Languages and cultures in the regions - A tribute to Ruth Nicholls (1947-2024)

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia

Multilingual and multicultural Australia is often portrayed through urban contexts, yet this article contests that framing by tracing half a century of languages and multicultural teaching and research that originated in Armidale in the New England region of NSW. It draws on a manuscript prepared by Ruth Nicholls (1947–2024), documenting decades of innovation in applied linguistics, TESOL, and languages and cultures education, and highlighting productive collaboration among local specialists. Received 27 Aug 2025; revised 14 Nov 2025; accepted 25 Nov 2025; published 27 Nov 2025.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Context: multilingualism in New England NSW

Dedication to Ruth Nicholls

Leading the languages education field from the 1970s to 1990s

UNE early language disciplines

Diploma in Migrant Teaching (1973)

Language and program developments

Languages and cultures in the regions: A tribute to Ruth Nicholls (1947-2024) Susan Feez 1 Elizabeth Ellis2 Isabel Tasker3 Zuocheng Zhang4 Helen Harper5 1University of New England, Armidale, Australia 2University of New England, Armidale, Australia 3University of New England, Armidale, Australia 4University of New England, Armidale, Australia 5University of New England, Armidale, Australia Abstract Multilingual and multicultural Australia is typically represented in urban settings. This representation is challenged by half a century of languages and multicultural teaching and research originating in Armidale in the New England region of NSW. From the 1970s to the present, educational institutions in Armidale have been leaders in the multicultural, TESOL and languages education fields, a tradition recorded in a manuscript prepared by Ruth Nicholls (1947-2024), a lecturer in TESOL and Languages at the Armidale College of Advanced Education (ACAE) and at the University of New England (UNE) from the early 1970s until her retirement in 2013. This manuscript, which accompanies a carefully documented archive, records innovation in applied linguistics, TESOL, languages and cultures education over decades, as well as productive collaboration between Armidale-based specialists working in these fields. This paper draws on Ruth’s manuscript (Nicholls, ca. 2014) to trace TESOL, languages and cultures Correspondence Susan Feez [sfeez@une.edu.au](sfeez@une.edu.au) Publication Received: 27 August 2025 Revision: 14 November 2025 Accepted: 25 November 2025 Published: 27 November 2025 Copyright ©2025 TESOL in Context This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – ShareAlike 4.0 International License. education and research in the New England region, extending the account up to the present and into regions beyond the New England. Keywords: Applied linguistics; languages and cultures education; regional educational heritage; TESOL. Introduction In 1973, at a time when the White Australia policy was only just coming to an end, and public awareness of Aboriginal history, culture and society beyond colonial era justification for dispossession was only just emerging, courses in Aboriginal and multicultural education, as well as courses in languages education, including TESOL, were established at the Armidale College of Advanced Education (ACAE) . These courses were the origin of more than half a century of unbroken languages and multicultural education in Armidale. Multiculturalism and multilingualism in the New England region of NSW, where Armidale is located, has a much longer history than half a century. As recorded by Clayton-Dixon (2019), a community of five languages, alongside languages from two other language families, has been used by First Nations Australians on the New England Tableland for millennia. Nevertheless, the formal teaching of languages and cultures education in Armidale at the ACAE and at the University of New England (UNE) over five decades is a heritage worth celebrating, especially when viewed alongside the ‘monolingual mindset’, that is, English monolingualism understood as the ‘unmarked case’, so apparently entrenched in settler Australian culture throughout most of this time (Clyne, 2008; Ellis, 2006, 2008) . This article is dedicated to the memory of Ruth Nicholls, a long-serving and devoted lecturer in TESOL and Languages education at both theACAE and at UNE until her retirement in 2013 . From 1973 to the present, educators in Armidale, Ruth’s friends and colleagues, have continued to implement programs in languages and cultures designed to overcome the ‘limitation of human potential’ represented by monolingualism (Ellis, 2008, p. 316) . That the heritage of languages and cultures education in Armidale is recorded is largely thanks to Ruth, whose carefully curated archive, a post-retirement labour of love, is the source of much of the history recounted below. This h

FAQs

What is the central focus of the tribute?

The tribute traces the development of TESOL, languages, and cultures education in the New England region, emphasizing Armidale’s educational heritage and Ruth Nicholls’ contribution through her manuscript and archive.

How did languages and cultures education begin in Armidale in this account?

The article highlights 1973 as a key starting point, when courses in Aboriginal and multicultural education and languages education (including TESOL) were established at the Armidale College of Advanced Education (ACAE), leading to continuous programs over decades.

Why is the “monolingual mindset” discussed in the introduction?

It is used to frame the motivation behind programs designed to counter the limitations associated with English monolingualism, showing how educators pursued multilingual and culturally responsive teaching.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia