Language Practices, Language Policy, and Language Planning in a Multilingual Context

Analysis of written, oral, signed, and multimodal language practices in various contexts (both formal and informal) of language use, and the complex interaction of multiple layers of society in the co-construction of linguistic policy and organizational frameworks aimed at regulating or modifying the dynamics of existing language practices.

Structural and Discursive Properties of Linguistic Constructions and Language Varieties

Analysis of usage or detailed study of the morphological, semantic, syntactic, and discursive properties of linguistic constructions and linguistic varieties using functional, cognitive, and sociolinguistic approaches.

Multilingualism and language learning

Analysis of models of multilingual education (sign language and/or spoken) in Belgium (and primarily in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation), with a particular focus on the linguistic, socio-emotional, and educational aspects of these types of immersion (EMILE/CLIL – Content and Language Integrated Learning) and their role in second-language acquisition processes.

Translation and Heterolingualism as Manifestations of Language Contact and Intercultural Transfer

A theoretical and empirical study of translation as a fundamental mechanism of language contact and intercultural communication. The aim is not to teach or define “how to translate” in practical terms, but to study historical examples of translation, emphasizing the role that translation plays in the development of (multilingual) languages, literatures, cultures, and societies.

Literature, Society, and Transmediality

An analysis of the various ways in which literature interacts with social contexts, whether in an effort to represent social trends in a referential (“descriptive,” “realistic”), or in a more “politically” engaged manner, with writers offering critical commentary on society or even using their work to advance an openly reformist agenda. Given the emphasis on the social dimension of literature, and taking into account the ubiquity of ideological cues, this analysis is not limited to individual texts printed in the traditional manner, but also pays attention to the transmedia circulation of texts and discourses within the context of a “literary society.”

Literary Practices and Concepts Across Time and Space

Study of literary practices (discourse, genres, themes, techniques) in a broad sense to include more “popular” and multimodal genres from an inclusive comparative perspective. This study may take a primarily historical approach or focus on issues related to methodology (including philology and textual editing) and conceptualization (terminology, concepts, theories).