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Dr Cassandra Smith-Christmas

BA, MA, pHd

 
researcher
 

Biography

Dr. Cassie Smith-Christmas is currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Fellow. Her project 'Language, Families, and Society' (LaFS; Grant No. 794800) builds on her extensive research within the sociolinguistic sub-field known as 'Family Language Policy' and follows on from fellowships with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the Irish Research Council, the Institute for the Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh, and Soillse, the interuniversity Scottish Gaelic research network, at the University of the Highlands and Islands. Recent completed projects include 'An Nasc Idir an Teanga agus an Pobal i gCorca Dhuibhne/The Intersection of Language and Community in Corca Dhuibhne' (with Orlaith Ruiséal) as part of the Smithsonian's SMiLE initiative and  the Irish Research Council Government of Ireland project 'The Challenges of Minority Language Maintenance: Family Language Policy in Scotland and Ireland'  (GOIPD/2016/644), a comparative study of intergenerational language transmission in the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht and the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

Cassie's publications include a monograph Family Language Policy: Maintaining an Endangered Language in the Home (Palgrave, 2016), which continued her work on three generations of Gaelic-speaking family on the Isle of Skye undertaken as part of her PhD thesis (University of Glasgow, 2012).  She is also co-editor of two volumes, Gaelic in Contemporary Scotland:  The Revitalisation of an Endangered Language (University of Edinburgh Press, 2018) and New Speakers of Minority Languages: Linguistic Ideologies and Practices (Palgrave, 2018).

She has taught a number of courses and workshops on different aspects of language and social life, as well as research methods courses, including NVivo software training. She was also an invited lecturer for the MultiLing Winter School at the University of Oslo and a guest lecturer in an Erasmus+ exchange at the Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris III.  

Research Interests

Multilingualism; Language Shift and Maintenance; Family Language Policy; Minority Language Issues; Code-Switching; Language and Migration; New Speaker Issues; Pragmatics; Conversational Analysis




Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2021) 'Using a ‘Family Language Policy’ lens to explore the dynamic and relational nature of child agency'
Smith-Christmas, C (2021) 'Using a ‘Family Language Policy’ lens to explore the dynamic and relational nature of child agency'. Children & Society, [DOI] [Details]
(2021) '‘Our cat has the power’: the polysemy of a third language in maintaining the power/solidarity equilibrium in family interactions'
Smith-Christmas, C (2021) '‘Our cat has the power’: the polysemy of a third language in maintaining the power/solidarity equilibrium in family interactions'. Journal Of Multilingual And Multicultural Development, [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2020) 'Double-voicing and rubber ducks: the dominance of English in the imaginative play of two bilingual sisters'
Smith-Christmas, C (2020) 'Double-voicing and rubber ducks: the dominance of English in the imaginative play of two bilingual sisters'. International Journal Of Bilingual Education And Bilingualism, [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2020) 'How to turn the tide: the policy implications emergent from comparing a ‘post-vernacular FLP’ to a ‘pro-Gaelic FLP’'
Smith-Christmas, C; NicLeòid, SL (2020) 'How to turn the tide: the policy implications emergent from comparing a ‘post-vernacular FLP’ to a ‘pro-Gaelic FLP’'. Language Policy, [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2019) 'When X doesn’t mark the spot: the intersection of language shift, identity and family language policy'
Smith-Christmas, C. (2019) 'When X doesn’t mark the spot: the intersection of language shift, identity and family language policy'. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2019 (255) [DOI] [Details]
(2019) 'A Kind of Success Story: Family Language Policy in Three Different Sociopolitical Contexts'
Smith-Christmas, C.; Bergroth, M; Bezcioglu-Goktolga, I (2019) 'A Kind of Success Story: Family Language Policy in Three Different Sociopolitical Contexts'. [DOI] [Details]
(2018) 'One Cas, Two Cas’: Exploring the affective dimensions of family language policy'
Smith-Christmas, C. (2018) 'One Cas, Two Cas’: Exploring the affective dimensions of family language policy'. Multilingua-Journal Of Cross-Cultural And Interlanguage Comm, [Details]
(2017) '‘Is it really for talking?’: the implications of associating a minority language with the school'
Smith-Christmas, C (2017) '‘Is it really for talking?’: the implications of associating a minority language with the school'. Language Culture And Curriculum, 31 (1):32-47 [Details]
(2016) 'Regression on the fused lect continuum? Discourse markers in Scottish Gaelic–English speech'
Smith-Christmas, C (2016) 'Regression on the fused lect continuum? Discourse markers in Scottish Gaelic–English speech'. Journal Of Pragmatics, 94 (March 2016):64-75 [Details]
(2014) 'Complementary reversing language shift strategies in education: the importance of adult heritage learners of threatened minority languages'
Smith-Christmas, C and Armstrong, T.C. (2014) 'Complementary reversing language shift strategies in education: the importance of adult heritage learners of threatened minority languages'. Current Issues in Language Planning, 15 (3):312-326 [Details]
(2014) 'Being socialised into language shift: the impact of extended family members on family language policy'
Smith-Christmas, C (2014) 'Being socialised into language shift: the impact of extended family members on family language policy'. Journal Of Multilingual And Multicultural Development, 25 (5):511-526 [Details]
(2009) 'Gaelic on the Isle of Skye: older speakers' identity in a language-shift situation'
Smith-Christmas, C and Smakman, D (2009) 'Gaelic on the Isle of Skye: older speakers' identity in a language-shift situation'. International Journal Of The Sociology Of Language, (200):27-47 [Details]

Books

  Year Publication
(2016) Family Language Policy: Maintaining an Endangered Language in the Home.
Smith-Christmas, (2016) Family Language Policy: Maintaining an Endangered Language in the Home. Basingstoke: Palgrave. [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2020) 'Thuirt e, thuirt i: Code-switching and constructed dialogue in the speech of older bilinguals'
Smith-Christmas, C (2020) 'Thuirt e, thuirt i: Code-switching and constructed dialogue in the speech of older bilinguals' In: Litreachas, Eachdraidh & Cànan: Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig 7. Glasgow: Roinn na Ceiltis & na Gàidhlig, Oilthigh Ghlaschu. [Details]
(2020) 'Child agency and home language maintenance'
Smith-Christmas, C (2020) 'Child agency and home language maintenance' In: Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development. Berlin: De Grouton Mouton. [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2018) 'Ide-eolaiochtai teanga i gcaidreamh teaghlaigh in Albain'
Smith-Christmas, C. (2018) 'Ide-eolaiochtai teanga i gcaidreamh teaghlaigh in Albain' In: An Meon Folaithe. Cork: Cois Life. [Details]
(2018) 'Land, Language, and Migration: World War II Evacuees as New Speakers of Scottish Gaelic'
Smith-Christmas, C. (2018) 'Land, Language, and Migration: World War II Evacuees as New Speakers of Scottish Gaelic' In: New Speakers of Minority Languages: Linguistic Ideologies and Practices. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. [Details]
(2017) 'Family Language Policy: New Directions'
Smith-Christmas, Cassie,Macalister, John, Mirvahedi, Seyed Hadi (2017) 'Family Language Policy: New Directions' In: Family Language Policies in a Multilingual World Opportunities, Challenges, and Consequences. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2015) 'Gaelic Scotland and Ireland: Issues of Class and Diglossia in an Evolving Social Landscape'
Smith-Christmas, Cassie; Ó hIfearnáin, Tadhg (2015) 'Gaelic Scotland and Ireland: Issues of Class and Diglossia in an Evolving Social Landscape' In: Globalising Sociolinguistics: Challenging and expanding theory. London & New York: Routledge. [Details]
(2015) 'Voicing the ‘other’ Code-switching in discourses of Gaelic language ideologies'
Dunmore, S. and Smith-Christmas, C.,Eivind Torgersen, Stian Hårstad, Brit Mæhlum and Unn Røyneland (2015) 'Voicing the ‘other’ Code-switching in discourses of Gaelic language ideologies' In: Language Variation - European Perspectives V: Selected papers from the Seventh International Conference on Language Variation in Europe (ICLaVE 7), Trondheim, June 2013. Amsterdanm: Johns Benjamins. [Details]
(2014) 'Code-Switching in ‘Flannan Isles’: A Micro-Interactional Approach to a Bilingual Narrative'
Smith-Christmas,Robert Lawson (2014) 'Code-Switching in ‘Flannan Isles’: A Micro-Interactional Approach to a Bilingual Narrative' In: Sociolinguistics in Scotland. Basingstoke: Palgrave. [Details]
(2013) 'Stance and code-switching: Gaelic-English bilinguals on the Isles of Skye and Harris'
Smith-Christmas, C,Peter Auer, Javier Caro Reina and Göz Kaufmann (2013) 'Stance and code-switching: Gaelic-English bilinguals on the Isles of Skye and Harris' In: Language Variation - European Perspectives IV Selected papers from the Sixth International Conference on Language Variation in Europe (ICLaVE 6), Freiburg, June 2011. Amsterdam: Johns Benjamins. [Details]

Published Reports

  Year Publication
(2015) BAAL/CUP Seminar 2014: Languages in the UK: Bridging the gap between the classroom and the community in language learning.
Smith-Christmas, C. (2015) BAAL/CUP Seminar 2014: Languages in the UK: Bridging the gap between the classroom and the community in language learning. Language Teaching, Cambridge. [DOI] [Details]
(2014) Language and Integration: Migration to Gaelic-Speaking Areas in the Twenty-First Century.
Smith-Christmas, C. (2014) Language and Integration: Migration to Gaelic-Speaking Areas in the Twenty-First Century. Soillse, University of the Highlands and Islands. [Details]

Edited Books

  Year Publication
(2018) Gaelic in Contemporary Scotland: The Revitalisation of an Endangered Language.
MacLeod, M; Smith-Christmas, C (Ed.). (2018) Gaelic in Contemporary Scotland: The Revitalisation of an Endangered Language. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. [Details]
(2018) New Speakers of Minority Languages: Linguistic Ideologies and Practices.
Smith-Christmas, C., O Murchadha, N, Hornsby, M., Moriarty, M (Ed.). (2018) New Speakers of Minority Languages: Linguistic Ideologies and Practices. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. [Details]

Blog

  Year Publication
(2020) A Child Eye’s View of Language Revitalisation: Hope and opportunity for the future of Gaelic in Scotland.
Smith-Christmas, C (2020) A Child Eye’s View of Language Revitalisation: Hope and opportunity for the future of Gaelic in Scotland. Blog [Details]
(2019) Friendnography and the Ethical Questions it Raises.
Cassie Smith-Christmas (2019) Friendnography and the Ethical Questions it Raises. Blog [DOI] [Details]
(2018) To the ‘Underwear Crowd’: What gives you the right to question other people’s existence?.
Smith-Christmas, C. (2018) To the ‘Underwear Crowd’: What gives you the right to question other people’s existence?. Blog [Details]
(2018) Language as a Story: Learning Irish in Corca Dhuibhne.
Smith-Christmas, C. (2018) Language as a Story: Learning Irish in Corca Dhuibhne. Blog [Details]
(2016) I am a white linguist . Blog https://bildlida.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/i-am-a-white-linguist-by-dr-cassie-smith-christmas/.
Smith-Christmas, C (2016) I am a white linguist . Blog https://bildlida.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/i-am-a-white-linguist-by-dr-cassie-smith-christmas/. Blog [Details]

Book Review

  Year Publication
(2021) Critical Perspectives on Language and Kinship in Multilingual Families by Lyn Wright (Book Review).
Smith-Christmas, C (2021) Critical Perspectives on Language and Kinship in Multilingual Families by Lyn Wright (Book Review). Book Review [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2018) Mi Padre – Mexican immigrant fathers and their children's education, by Sarah Gallo (Book Review).
Smith-Christmas, C. (2018) Mi Padre – Mexican immigrant fathers and their children's education, by Sarah Gallo (Book Review). Book Review [DOI] [Details]

Community Engagement Publications

  Year Publication
(2018) Brochure to Support Parents to use Scottish Gaelic in the Home.
Cassie Smith-Christmas (2018) Brochure to Support Parents to use Scottish Gaelic in the Home. Community Engagement Publications [Details]

Magazine Article

  Year Publication
(2015) Language and Place: Insights from World War II Evacuees to Gaelic-Speaking Areas . Magazine Article http://www.earthlinesmagazine.org/earthlines-issue-11/.
Smith-Christmas, C (2015) Language and Place: Insights from World War II Evacuees to Gaelic-Speaking Areas . Magazine Article http://www.earthlinesmagazine.org/earthlines-issue-11/. Magazine Article [Details]

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
COST New Speakers in a Multilingual Europe: Opportunities and Challenges Coordinating Communications Officer 01-JAN-16 / 14-FEB-17

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Foundation for Endangered Languages Executive Committee Member 14-FEB-17 / 14-FEB-17

Community Engagement

  Title Type From / To
Outreach Là Fealla-Dhà/Gaelic Family Fun /