Sarah O Brien

Biography

My research reflects a cross-pollination of disciplinary approaches and is primarily engaged with the application of applied linguistic theory and methodologies to personal narratives, particularly to narratives of the Irish Diaspora. In my research of Irish migrant enclaves in England (2009) and Argentina (2015) I adopt a discourse analysis approach, in which recorded narratives are engaged with from various perspectives; sociolinguistic, ethno-poetic and folkloric. I am simultaneously committed to research that evaluates best practice in the field of English Language Learning and the impact that such practices have on the linguistic identities of minority communities. Dual language Education has become an area of increased import among Hispanic communities in the United States and I am currently engaged in research that questions how the principles of dual language education as modelled in California and New Mexico can be transplanted to and applied within the Irish primary education system. I am also investigating the implications such approaches might have on the maintenance of heritage and indigeneous languages in the home-place and the potential to sustainably draw heritage languages into the mainstream classroom. As Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director of the Center for English Language Learning and Teaching (CELLT) I am in the fortuitous position of both exploring theories of English Language Learning and Teaching and in overseeing courses and curricula designed to meet the academic needs of Trinity College Dublin's culturally and linguistically diverse student population.

Research Interest

Argentina; Bilingualism & Irish Diaspora; Heritage language education; Irish Diaspora