the differences between male and female communication styles. Tannen’s work has been essential in the development of gender communication studies, and it has had a profound influence on the way in which communication between men and women is taught and understood. Her work has opened up new possibilities for language teachers to explore and understand the importance of considering gender differences when teaching language, and this has helped to improve the quality of language teaching.
Patsy M. Lightbown – American language educator and linguist renowned for her contributions to the field of second language acquisition (SLA)
Lightbown has been recognized as an important figure in linguistics by researching the role of social context in language learning and by her contributions to the study of second language acquisition. Her groundbreaking research included the study of learners’ ways of expressing meaning, social contexts of language learning, and the examination of children’s first language acquisition from an interdisciplinary perspective. She has published widely on the topic of second language acquisition in a classroom context.
Lightbown’s work seeks to address fundamental questions about how learners acquire language and continues to have a major influence in the field of SLA today. Working with her long-time collaborator and distinguished linguist, Nina Spada, they are expanding on some of their previous works on the challenges that are experienced by second and foreign language learners.
Written by Emily Yerolatsiti, LTES Senior Academic Coordinator
