WICAL Speakers

(Morning Talk on Jun 17th)

Professor Jane Stuart-Smith

Dr Mary Ellen Foster

Shaul Ashkenazi

Don’t panic, just say ‘hello’: Bridging the sociolinguistic gap between humans and robots

Abstract:

When humans interact with each other, they adjust many aspects of their linguistic behaviour – from accent and dialect features to code and language switching – accommodating to their interlocutors and social context (e.g. Hernandez-Campoy 2016). This socially-constrained stylistic behaviour is acquired as part of humans’ communicative competence (e.g. Hymes 1972) along with communication bias, ideologies and attitudes about humans’ own variety and those of other humans (Garrett 2010, McKenzie & McNeill 2022). When humans interact with non-embodied digital agents, they appear to extend and adapt these sociolinguistic behaviours to non-human agents (Reeves & Nass, 1996; Staum Casasanto et al 2010, Mengesha et al 2021, Staum Casasanto, Jasmin & Casasanto, 2010). However, we still know very little about how humans interact with embodied digital agents, i.e. the sociolinguistic norms of interacting with social robots, or Human Robot Interaction (HRI).

This talk begins by considering what we currently know about style-shifting and communication bias from human-human, and then human-digital agent, interaction. We then introduce social robots, their current capabilities and norms around interacting with humans, including research on humans’ perspectives on HRI (Foster & Stuart-Smith 2023). The final part of the talk will discuss the deployment of a new multilingual (Chinese/Arabic/English-speaking) robot (Ashkenazi et al., 2024), designed for two use cases: a university student support service, and a refugee and asylum-seeker charity hub. We discuss the insights and issues that are highlighted when computer scientists and sociolinguists work together to develop socially-inclusive HRI.

Bio:

Jane Stuart-Smith is Professor of Phonetics and Sociolinguistics at the University of Glasgow. She is an expert in stigmatised vernacular dialects, especially Scottish (Glaswegian), and UK ethnic dialects, having published on Glasgow-Asian and Panjabi. She currently co-directs the Glasgow University Laboratory of Phonetics (GULP), and has collaborated in developing sociolinguistic aspects of HRI with Mary Ellen Foster in Computing Science since 2019.

Mary Ellen Foster is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow. Her primary research interests are human-robot interaction, social robotics, and embodied conversational agents. Her recent work focusses on consulting the widest possible range of stakeholders when designing and deploying social robots, to ensure that the system takes into account the needs of all potential users and operators. She has previously co-organised a workshop series on Public-Space Social Robotics.

Shaul Ashkenazi is a PhD researcher in the School of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow. He is conducting his interdisciplinary research on social robots at the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Social AI. His research interests include human-robot interaction, marginalised populations and multilingualism.

Dr David Wei Dai

(Morning Talk on Jun 18th)

Critical Interactional Competence (CritIC) in Human-AI Interaction

Abstract:

In response to the growing application of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in professional communication training, applied linguists have raised concerns about the perpetuation of cultural stereotypes from biases in the Large Language Models used to train GenAI (Dai & Zhu, 2025). Simultaneously, it is often assumed that humans, as users of GenAI, possess the ability to recognize and critically assess such stereotypes in GenAI outputs. In this talk I will present interactional analysis of simulated interactions between human physiotherapists and AI-generated patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. Findings reveal that although humans can indeed display criticality towards cultural stereotypes outside interaction, during interaction they are highly susceptible to becoming interactionally entrenched in essentialized narratives about the other cultures. In view of the findings, I will discuss the difference between Stated Criticality and Interactional Criticality. I will also argue for the need for users of GenAI to develop Critical Interactional Competence in order to critically engage with GenAI chatbots in interaction. This new type of competence applies to both professional communication and mundane communication in intercultural contexts.

Bio:

David Wei Dai PhD FHEA is Assistant Professor in Professional Communication at UCL Institute of Education, University College London. He is Associate Editor for the journal TESOL in Context. Dr Dai's research interests include human-AI interaction, professional communication, intercultural communication and discourse analysis. His work has appeared in international peer-reviewed journals including Applied Linguistics, Language Teaching Research, Medical Education, Applied Linguistics Review, Language Assessment Quarterly, Language, Culture and Curriculum and Journal of English for Academic Purposes. He is author of the Open Access monograph Assessing Interactional Competence (Peter Lang).

Emeritus Professor Steve Walsh

(Afternoon Talk on Jun 18th)

Classroom Interactional Competence and Dialogic Reflection

Abstract:

This talk offers new insights into the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of reflective practice. Adopting a sociocultural view of professional development, I take the position that teachers are more likely to improve their practice when they have something to reflect on (the ‘what’ of RP) and something to reflect with (the ‘how’ of RP). I will argue that a useful starting point for any reflective process is for teachers to focus on their interactions with students as a means of improving their CIC (Classroom Interactional Competence), defined as ‘teachers’ and learners’ ability to use interaction as a tool for mediating and assisting learning’ (Walsh, 2013: 124). We’ll look at some of the features of CIC (including ‘space for learning’, feedback practices and other interactional strategies) and consider how an understanding of the construct can lead to more dialogic, engaged learning environments. In terms of the ‘how’ of RP, I’ll be proposing that reflection needs to be collaborative, dialogic and use appropriate tools. Dialogue allows meanings to be co-constructed, new understandings to emerge and professional learning to develop. Dialogic reflection (Mann and Walsh 2017) considers the ways in which practitioners make sense of their professional worlds, develop new understandings and improve their professional practice. A key element of a dialogic, mediated approach to reflection is the way in which tools and artefacts can act as a catalyst (e.g. metaphors, critical incidents, video) and help promote more systematic and focused professional dialogue.

Bio:

Steve Walsh is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics in the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, Newcastle University, UK. He retired from the the University in September 2024, following more than 40 years as a teacher, teacher educator and researcher in a range of overseas contexts, including Spain, Hungary, Poland, China, Ireland, England and Hong Kong. Steve’s research interests include classroom discourse, teacher development, second language teacher education, reflective practice, technology enhanced learning and professional communication.

Dr Will Baker

(Morning Talk on Jun 19th)

Transcultural Communication and Global Englishes: Rethinking core concepts in intercultural communication

Abstract:

Many contemporary social spaces, from superdiverse urban environments to globally connected digital communities, are highly multilingual and multicultural with a correspondingly dynamic and variable range of communicative practices. At the same time, the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) across a diversity of settings and users has greatly increased. Thus, ELF is a common medium of intercultural communication making it a prime site for both empirical and theoretical investigations of intercultural issues. Recent intercultural communication and ELF research have questioned how we categorize core concepts in linguistics and intercultural communication, including the notion of ‘English’ itself. Research shows English embedded in wider multilingual and multimodal repertories with translanguaging and transmodal processes coming to the fore. Most significantly for this talk, cultural references, practices, communities and identities cannot easily be attributed to single national cultures with multiple scales from the local, to the national, and the global simultaneously present and communicators transcending linguistic and cultural borders. This means that the ‘inter’ of intercultural communication becomes problematic, as interactants may not be ‘in-between’ specific cultures. Such communication is better approached as transcultural communication “where interactants move through and across, rather than in-between, cultural and linguistic boundaries, thus, ‘named’ languages and cultures can no longer be taken for granted and in the process borders become blurred, transgressed and transcended” (Baker & Sangiamchit 2019: 472). Further conceptualisation of transcultural communication and its implications for research and pedagogy are crucial since it is not exotic or strange but rather an everyday phenomena.

Bio:

Will Baker is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director of the Centre for Global Englishes at the University of Southampton, UK. His research interests are Intercultural and Transcultural Communication, English as a Lingua Franca, English Medium Education, Intercultural Education and Citizenship, and Decolonial ELT. Recent publications include ‘Global Englishes’ with Jenkins and Ishikawa (2024 Routledge), ‘Intercultural and Transcultural Awareness in Language Teaching’ (2022 Cambridge University Press), Baker, W., & Ishikawa, T. ‘Transcultural Communication through Global Englishes’ (2021 Routledge), Tsou, W., & Baker, W. (Eds.). ‘English-medium instruction translanguaging practices in Asia’ (2021 Springer), and co-editor of the ‘Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca’ (2018). He is also co-editor of the book series ‘Developments in English as a Lingua Franca’ (De Gruter Mouton) and ‘Elements in Intercultural Communication’ (Cambridge University Press) and ‘Global Englishes’ (Routledge).

Dr Polina Mesinioti

(Morning Workshop on Jun 17th)

‘What if participants hate me?’ Doing Ethnography in Sensitive Settings: Ethics, Emotions, and Fieldnotes

Abstract:

This workshop offers a practical and reflective guide to conducting ethnographic research in sensitive healthcare settings. We will begin by unpacking the complex ethical landscape, including both formal institutional ethics processes and the informal negotiations with gatekeepers that shape fieldwork in practice. Drawing on over six years of ethnographic research in high-risk environments, including emergency care, patient safety, and multiple National Health Service (NHS) organisations, I will highlight the often-overlooked emotional labour involved in this work. Particular attention will be given to how early career researchers navigate vulnerability, distress, and uncertainty in the field, and how reflexivity can be sustained throughout long-term engagement. The session will then turn to the practicalities of conducting ethnography under pressure, offering tangible recommendations for using audio and video recordings, managing time, and taking fieldnotes in fast-paced, emotionally charged, and unpredictable environments. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own positionality, and to critically consider how ethics, emotions, and documentation intersect in their research. The workshop will include space for discussion, shared experiences, and questions.

Bio:

Dr Polina Mesinioti is a sociolinguist whose research combines discourse analysis, ethnography, and multimodal approaches to explore how language and interaction shape healthcare experiences and patient safety outcomes. She is a Lead Researcher on the Response Study at the University of York – a large-scale mixed-method evaluation of national patient safety policy. Her research and teaching span medical sociology, sociolinguistics, qualitative methods, and healthcare policy, reflecting her multidisciplinary approach. Polina holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Warwick and has a background in Theoretical Linguistics.

Dr Anastasia Stavridou

(Afternoon Workshop on Jun 17th)

Navigating the path to ECR application success

Abstract:

Early Career Researcher (ECR) applications represent a critical gateway for emerging academic seeking to establish themselves in competitive fields. Success in the process requires a strategic and interdisciplinary approach and a clear understanding of the evaluation criteria beyond a strong academic background. This workshop explores key elements that contribute to a compelling ECR application, from articulating a clear research agenda to demonstrating the potential to generate impact beyond academia. Drawing on insights from successful applicants, the workshop offers practical strategies which will make an ECR application stand out. Emphasis is placed on the importance of tailoring applications to specific theme, a clear actionable plan and an interdisciplinary lens. Participants will have the opportunity to work through an ECR application during the workshop, so they are encouraged to start thinking potential research avenues.

Bio: