Associate Professor Dr. Suzanne K. Hilgendorf was invited to organize one of six featured theme sessions at the 12th International Symposium on Bilingualism, held June 23 - 28, 2019 at the University of Alberta.

The featured panel of three speakers addressed the topic of “Multilingualism in the Expanding Circle”, which focused on the increasing uses of English as an Additional Language in speech communities around the world.

Dr. Hilgendorf presented a paper examining “Transnational Media and English Use in the Expanding Circle”, which explored the roles of cinema, television, and online streaming services in facilitating contact with English. PhD student Bouchra Kachoub spoke on “Linguistic Landscapes in a Multilingual Maghreb”, providing an analysis of English shop signs in the city of Casablanca. 

The third speaker was Professor Elizabeth Martin of California State University, San Bernardino, USA, who gave a presentation entitled “Marketing Discourses and World Englishes: A Comparison of France and Quebec”. Dr. Joel Heng-Hartse of SFU’s Faculty of Education provided concluding remarks as the Discussant for the panel.