An Institutional Vocabulary - The Institute’s Vocab
Because a particular language is employed throughout the archive, a language which we are not always comfortable with and which the Institute itself has sometimes had to struggle to arrive at, it is important to deconstruct some of the terminology and provide the Institute’s definition of some of these very loaded terms. The Institute finds itself in a constant wrestle between wanting to to use non-academic, everyday, simple language to explain its politics, concepts, desired, beliefs and goals, and the reasoning for these; and at the same time not wanting to patronise its users and fall into the well-trodden path of confusing language learners, with less intelligent beings; and accepting that, despite a healthy skepticism for academia, that some concepts exist which can best be discussed through the use of big, weighty words such as imperialism, hegemony, space, diaspora, pedagogy, canon, migrational violence, desired language.
Imperialism
Defined as, “the … practice of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas”
When the Institute uses imperial or imperialism,, our first thoughts go to the British Empire and the lasting power the English language has inherited as a consequence. But we are not just thinking of the empires which rule popular discourse. Imperialism, when looked at through the scope of language is relative and we think it important to acknowledge that almost all languages can be viewed as imperial to some degree.
We often use ‘imperial language’ for ease of speaking, as it would perhaps be more correct to write a language used by an empire. At the same time we believe that this language’s characteristics have ultimately been shaped by it being the language of said empire and that it is thus an imperial language.
Ahilan Ratnamohan had to look this word up at least three times when working on texts associated with the Institute. Hegemony is defined as “the preponderant influence or authority over others, or the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group”. Similar to imperialism, it is important to recognise that such terms are always relative. In our line of work and exploration, hegemony refers to different things; language groups and the nation states, which proliferate these languages; but also language pedagogy and the techniques and courses which come to dominate.
The Institute attempts to be thus non-hegemonic, with the knowledge that if the institute is to succeed, it may become hegemonic itself.
The duration, the volume, the distance, the negotiation between one or more interlocutors of a language, physical, metaphysical or virtual.
Diaspora is a somewhat loaded term due to its connection to specific historical events. When we use diaspora, we depart from the more literal definition of, “a group of people who spread from one original country to other countries, or the act of spreading in this way.” But the Institute does not limit diaspora to country, thinking of people who have spread and changed, gained or lost language as a consequence of this.
Pedagogy
While pedagogy is defined as “the study of the methods and activity of teaching”, the institute uses pedagogy a bit more loosely as a definition for teaching methodology in general, as opposed to the specific study of it.
Canon
Canon is a term often used in the arts to refer to a body of work, considered to be good by popular opinion, for example “the Shakespearean canon”. We think of learning material as culture, or dare we say art, and thus as a “pedagogical canon”. Do not let our definition of a pedagogical canon be confused with our opinion of the quality of it.
Migrational Violence / Colonial
The Institute grapples with the potential hyperbole involved in the use of violence in situations where the involved parties did have a certain agency. At the same time we like to consider the contexts within which many migrating parents… The Institute is still wrestling with what this concept means to us.
Desired Language
Put simply it the “Desired Language” is use to refer to language which the language learner would like to learn.
But this use of the word ‘desire’ forces the Institute to think more about what lies beneath those desires and how they took form. For example, one’s desired language could be purely desirable because of economic necessity, is this still a desired language? Further, our choices of “desired language” are so often influenced by a range of factors which we are not even able to consider (potentially more privileged than economic factors). But what does it mean to desire a language, ???
To what extent does this desire taint or enhance our ability to learn?
Multitasking / Efficiency
The Institute is still wrestling with what this concept means to us.
Discipline
The Institute is still wrestling with what this concept means to us.