O n f e r e n c e

References 
Hur Y. Y. and Han J. H. (2009).Analysis on Children's Tolerance to Weak Recognition of 
Storytelling Robots.JCIT: Journal of Convergence Information Technology, 4(3), 103-109. 
Mitnik, R., Recabarren, M., Nussbaum, M. & Soto, A. (2009). Collaborative robotic 
instruction: A graph teaching experience, Computers and Education, 53(2), 330-342. 
Wei, C. W., Hung, I. C., Lee, L. & Chen, N. S (2011).A joyful classroom learning system 
with robot learning companion for children to learn mathematics multiplications.The 
Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(2), 11-23.

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2014 CALL Conference 
LINGUAPOLIS
www.antwerpcall.be 
Jonathan R. White 
Högskolan Dalarna, Falun, Sweden 
[e-mail] 
Native and Non-native Norms in CALL 
Bio data 
 
Jonathan White
is a senior lecturer in English linguistics at Högskolan Dalarna in 
Sweden. He also teaches courses in oral and written proficiency. His research covers 
computer-mediated communication, and in particular how language is economized in 
textchat. Interaction through economized language is another strand of research, and the 
affordances through CMC for participants to interact are of special interest. 
Abstract 
This talk discusses the problems of native and non-native norms in CALL research. 
Stemming from the tradition of error analysis, learners’ competence is often measured 
against native speaker norms. Deviations from these norms are identified as errors. Work 
since then, and particularly research rooted in World Englishes, has moved this debate on 
towards an acceptance of non-native norms as a valid learner target. Discourse 
communities of practice develop their own norms of usage, whether they comprise native 
or non-native speakers (Lave and Wenger 1991, Wenger 1998). 
Methodologically, the setting of norms is a complex process to map, and requires large 
sets of data over long periods of time. Variation among learners is a common feature 
that complicates the research process. However, as Larsen-Freeman and Cameron 
(2008), and Larsen-Freeman (2012) note, in Complexity Theory variation is an inevitable 
component of a system, and in fact can be seen as a marker that a system shift (such as 
the setting of a discourse norm) is in progress. The replicability of studies of norms can 
also be questioned, as the identification of the norm-setting process depends very much 
on the linguistic feature(s) in question, plus the make-up of the community. 
In the talk, we demonstrate that it is possible to identify the process of norm-setting in 
limited corpora of CALL data. We focus on the standardisation of reduced linguistic forms 
(such as clippings and homophones) within a community of Internet practice. We 
demonstrate that the process is visible over the period of an MA course in English 
Linguistics, and that it is the non-native speakers that are in control of it. As we might 
expect, the process is not complete in this limited time, and so longer-term studies are 
needed to truly see the whole process.