AnimeGo!

A fantastic linguistic masterclass at the OzAsia Festival event, AnimeGO Japan Pop Culture Festival in Adelaide, South Australia on October 27!

The masterclass was an interactive session that delved into the use of language in context, image stereotypes, and representations in Japanese animation and Manga, and the genre's influence in European comic book literature, specifically la bande dessinée franco-belge, followed by excerpts of my new language class Language in Action™ presenting a character design and illustration workshop creating a character and exploring the role of language within the character's narrative.

Thanks to a beautiful audience participation, the lecturers, teachers, and students who joined the conversation and participated in the event creating stunning representations, and to AnimeGO in inviting me to present at the cultural festival!

I look forward to the next stages of my speaking tour for schools and language teaching associations in Victoria and Canberra!

Thanks to Mr Matt Bushell for this beautiful post-masterclass presentation!

Stuart can be booked to present a masterclass at your event from this website!

Lights, camera, japanese language in action!

My speaking tour across South Australia continues, and today was a highlight with a fantastic linguistics masterclass presented to Japanese students at Blackwood Primary School. The positive impact on their language learning was truly inspiring!

Today's masterclass about Japanese animation and Manga was an interactive session in which we discussed the use of language in context, image stereotypes, and representations, followed by a character design and illustration workshop in which the students were guided through the process of creating their characters, adding the target language to the comic strip, and understanding how language is used in the context of their characters' stories.

Linguistics plays a crucial role in language learning by providing insights into the structure, usage, and acquisition of languages. My innovative methodology, Language in Action™, uses sequential art, a form of storytelling using a sequence of images, to enhance second language acquisition. This approach contextualises learning, making it more engaging and memorable, and helps learners actively understand and retain new vocabulary and language structures.

Thanks to the Japanese language department at the Blackwood Primary School for booking me to present to a great group of students!

A beautiful post-presentation testimony!

Stuart A. Blair's Manga Workshop at Blackwood Primary School was exceptional. His deep knowledge of manga, its history, and culture, combined with his engaging and hands-on approach, made the session both educational and fun. The students not only learned how to draw manga but also gained a rich understanding of its cultural significance. Stuart's passion and interactive style made for an unforgettable experience that our students will cherish.

Matt Brown

Japanese Teacher

Blackwood Primary School 

Constructed Language Lectures at The University of Adelaide

I'm having an absolute hoot with linguistics students at The University of Adelaide lecturing about the exciting world of Constructed languages.

The two-hour lecture investigates languages created for the entertainment industry—Constructed languages (Conlangs).The lecture analyses constructed languages. It classifies them into Auxiliary Languages (Auxlangs), such as Esperanto, Ido and Volapük, and Artistically-constructed Languages (Artlangs), such as Klingon, Quenya, High Valyrian, and Dothraki, providing basic knowledge in a language such as greetings; introduction, emotion, and a farewell; a unique characteristic; the influence of the language family on global society and information about where it might be possible to continue to learn one of more than 450 Constructed languages in Australia or online.

Thanks to Dr Eve Afifa Kheir | Faculty of Arts, Business & Economics, The University of Adelaide, for including me in the program of lectures.

A vibrant linguistic presentation at State Library of South Australia

I had a great time with the audience discussing the use of language in science fiction and fantasy literature.

I delved into language root stems and etymology during the Q & A session post-presentation with a most-receptive and enthusiastic audience!

Time to Inspire!

Appreciative thanks to Professor Ghil'ad Zuckermann of the University of Adelaide for including me as a lecturer on the topic, Revivalistics, semester one 2022.

The course explores Revivalistics, a new trans-disciplinary field of enquiry surrounding language reclamation, revitalization and reinvigoration. It studies comparatively and systematically the universal constraints and global mechanisms on the one hand, and local peculiarities and idiosyncrasies on the other hand, apparent in revival attempts across various sociological backgrounds, all over the world.

Today's lecture presented the findings of a field trip aimed at immersing a group of children learning Barngarla (an Indigenous language) as part of a trilingual linguistic program I coordinate at an Educational centre in Adelaide's Northern Suburbs. 

In an Australian first, the children travelled to Port Lincoln in the Eyre Peninsula region of South Australia to undertake a cross-cultural exchange with the Barngarla People.