The 2025 ASFLA conference – SFL in Dialogue for a Dynamic Future – invites scholars, educators, and practitioners to explore the evolving role of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) in addressing the complex challenges of our rapidly changing world. At the heart of this conference theme is dialogue: dialogue across disciplines, cultures, modalities, and communities. Indeed, dialogue embodies the dynamic, negotiated nature of meaning-making and reflects SFL’s commitment to understanding language as a social semiotic system shaped by context.

This conference provides a platform to reflect on SFL’s rich theoretical foundations while envisioning new possibilities for SFL. In particular, the conference aims to:

Foster cross-generational and cross-disciplinary conversations within the SFL community
Showcase innovative research and applications of SFL in diverse settings
Strengthen SFL’s impact on social, educational, and technological landscapes
Explore how SFL can remain responsive and relevant in a dynamic future

Ultimately, we welcome contributions that spark dialogue, challenge assumptions, and inspire new directions for systemic functional research and practice. Of course, in the tradition of ASFLA conferences (and especially ASFLA conferences in Adelaide!), the conference theme of dialogue will extend beyond conference presentations. We also see this conference as an opportunity for productive dialogue in less formal, more ‘social’ settings; growing and nourishing the SFL community.

Please join us from 3-5 December 2025 at the City West campus of the University of South Australia.

Plenary and Keynote Speakers:

Associate Professor Victor Lim Fei

Associate Professor Victor Lim Fei, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Fei Victor Lim is Associate Professor and Deputy Head (Research), English Language and Literature, at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He researches and teaches on multiliteracies, multimodal discourse analyses, and digital learning. He is one of the editors for Multimodality and Society and an associate editor for Computers and Composition

Dr Georgia Caar

Dr Georgia Carr Research Fellow, General Practice Clinical School, The University of Sydney, New South Wales.

Georgia Carr is Research Fellow in the Institute for Communication in Healthcare at the Australian National University and in the General Practice Clinical School at The University of Sydney. Her research is in functional linguistics, educational linguistics and health communication. In particular, her expertise is in discourse analysis, evaluative language and corpus linguistics, with a focus on sex education, health and media.

Bradley Smith

Bradley A. Smith, PhD (Linguistics), BA Hons 1st Class (Linguistics), Macquarie University, New South Wales.

Bradley Smith (PhD) has researched and taught on the phonology and discourse functions of intonation for twenty years, across various institutions in Australia and around the world, as well as on spoken and written discourse modes and multimodality. He is Honorary Associate (Research) at University of Sydney (Department of Linguistics) and teaches at UNSW (School of Education). He also produces an online YouTube course on intonation, Listening for Meaning, as Dr Semiosmith.

Professor Pauline Jones, Professor of Language in Education at the University of Wollongong.
Drawing on systemic functional linguistics and genre-based literacy pedagogy, Pauline has worked in teacher education and curriculum reform in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Her research focuses on understanding and supporting students’ literacy development and teacher professional learning, through a number of research projects around oral language, curriculum literacies, literacy transition points, and multimodality. Pauline is co-author (with Beverly Derewianka) of Teaching Language in Context (OUP) as well as numerous publications deriving from research undertaken in collaboration with the profession.

Professor Beverly Derewianka is an Emeritus Professor and Professorial Fellow at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Beverly has worked in the field of Language and Literacy Education at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. She has acted as consultant to curriculum bodies nationally and internationally and has worked with various education systems in developing whole school literacy programs. She has acted as consultant to various curriculum bodies nationally and internationally, contributing to policy design and assessment procedures. She has written a number of books for teachers based on her research into students’ literacy development. Her publications include Exploring How Texts Work, A Grammar Companion, School Discourse: Learning to Write across the Years of Schooling (with Frances Christie) and Teaching Language in Context (with Pauline Jones).

Dr Peter White, School of the Arts and Media, University of Sydney.
Dr Peter White is one of the principal architects of the Appraisal framework, an account of the means by which texts convey evaluative and attitudinal meanings. He is influential in the development of linguistics-based analyses of mass communicative discourse (journalism, politics, corporate communications, public relations and advertising) and in the contrastive analysis of journalism and political rhetoric across languages and cultures. Prior to undertaking academic study, Dr White worked as a journalist and journalism trainer for almost 20 years (Sydney Morning Herald, The Adelaide Advertiser, Special Broadcasting Service -SBS). He gained his PhD from the University of Sydney in 2000 and prior to teaching media studies, linguistics, discourse analysis and journalism at the University of New South Wales taught linguistics and journalism at the University of Adelaide, linguistics and English Language studies at the University of Birmingham (UK), journalism and media studies at the University of Wollongong and linguistics at the University of Sydney. He is also a semi-professional jazz musicians, currently performing on saxophone and keyboards with the Travelling Circumstances jazz combo.

Conference costs (Opening Soon):

Full registration (for all x3 days): $450
Unwaged and students* (for all x3 days): $250
Single day: $200
Unwaged and students* (for single day): $100
A conference dinner will be held on the evening of Thursday 4 December $60.00 pp: Roma Adelaide, 11 Waymouth St, Adelaide SA 5000. Includes platters and main meal (alcohol not included)

Program
Teachers’ Day: Wednesday 3 December 2025

Accommodation (Please use Promo discount code UNIOFSA when booking for 15% off):
For all Oaks Hotels, please use link here.
For all Avani Hotels, please use link here.

Oaks Embassy 96 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000.
Oaks Horizons 104 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000.
iStay Precinct 185 Morphett St, Adelaide SA 5000.

Exploring Adelaide:

Adelaide, South Australia

Organising committee:

• David Caldwell • Bron Parkin

• Brian Dare • Bev White

• Nayia Cominos • Claire Simpson-Smith

• Lisl Fenwick • Bron Custance

• Hiromi Teramoto • Jean Mendrin
ASFLA

Program Teachers’ Day: Wednesday 3 December 2025

Program
Teachers’ Day: Wednesday 3 December 2025

Contact the host of The 2025 ASFLA Conference – SFL in Dialogue for a Dynamic Future