All people have the right to learn and use their mother-tongue, and to learn a second and third language. This formal right is often absent and its use in practice is often less well guaranteed and less developed than should be the case, especially for speakers of smaller languages variously labelled as ‘regional’, ‘minority’, ‘immigrant’, ‘community’ (including sign languages), ‘heritage’ languages, etc. The conference will focus on theoretical and empirical work in research and implementation of teaching and learning models and strategies for language learning.
The conference will combine the fields of interest of the partner institutions. The LWW CETL focuses on languages of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. The focus of MERCATOR and the Fryske Akademy is on language learning and language transmission of Regional and Minority Languages and smaller state languages in Europe. This conference will bring together researchers and practitioners from these various fields to define, analyse and explore new directions and paradigms for ‘Languages of the Wider World’. It will also provide opportunities for further research and future collaborations.
The parallel sessions will cover four broad themes: Language Transmission,
Education Issues,
New Technologies, and
Social Benefits and Costs.
Keynote speakers
Dr Lid King (The National Director for Languages, The Languages Company, UK)
"Multilingualism - The Policy Paradox"
Professor John Edwards (St Francis Xavier University, Canada)
"Multilingualism: Recognition, Rights and Realities"
Professor Viv Edwards (University of Reading, UK)
"Interdisciplinary perspectives of African language materials for children"
Robert Bibeau (ICT expert, Quebec, Canada) "Using Information & Communication Technology in Language Teaching & Learning"
Professor Durk Gorter (University of the Basque Country, Spain) "Glocalization and sustainable linguistic diversity"
For further details and to register, please follow the links below .
