News

05/09/2008 - 09:37

Learning a language... and wanting to use it

In the current educational context, in which targets are set for training students to use three or more languages, it comes as something of a surprise that in educational policies, in teacher training and in schools' educational plans, more attention isn't given to the psycho-social factors that have a decisive influence on success in learning a language, and to an even greater degree on its effective use.

18/08/2008 - 13:43

Erasmus Intensive Language Courses (EILC)

Since January 2008, the author has been in touch with the European Commission with a view to getting Catalan added to the list of eligible languages in the Erasmus Intensive Language Courses (EILC).

05/08/2008 - 16:34

Basque, the common language of the Basques

I would like to make the most of this opportunity to offer a few comments on the use made by some segments of the media (and certain manifestos) of the concept of a «common language». It is a use that I believe to be both perverse and politically influenced. I offer this opinion in the midst of a maelstrom of pure propagandist media in Spain focused around the Manifesto in defence of the common language, in which the desire to establish a linguistic hierarchy is expressed openly and frankly for the first time since the start of the transition to democracy. According to this hierarchy, Spanish is the language that all citizens of Spain need to know, while the other official languages (Galician, Basque, Catalonian) play only a minor role as dispensable afterthoughts. Savater et al. express this view very clearly: the public space would be completely occupied by Spanish, and the other languages would all be dispensable. In any case, the right of monolingual Spanish speakers to remain monolingual is fiercely defended and all kinds of obstacles are placed in the path of the sociolinguistic integration of immigrants in the Catalonian or Basque languages.

09/07/2008 - 07:51

Bilingual education in Kuna Yala

Kuna Yala, the homeland of the Kuna nation, is a region in northeastern Panama that extends to the Columbian border along the shores of the Caribbean Sea. The Kuna General Congress, the institution representing this native nation in Panama set up an Education Commission, active since 2001 to persuade Kuna organizations to kick-start a Bilingual Intercultural Education reform. With Spanish International Cooperation support the reform is now at the second stage of implementation.

16/06/2008 - 17:02

France to have reference to «regional languages» inserted in its Constitution

On May 22 France's National Assembly almost unanimously approved an amendment concerning its regional languages. The amendment, unexpectedly put forward by Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party, proposed that the following sentence be added to Article 1 of the Constitution : Les langues régionales appartiennent au patrimoine de la Nation; in other words: regional languages are part of the Nation's heritage.

04/06/2008 - 16:53

Concerning the debate on regional languages at the French National Assembly: a law to ratify what is being done and a possible amendment to the Constitution

On the past 8th of May, 2008, regional languages were the topic of a debate at the National Assembly, following a declaration by the Government. Did this constitute a historic debate? It is true that it is the first time since 1958, since the birth of the 5th Republic, that this subject is debated.

16/05/2008 - 09:04

While Europe supports linguistic diversity, endangered languages remain threatened

The European Commission hosted a public hearing on the place and role of languages within the EU on 15th April, 2008. The event ended a wide-ranging public consultation on multilingualism which was launched at the end of last year. However, while the survey revealed strong support for less widely used languages the EU support and provision for Europe's endangered languages has virtually disappeared.

06/05/2008 - 16:30

Does language have a place in the European market?

Europe took the market as the starting point on its path towards union in a bid to create a closer, more solid union among the countries. The market is taken as the basis of the union, yet many fear that it may have become the aim on the road to union when it was only supposed to be the basis.

17/04/2008 - 12:35

First digital word

Let me tell you an event belonging to the pre-digital age. Two girls were dancing together, two boys went up to them to ask them to dance, and this was the «conversation» that ensued. It goes without saying that the environment and the people around them were Basque, bilingual people (Basque bilinguals), to be precise:

07/04/2008 - 09:11

Requesting something in Basque is not an attack on the seller

About a month ago two friends who had been to Barcelona on business brought me a menu as a present from the smart La Bodega restaurant, located in the Gracia district. It was written in Spanish and Basque.

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