Michał Daszkiewicz
University of Gdańsk, Poland; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2463-393X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36534/erlj.2024.02.00
Bibliographic citation: (ISSN 2657-9774) Educational Role of Language Journal. Volume 2024-2(12). BELIEFS IN LINGUISTIC EDUCATION, pp. 4–5.
The axiological dimension of linguistic educational and, practically, all forms of educational applications of language tends to be grossly neglected. In other words, how we value the language(s) we use and what specifically we appreciate in it will generally fall outside the area of educators’ and students’ reflection. Instead of – explicitly – posing questions concerning what vocabulary we hold in high esteem or which language structures we view as crucial to the way we think (with such questions actually sounding amusing or odd to many language users not accustomed to this type of reflection), schools and educational stake-holders tend to that the language(s) for granted and just keep using it/them, without being bothered by assigning and discussing the significance of the particular items or characteristics of the language(s). Such a neglect is indisputably detrimental as it takes away from us a potential boost provided by our realised (and externalised) beliefs as people naturally learn more effectively and durably the issues they value and – for whatever private, educational, or professions reasons – hold firm beliefs in. As we have already observed throughout the sequence of ERL Journal’s volumes, the learning and the use of language(s) are best comprehended and developed if seen as comprising various domains, one of which are our beliefs. Continuing this year’s focus on beliefs (as the second theme of Cycle 2 of ERLA’s trajectory), following and complementing affect (dealt with in Volumes 9 and 10 published in 2023), we can observe in the volume how axiological facets chime with and relate to feelings and emotions. Although, rather obviously, these two dimensions of our linguistic (and overall) functioning are not the same, there is a clear interplay between them and one never exists without the other. Moreover, without resolving here the issue of which of them comes chronologically first, our beliefs and our emotional approach to language(s) affect each other: in, for instance, one values a particular language, or any lexical or structural issues in it, one is far more likely to have a positive emotional attitude to it/them rather cherishing any form of dislike to it/them. Conversely, if one naturally feels “warm” towards language(s) or particular components and characteristics, one is fairly unlikely to disregard them and not to consider worthy of one’s attention. By the same token, ERLA’s Premises presented by the graphic below this text can be read as directly applying to beliefs (just like they proved relevant on the level of affect, which was shown in the introduction to Volume 10): our beliefs concerning language(s) determine our views on the world (as the items we hold in high esteem pertain to particular dimensions of the world), which direct our choices as to what and how we choose to learn, which, in turn, imposes certain language-oriented obligations on our teachers – all of which shows how significant a role is in the entire education played by language(s). The focus on linguistic beliefs gave rise to the 7th International Pedagogical and Linguistic ERL Conference subtitled ‘Links between Beliefs and Language’, hosted by the International University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on 27-28 June this year, during which the majority of the papers included in this volume were presented. The event showed the extensive and complex nature of language beliefs and numerous facets they relate to. Specifically, the conference sessions addressed beliefs through sociolinguistic, cultural, literary, semantic, and instructional lenses, and, additionally, covered personal, interpersonal, and inter-linguistic dimensions. They all built up the picture of the omnipresence of words, which also constituted the subject matter of the conference workshop (initiated as one of the two novel components introduced – beside the project-oriented slot – into the sequence of the ERL conferences). On the level of its structure, the volume remains consistent (particularly with the second 2023 volume relating to language affect) and covers two parts – Part 1. Beliefs through explicit lenses, where we re-envisage language learning beliefs and relate axiological aspects to such dimensions as bilingualism, intonation, or music, and Part 2. Beliefs through implicit lenses, dealing with beliefs in their “hidden” nature on the level of gender, youth, and – more extensively – literature (which made up a very strong module during our last ERL conference mentioned above). Additionally, and also traditionally, the two parts include what we sometimes refer to as “non-papers”, meaning a set of papers and reviews on issues relevant to the volume’s theme. Talking of beliefs, we can empathise one firm belief of ours with respect to these additional pieces of text, namely that their inclusion adds to the life-oriented direction of our entire sequence of volumes, with the reports and reviews in question provide us with a much wider context and world-wide settings in which the eponymous issues are discussed and respective work falling into the ERL scope undertaken. We hope that with this volume to contribute most positively to ERL Journal’s language (learning) beliefs and encourage them all to reach out for the subsequent volumes in which our discussion of affect and beliefs will be followed and completed by papers on actions and thinking, as the other two dimensions making up ERLA’s Scope Minor (reflecting students’ overall identities).
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