Verbalising the un-verbalised

The key assumption which led to the construction of this volume is twofold: its first thread is that there is a strong link between beliefs and language, and its second facet is that this link and our linguistic beliefs needS to be constantly challenged. Fundamental as it may sound, the relationship between language and beliefs is hardly ever discussed, with various communities and circles rather sharing approach to the issue in question (without ever verbalizing it) and viewing language, its presence and applications, from a similar perspective. This form of tacit agreement with regard to what we think of language is undoubtedly detrimental to the linguistic development of teachers and students who unconsciously become fixed in their linguistic outlook. And yet, when we think of it, the link in question opens up numerous questions worth examining, which can be classified as pertaining to connections (e.g. What is first – language or beliefs?), systems (e.g. To what extent is the axiological side of language taken into account by different educational systems around the globe?), domains (e.g. How do our linguistic beliefs relate to our language skills and to our overall linguistic success?), and disciplines (e.g. Which theories address the axiological dimension of language learning and use? or – very importantly from the perspective of empirical studies aimed at with the volume – Which methodologies to apply for studies of the language-and-beliefs link?).