Presenting at CALICO 2025!
Hi all,
🌟 I’m thrilled to share some exciting news! My presentation, “i love your russian memes”: How multilingual couples leverage texting to learn each other’s languages, has been accepted for the CALICO 2025 Conference in San Diego, CA, hosted May 27–31, 2025! 🎉
As you might have seen from my previous post, my upcoming presentation at AAAL 2025 (March 2025) will illustrate how multilingual partners position themselves as “experts” and “novices” in language and culture, acting as guides, facilitators, and sometimes gatekeepers of their partner’s language learning. It also examines how (in)accessibility of resources shape the ways in which couples invest (or not!) in learning.
My CALICO 2025 talk will dive even deeper into the digitally-mediated dynamics of multilingual interaction—particularly the fascinating role of MEMES, EMOJIS, CHATGPT, and other TECHNOLOGICAL affordances in L2 learning.
HERE’S A SNEAK PEAK OF WHAT I WILL COVER:
📲 MEMES are much more than entertainment—they’re multi-layered cultural artifacts loaded with linguistic, pragmatic, and socially-driven meaning. Partners use them to create personalized, rich exchanges that deepen emotional connections, share insider cultural knowledge, and boost L2 investment.
✨ Features like replies, message editing, images, screenshots (e.g., sharing other conversations or even ChatGPT responses), and favoriting/saving messages allow couples to engage in language learning in ways that face-to-face interactions can’t replicate, offering unique opportunities for learning and connection.
Beyond romantic relationships, these findings open exciting possibilities for language-learning apps and educators. By integrating semiotic resources like memes and emphasizing media literacy, highlighting digital communication in L2 learning contexts can open up new avenues for intercultural understanding and second language acquisition. 📱🌍
I can’t wait to present these findings and share how texting, memes, and emojis can reshape how we think about language learning and connection in multilingual settings. Stay tuned for updates as the conference approaches!
As always, thank you for your incredible support! 🙏💕
Best,
Kris Cook
