The teaching of languages at university in the context of super-diversity

摘要

In this paper, I explore the impact of linguistic super-diversity on the teaching of languages at tertiary level. Through a small-scale study of university-based language teachers in Australia and the United Kingdom, I examine to what extent these teachers have become aware of the changed language profiles that their students are bringing to the classroom and how they have accommodated their teaching approaches to reflect these changes. The results of the study reveal a rather limited level of engagement with the consequences of linguistic super-diversity. I provide some explanations and suggestions for how this could be changed.