University of Sydney / Faculty of Arts / Department of French Studies / Staff / Academic Staff

Dr Caroline Lipovsky

LLB (Paris II), MA (Paris I), MA in Applied Linguistics, PhD (University of Sydney)
Lecturer
Room 752, Brennan MacCallum A18
Email:
+61 2 9351 3651

I have taught French language and culture at all levels in a range of institutions in South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia. While in Korea, I also co-presented bi-weekly French language programs on Korean television.

With a background in law and marketing, I have also worked a number of years in the commercial departments of various companies in South Korea, France and Hong Kong. This sparked my interest in intercultural communication and the language used in the workplace. This is how I came to research self-presentation in job interviews in French and Australasian-English in my PhD thesis, analysing the linguistic resources whereby candidates demonstrate their expertise, construct their professional identity, and build co-membership with their interviewers.

Projects include a study of self-presentation in job applicants’ résumés and cover letters, and a study of candidates’ non-verbal communication in job interviews. I am also currently collaborating with Dr Ahmar Mahboob, analysing students’ evaluations of their native and non-native speaking teachers in TESOL.

Research areas

  • Impression management
  • Intercultural communication
  • Language of the workplace
  • Systemic Functional Linguistics
  • Language of evaluation, Appraisal
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Current Projects

  • Exploring linguistic aspects of impression management in job interviews in French and English.
  • Investigating linguistic aspects of self-presentation in cover letters and résumés.
  • Analysing students’ evaluations of their native and non-native English speaking teachers in TESOL (with Dr Ahmar Mahboob).

Selected publications

  • Studies in Applied Linguistics and Language Learning (Ed. A. Mahboob & C. Lipovsky) Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 2009. 354 pp.
    http://www.c-s-p.org/Flyers/Studies-in-Applied-Linguistics-and-Language-Learning1-4438-1239-0.htm
  • Identities, policies and practices in applied linguistics [with Ahmar Mahboob]. A. Mahboob & C. Lipovsky (Eds.) Studies in Applied Linguistics and Language Learning. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 2009. 1-12.
  • Constructing affiliation and solidarity in job interviews, Discourse and Communication, Vol. 2(4) 2008, pp. 411-432.
  • The semantics of graduation: Examining ESL learners’ use of graduation over time [with Ahmar Mahboob], in Mahboob, A. and Knight, N. (Eds.), Questioning Linguistics, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, UK, 2008. pp. 224-240.
  • Making a good impression in job interviews in French: strategies and outcomes, Journal of the Australasian Universities Language and Literature Association (AUMLA), Special Issue, 2007. pp. 129-141.
  • Examining attitudes towards NESTs and NNESTs: a comparison of a thematic vs. an appraisal analysis [with Ahmar Mahboob], in Gitsaki, C. (Ed.), Language and Languages: Global and Local Tensions, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, UK, 2007. pp. 292-306.
  • Candidates’ negotiation of their expertise in job interviews, Journal of Pragmatics, Vol. 38 (8), 2006. pp. 1147-1174.
  • Self-presentation in job interviews, in Ramallo, F., Lorenzo, A. and Rodr'guez-Yáñez X.P. (Eds.), Discourse and Enterprise : Communication, Business, Management and other Professional Fields, LINCOM Studies in Pragmatics 15, LINCOM, München, 2006. pp. 263-276.
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Areas of teaching and research supervision

  • French language
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Systemic Functional Linguistics
  • Research methods in applied linguistics
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Conference activity

  • ‘It’s really a great presentation!’: Interviewers’ evaluations of candidates in job interviews. 3rd International Free Linguistics Conference, University of Sydney, 10-11 October 2009
  • ‘It’s a pity it’s a great pity that we have to choose at all’: A study of interviewers’ appraisal in job interviews. International Systemic Functional Conference, Tsinghua University, 14-18 July 2009
  • Impression management strategies in job applications: A study of practices in France. Inaugural Conference of the Asia-Pacific Rim LSP and Professional Communication Association, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and City University of Hong Kong, 8-10 December 2008
  • Sharing professional co-membership in job interviews. Inaugural Conference of the Asia-Pacific Rim LSP and Professional Communication Association, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and City University of Hong Kong, 8-10 December 2008
  • Making a good impression in résumés in French. 2nd International Free Linguistics Conference, University of Sydney, 11-12 October 2008
  • Learning to graduate: A study of Japanese ESL students' use and development of graduation [with Ahmar Mahboob]. 1st International Free Linguistics Conference, University of Sydney, 6-7 October 2007
  • The semantics of graduation: examining ESL learners’ use over time [with Ahmar Mahboob]. Australian Systemic Functional Linguistics Association (ASFLA) Congress, University of Wollongong, 29 June-1 July 2007
  • Making a good impression in job interviews in French. Australasian Universities Language and Literature Association (AULLA) Congress, University of New South Wales, 5-7 February 2007
  • Negotiating rapport in job interviews in French and English. Early Career Researchers (ECR) Conference, School of Languages and Cultures, University of Sydney, 6 October 2006
  • Appraising native and non-native English speaking teachers in TESOL [with Ahmar Mahboob] Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA) Congress, University of Queensland, 5-8 July 2006
  • Negotiating solidarity in job interviews: the role of the participants’ semantic choices. International Systemic Functional Conference, University of Sydney, 17-22 July 2005
  • A hitchhiker’s guide to job interviews: negotiating one’s expertise. Systemic Functional Seminar, University of Sydney, 10 June 2005
  • Small talk, name-dropping and personal disclosure: establishing co-membership in job interviews. Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA) Congress, University of South Australia, 15-17 July 2004
  • Making a good impression in a job interview: the role of the applicant’s lexico-grammatical choices. 8th Doctoral Meeting in Linguistics, University Paris 7 Denis Diderot, 7-8 July 2003
  • Candidate’s self-presentation versus interviewer’s perception: an analysis of job interviews held in French. Language, Text and Culture Workshop, School of European, Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Studies, University of Sydney, 1-2 February 2001
  • Presenting oneself successfully in job interviews in French. French Department Seminar, University of Sydney, 19 October 2000
  • Impression management in cross-cultural job interviews. Applied Linguistics Association of Australia (ALAA) Congress, University of Melbourne, 7-9 July 2000
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Other professional contributions

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