News
The result of the EFNIL Master's Thesis Competition 2023
Three talented students were awarded the EFNIL Master's Thesis Competition this year; Julia Elena Pardo Alonso, Fani Morali and Denise Weghofer.
Information about upcoming events
We are happy to inform you about three upcoming conferences that might be of interest to you.
Seminar on eTranslation for EFNIL members
The Directorate General for Translation demonstrated their online translation tool at a webinar exclusively for EFNIL members and organisations.
The result of the EFNIL Master's Thesis Competition
Two talented students were awarded the EFNIL Master's Thesis Competition this year; Chiara Ceppi and Riccardo Bravi.
Towards Digital Language Equality: META-FORUM 2022 presents project results and newest release of European Language Grid
Three years after the last in-person meeting, the annual European conference on Language Technology returns to Brussels: META-FORUM 2022 takes place as a hybrid event on 8 and 9 June and focuses on “Joining the European Language Grid – Together Towards Digital Language Equality”. The conference presents the results of the European Language Grid and European Language Equality projects, but also includes highlights such as an LT industry session and insights into the needs and future demands of the European Language Technology community. Registration for online and on-site participation is open and, as usual, free of charge.
EFNIL listed on the ec.europa.eu website
A description of EFNIL which also mentions the ELM and ELIPS projects has been published on ec.europa.eu website.
Online Forum: "Innovation, Technologies and Plurilingualism"
The Online Forum will be held from 7 to 9 February 2022, organised by the Ministry of Culture - General Delegation for the French Language and Languages of France.
META-FORUM 2021: Using the European Language Grid
META-FORUM 2021 will take place on 15-17 November 2021.
The Result of the Election of the New EC
A new Executive Committee has been elected for the period 2021-24.
The Results of the second EFNIL Master's Thesis Competition
Here are the winners of the second EFNIL Master's Thesis Award: Agnes Kim, Pia Nilsson and Anne-Mieke Thieme.
2020 ECSPM Online Symposium
ECSPM organise an Online Symposium 7-9 December 2020, entitled "Linguistic & Cultural (Super)Diversity at Work: From theory and policy to action and (digital) practices".
META-FORUM 2020
META-FORUM 2020: Piloting the European Language Grid will take place virtually on 1-3 December 2020.
Banana bread, selfies and social distancing: the first major English-Irish dictionary in over 60 years published
In an online event at 1pm on Friday 30 th of October 2020 the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins officially launched the Concise English-Irish Dictionary.
The Results of the EFNIL Master's Thesis Competition
Here are the winners of the EFNIL Master's Thesis Award: Nastja Slavec, Magdalena Pawlik, Kristina Babic.
EFNIL General Assembly and webinar in 2020
The Executive Committee has decided to organise a virtual event at the same time as our original Conference. It will consist of our General Assembly as well as a webinar.
New language law and new white paper on languages
On 12 May 2020, the Norwegian Government presented a proposal for a new language law and a new white paper on languages. Never before has Norway had a comprehensive language law. The main points are given here.
EFNIL Annual Conference 2020
2020 EFNIL annual conference will be postponed for a year to 6–8 October 2021.
Presentation about EFNIL at the ConsILR Conference
Ms. Elene Tamba made a presentation about EFNIL at the ConsILR 2019 Conference held on 20th November in Cluj-Napoca.
17th Annual Conference in Tallinn
The 17th EFNIL conference and General Assembly were held in Tallinn between 9th and 11th October.
First guidelines for Danish subtitles
The Danish organisation of media translators has released their first guidelines for subtitles and even published it on an English website.
The 12th international PLAIN-conference 2019
The 12th International Plain conference will be held on 25-27 September 2019 in Oslo.
2019 ECSPM SYMPOSIUM
The ECSPM symposium will take place 21-22 March 2019 hosted by the Centre of Literacy and Multilingualism (CeLM), University of Reading, UK.
Annual Conference and Elections in Amsterdam
The 16th EFNIL conference and GA with elections were held in Amsterdam between 10th and 12th October.
2018 Symposium of the Civili Society Platform for Multilingualism
Paradigm Shift in Language Education for the Development of Multiliterate and Plurilingual Agencies
A large scale European survey on dictionary use
On May 8th 2017, a large scale European survey on dictionary use has been launched, which will be conducted in 29 countries and in 26 different languages.
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Stickel was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Stickel, former Director of IDS and President of EFNIL, was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class on 28 February 2017.
EFNIL at the European Terminology Summit 2016
At the invitation of TermCoord, EFNIL took part at the eighth European Terminology Summit, which took place in Luxembourg on 14–15 November 2016.
EFNIL is now a legal entity
As approved by the General Assembly in Warsaw, EFNIL was registered as an Association sans but lucratif (ASBL) in Luxembourg on 8th November, 2016.
University of Latvia awards Honorary Doctorate to the President of EFNIL Gerhard Stickel
On September 28, 2016, professor Gerhard Stickel. President of the European Federation of National Institutions for Language (EFNIL) was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University of Latvia for significant contribution to the European language policy and for cooperation with the University of Latvia in the field of linguistics.
EFNIL at the META-FORUM 2016 Conference
EFNIL was represented at the META-FORUM 2016 'Beyond Multilingual Europe' Conference, which was held on July 04/05, 2016 in Lisbon, Portugal.
New book on the language arrangements and legal provisions that currently exist in EU law
Stefaan van der Jeught : EU Language Law
Warsaw meeting of EFNIL Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of EFNIL had a live meeting on 17th May 2016 in Warsaw and discussed the details of the next EFNIL conference with local organisers. The meeting was hosted by Rada Języka Polskiego przy Prezydium Polskiej Akademii Nauk (Council for the Polish Language).
Of two minds: The advantages of working in your own language are obvious. Those of working in a foreign one are subtle
"MORE and more of the world is working in English. Multinational companies (even those based in places such as Switzerland or Japan) are making it their corporate language. And international bodies like the European Union and the United Nations are doing an ever-greater share of business in the world’s new default language. At the office, it’s English’s world, and every other language is just living in it. ..."
The Bitter Fight Over the Benefits of Bilingualism
For decades, some psychologists have claimed that bilinguals have better mental control. Their work is now being called into question.
New journal: The International Journal of Bias, Identity and Diversities in Education
We announce a new journal which is relevant to the topic of the next EFNIL conference ( "Stereotypes and linguistic prejudices in Europe")
Wales: School language learning decline tackled by universities
A new scheme to help reverse a sharp decline in foreign language learning in schools in Wales has been announced by four universities. Under the pilot project, Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea undergraduates will be trained to coach school pupils on their language skills.
CNN Learn English
CNN intends to enter learning market with the launch of an international online English language learning service.
Is it possible to get robots to teach refugee children the language of the host country? Germany is willing to try…
First Live Meeting of Renewed EFNIL EC
The new Executive Committee of EFNIL had its first live meeting on 10th December 2015 in Brussels. The meeting was hosted by the Nederlandse Taalunie and was held on the premises of the Brussels Office of the organisation. Acting as hosts, Ms Mieke Smits and Mr Kevin R. De Coninck gave an account of their activities and plans of their Unit. Participants in the ensuing friendly exchange confirmed their readiness for cooperation in the future.
EFNIL president Gerhard Stickel gave invited talk at the forum of National Council of the Maltese Language
New obstacle in France to the ratification of the Charter of regional languages
"Despite government backing for the French ratification of the ECRML in a new legal text the Conseil d'Etat has decided to advise against ratification, discussed by Le Monde here. Increasingly the whole issue of Charter ratification is becoming a distraction from the real issue of regional language endangerment, the loss of inter generational transmission, and the pressing need for 'regional' language acts to give each language coofficial status in its territory coupled with regional government competence for language regeneration and Breton, Corsican etc, medium education." EUROLANG Facebook page
Distinguished linguist Ruqaiya Hasan dies
With great sorrow we announce that eminent semanticist and sociolinguist Ruqaiya Hasan has died.
Bilingual Students Need Support in Their Native Language
In a speech in February, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that foreign-language learning and the development of other skills not directly related to reading and math are "essentials, not luxuries" for public education. The contradiction here is of course stark: There are many new Americans who already speak a "foreign language" that would provide the US with greater international competitiveness in business and a useful edge in geopolitics, yet these students are hampered in developing those skills by state and national education policies. Without actively and continuously cultivating bilingual skills in bilingual students, they are limiting the U.S.A.'s language resources.
University modern language courses easier to get on than five years ago
A student's chances of getting into a leading university to study languages have increased in the past five years, as interest dwindles and applications plummet, new figures suggest. At Cambridge University, applications to study European languages dropped from 580 in 2010 to 385 in 2014, meaning students now have a 44.2% chance of getting a place compared with 28.4% in 2010. At King's College London there were 1,165 applications and 150 acceptances in 2010, an acceptance rate of 12.9%. In 2014 there were 575 applications and 125 acceptances, taking the rate up to to 21.7%.
Think your world view is fixed? Learn another language and you'll think differently
In the past 15 years there has been an overwhelming amount of research on the bilingual mind, with the majority of the evidence pointing to the tangible advantages of using more than one language. Going back and forth between languages appears to be a kind of brain training, pushing your brain to be flexible.
Education in a Multilingual World
This document aims to clarify some of the key concepts and issues that surround the debate and presents in a simplified and synthetic form the many declarations and recommendations that have made reference to the issues of languages and education. These are stated as UNESCO guidelines and principles.
Linguistics Beyond And Within 2015
International Linguistics Conference in Lublin Building on the success of the first two conferences, the Institute of English Studies at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland, is organizing the 3rd meeting of Linguistics Beyond And Within - International Linguistics Conference in Lublin. The conference, to be held on 22-23 October 2015, will be hosted by the Department of Applied Linguistics, the Department of Theoretical Linguistics, and the Department of Contrastive English-Polish Studies. The language of the conference is English. This year the talks will be guided by the following leitmotif: Mind, language, society: towards a unified theory of language structure and use As previously, we would like to invite scholars with innovative approaches to linguistics viewed from a range of intra- and interdisciplinary perspectives. We wish to encourage all linguists representing various theoretical models and practical applications to present their contributions during both oral and poster sessions in the following research areas: -- theoretical linguistics - phonetics & phonology - morphology - semantics - syntax -- corpus studies -- applied linguistics - language teaching & language acquisition - pragmatics - discourse analysis - translation studies -- socio- and psycholinguistics as well as during the following special sessions: -- Slavic studies -- Cognitive linguistics Each paper presentation in an oral session will be scheduled for a 20-minute talk followed by a 10-minute discussion. Poster sessions will last about 40 minutes when the authors are required to be present and ready to answer questions from participants passing by. The poster format is 100x70cm (vertical orientation). The language of the conference is English. Abstract submission Abstracts of no more than 400 words (including references) should be sent by 30th June 2015 in .doc format to our e-mail address: lingbaw@gmail.com. It is expected that any paper presented at LingBaW 2015 is original and has not been previously presented or published. In the body of the email, please include the following information: title of paper, name of author, scientific degree, affiliation, research area (one from the abovementioned) and form of presentation (speech / poster). Abstracts will be reviewed anonymously. Please do not put your name on the abstract itself. Notification of acceptance will be sent by 15th August. Conference fee The conference fee is 300 PLN (80 EUR) and includes conference materials, reception, refreshments and publication of the proceedings. Proceedings The preliminary deadline for submission of completed papers is 31st January 2016. Further information For more information and updates visit our website: http://lingbaw.webclass.co/ Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at lingbaw@gmail.com
Budapest Linguistics Conference
We are pleased to announce the Budapest Linguistics Conference, which will take place at Eötvös Loránd University from 18 to 20 June 2015. The conference will be hosted by the Department of English Linguistics in the School of English and American Studies of ELTE and is sponsored by the Faculty of Humanities of ELTE and the Research Institute for Linguistics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. There will be no conference fee, but we do ask that if you intend to attend the conference you register by e-mail to newson@btk.elte.hu. Invited speakers - Marcel den Dikken - Katalin É Kiss Call for papers We invite the submission of abstracts for talks (30 minutes) and posters on any area of theoretical or descriptive linguistics. For instructions on how to sybmit abstracts and relevant links, please see the submissions page. Conference website: http://seas3.elte.hu/blinc/ Important dates - Submission deadline: May 15 - Notification of acceptance: May 29 - Registration: June 12 - Conference dates: June 18-20 Accommodation Accepted presenters of talks will be offered accommodation free of charge for 3 nights in a 1 star hotel. You are of course welcome to make your own accommodation arrangements. We are currently compiling a list of nearby hotels and will publish this information shortly. Further information For further information contact Mark Newson at newson@btk.elte.hu http://seas3.elte.hu/blinc/
New article by Eric J. Johnson
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JME-12-2014-0044 Purpose – This paper aims to outline the misguided underpinnings of the “word gap” concept promoted by Hart and Risley (1995). This concept posits that a “30 million word gap” between children of poverty and those from affluent households accounts for widespread academic disparities. Based on this premise, there has been a recent surge in educational programs that are based on a deficit view toward the language patterns of families from economically impoverished backgrounds. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a discussion piece to debunk the “word gap” concept. Findings – Describing the language patterns of families in poverty as inferior is linguistically false and culturally insensitive. The aim of this paper is to explain why this is and suggest alternative approaches for supporting students who live in poverty. Originality/value – This paper is an original look at the so-called “language gap” and suggests strategies for helping students who might otherwise struggle to reach their potential.
Call for Papers International Journal of Linguistics & Communication
International Journal of Linguistics and Communication is a quarterly, peer-reviewed international journal publishing articles that make a clear contribution to current debate in all branches of theoretical linguistics. The journal also provides an excellent survey of recent linguistics publications, with around thirty book reviews in each volume and regular review articles on major works marking important theoretical advances. The journal also concentrates on communication research, practice, policy, and theory, bringing to its readers the latest, broadest, and most important findings in the field of communication studies. The journal is published by the American Research Institute for Policy Development that serves as a focal point for academicians, professionals, graduate and undergraduate students, fellows, and associates pursuing research throughout the world. The interested contributors are highly encouraged to submit their manuscripts/papers to the executive editor via e-mail at editor@aripd.org. Please indicate the name of the journal (International Journal of Linguistics & Communication) in the cover letter or simply put ‘International Journal of Linguistics & Communication’ in the subject box during submission via e-mail. The journal is Abstracted/Indexed in CrossRef, CrossCheck, Cabell's, Ulrich's, Griffith Research Online, Google Scholar, Education.edu, Informatics, Universe Digital Library, Standard Periodical Directory, Gale, Open J-Gate, EBSCO, Journal Seek, DRJI, ProQuest, BASE, InfoBase Index, OCLC, IBSS, Academic Journal Databases, Scientific Index. E-Publication FirstTM E-Publication FirstTM is a feature offered through our journal platform. It allows PDF version of manuscripts that have been peer reviewed and accepted, to be hosted online prior to their inclusion in a final printed journal. Readers can freely access or cite the article. The accepted papers are published online within one week after the completion of all necessary publishing steps. DOI® number Each paper published in International Journal of Linguistics & Communication is assigned a DOI® number, which appears beneath the author's affiliation in the published paper. IJLC is inviting papers for Vol. 3, No. 1. The online publication date is June 30, 2015. Submission Deadline: May 20, 2015. For any additional information, please contact with the executive editor at editor@aripd.org Regards, Dr. Lasisi Ajayi, San Diego State University, U.S.A. Editor-in-Chief International Journal of Linguistics & Communication Website: www.ijlcnet.com
Terralingua
Terralingua works to sustain the biocultural diversity of life — the world’s precious heritage of biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity — through an innovative program of research, education, policy-relevant work, and on-the-ground action. Our Vision A just, equitable, sustainable world in which the biocultural diversity of life is valued, protected, and perpetuated for generations to come. Our Goal To bring about a profound shift in human values through a deeper understanding and appreciation of the vital importance of biocultural diversity for the survival of all life on earth, so that individual and collective action is taken to care for it and sustain it in this rapidly changing world. Our Strategy Terralingua develops and deploys its expertise and insights on issues relating to biocultural diversity in international fora, through publications, public education, fieldwork and policy development, and by enrolling and informing a membership base. More information: http://www.terralingua.org/about-2/our-mission/
The Ecolinguistics Association
The Ecolinguistics Association is a network of 350 researchers from around the world who share ideas, opinions and articles about ecolinguistics. Ecolinguistics examines the influence of language on the life-sustaining relationships of humans with each other, with other organisms and with the natural environment. Research ranges from the impact of advertising discourse in encouraging ecologically damaging consumption to the power of nature poetry to encourage respect for the natural world. More information: http://www.ecoling.net/
Guide to good corporate language practice
The increasing use of English in Europe has a major impact on the use of national languages at the work place in European companies. To deal with the problem, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication in France (Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France) has recently published a "Guide to good corporate language practice". It is intended for companies established in France operating at the international level and wishing to match the use of French with the requirements of global communication. It offers examples of good practice on all language related issues in businesses such as the management of language skills of employees, internal and external communication, multilingual websites and intranet sites, translation issues. You will find the French and English versions in attachment, or with the link : http://www.culturecommunication.gouv.fr/Politiques-ministerielles/Langue-francaise-et-langues-de-France/Politiques-de-la-langue/Guide-des-bonnes-pratiques-linguistiques-dans-les-entreprises An online self-diagnostic tool enabling companies to assess their language practices has been developed from this guide (soon on www.francaisautravail.org). We wish this can be seen as a contribution to multilingualism in Europe and can be of relevance in similar linguistic national contexts in Europe. In this perspective, we wish to circulate this guide outside France. You will receive in the coming days a few brochures both in French and in English. We will be pleased to give you more information. With many thanks and our best regards, Joséphine Pasco -- Joséphine Pasco Chargée de la diffusion du "Guide des bonnes pratiques linguistiques dans les entreprises" Délégation générale à la langue française et aux langues de France Ministère de la culture et de la communication 01 40 15 35 32 www.dglflf.culture.gouv.fr
EU's commitment to promoting multilingualism under fire
As one MEP takes to holding a 'language strike', the EU's promise of promoting language diversity has come under renewed scrutiny.In the late 1950s there were four official EU languages, today there are 24 but figures provided by the European commission reveal that 40 million people in the EU speak 60 indigenous regional or minority languages. While language policy is a member state competence, the European commission "helps fund projects and partnerships designed to raise awareness of minority languages, promote their teaching and learning, and thereby help them survive". The commitment to language and cultural diversity is enshrined in the European treaties and was further enhanced by the Lisbon treaty when respect for linguistic minorities became legally binding.
Action Research to Improve Youth and Adult Literacy
Action Research to Improve Youth and Adult Literacy: Empowering Learners in a Multilingual World Edited by Hassana Alidou and Christine Glanz With this guidebook we would like to highlight the importance of multilingual and multicultural contexts for youth and adult literacy. Research and practice are leading the way, and the Post-2015 Agenda to follow the global Education for All initiative emphasizes the importance of culture. Culture gives languages, oral or written, a prominent place as a key means of communication and voice. Full text: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002322/232243e.pdf
Call for book reviewers on the field of Language Policy
Dear Colleagues, As co-editor of book reviews for Language Policy, I am currently seeking reviewers for the books listed below. If you are interested, please contact me directly at <mailto:smoore@cal.org> smoore@cal.org indicating the title and your preferred mailing address. Reviews should be no longer than 1,000 words in length and are generally due no more than 3 months after receipt of the book. Editorial guidelines and more details about the journal can be found at: <http://www.springer.com/education+%26+language/linguistics/journal/10993>; http://www.springer.com/education+%26+language/linguistics/journal/10993 Please also note our policy of only one review per person per year. If you have written a review for us recently, kindly hold off this time. Thank you and best wishes, Sarah C. K. Moore Books for Review: Liddicoat, A. J. (2013). Language-in-education policies. The Discursive Construction of Intercultural Relations. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Olthuis, M.-L., Kivelä, S. and Skutnabb-Kangas, T. (2013). Revitalising Indigenous Languages: How to Recreate a Lost Generation. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Orelus, P. (ed.). (2013). <http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415824828/>; Affirming language diversity in schools and society. New York: Routledge. Sarah Catherine K. Moore, Ph.D. Program Director Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th St. NW Washington, DC 20016 202-355-1546 smoore@cal.org
MLA’s new report on world language enrollments in the Language Magazine
The Modern Language Association (MLA) published a new report on the state of language education at the post-secondary level. The report, Enrollments in Languages Other than English in United States Institutions of Higher Education, covers enrollments in 2013 at 2,696 institutions. The MLA’s has gathered and analyzed data on world language enrollments since 1958, with recent reports showing enrollments in 2009, 2006, and 2002. This year’s findings are a mixture of good news and bad news for language departments at U.S. colleges and universities... Full story: http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=123074
Budapest Conference on Projections and Representations in honour of Michael Brody
Research Institute for Linguistics Hungarian Academy of Sciences April 13-14, 2015 Program Monday, April 13 9:15-9:30 Opening remarks István Kenesei (RIL/HAS) 9:30-10:20 String theory Michael Brody (RIL/HAS) 10:20-10:40 coffee/tea break 10:40-11:30 Scope marking as projection Hans van de Koot (UCL) [joint work with Harris Constantinou (Leeds) and Ad Neeleman (UCL)] 11:30-12:20 Mandarin Chinese dou with rightward associates Huba Bartos (RIL/HAS) 12:20-13:30 lunch break 13:30-14:20 On categories and hierarchies: Ergativity splits in Indo-Iranian languages M. Rita Manzini (Florence) 14:20-15:10 The Person-Case Constraint provides no evidence for cyclic Agree Katalin É. Kiss (RIL/HAS & PPCU) 15:10-15:30 coffee/tea break 15:30-16:20 AP adjacency as a precedence constraint Zoe Belk & Ad Neeleman (UCL) 16:20-18:00 Poster Session No projection, no label: the format of root declaratives - evidence from V2 Andreas Blümel (Karl Franzens University Graz) The Left Periphery: "Rigid" vs. "Flexible" Syntax Elena Callegari (University of Oslo) Binding by possessors in Colloquial Finnish and Chinese Matthew Reeve (University College London) The Copula in VSO languages: Projection, labeling and X(P)-movement Koldo Sainz Small Clause Projection Marcelo Sibaldo (Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco) On Genitive of Quantification in Polish, the phase theory and structure of nominals Jacek Witkos & Dominika Dziubala-Szrejbrowska (Adam Mickiewicz University) Tuesday, April 14 9:30-10:20 Licensing specifiers Marcel den Dikken (CUNY Graduate Center & RIL/HAS) 10:20-11:10 The syntax of information structure and the PF interface Kriszta Szendro"i (UCL) 11:10-11:30 coffee/tea break 11:30-12:20 The cartography of yes and no in West Flemish Liliane Haegeman & Andrew Weir (Ghent) 12:20-12:30 Closing remarks There is no conference fee. It would help the organizers enormously if you could confirm your attendance in an email message sent to budconf.2015@nytud.mta.hu, preferably by April 5 (although later registration will also be accepted). For further information, please visit the conference website: http://www.nytud.hu/prorep/ Contact: budconf.2015@nytud.mta.hu Conference Venue: Research Institute for Linguistics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Benczúr utca 33. 1068 Budapest
Call: Linguistic Complexity in the Individual and Society
15-16 Oct 2015 Trondheim, Norway This conference is associated with the project Linguistic Complexity in the Individual and Society (LCIS; http://www.ntnu.edu/lcis) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. The goal of LCIS is to study linguistic complexity in three different areas: formal grammar, language acquisition, and sociolinguistics. The groundbreaking part of this project is that it will attempt to combine these different sub-disciplines of modern linguistics. Different methodologies and theoretical perspectives will be useful in order to illuminate complementary aspects of language complexity and thus contribute to deepening our understanding of this phenomenon. A unifying aspect of the research is the use of multilingual data. These data have become increasingly important for linguistic methodologies and theories, but also for public policy makers in the sense that they address consequences of migration and children growing up acquiring parts of multiple languages. The present two-day conference on October 15-16, 2015 will feature talks addressing linguistic complexity within the three areas mentioned above: formal grammar, language acquisition, and sociolinguistics. The following speakers have kindly agreed to provide plenary addresses: Artemis Alexiadou (University of Stuttgart) Frans Gregersen (Copenhagen University, Lanchart)) Liliane Haegeman (Ghent University) Marie Maegaard & Janus Spindler Moller (Copenhagen University, Lanchart) Ianthi Tsimpli (University of Reading/Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) Call for Papers: Abstracts are solicited for 20 minute talks plus 10 minutes for questions. Abstracts should be at most 2 pages written in Times New Roman, 12pt font, on A4 or letter paper. Numbered examples should be included in the text and not added separately at the end. Abstracts need to be submitted by midnight (CET) on April 24, 2015 via EasyAbs: http://linguistlist.org/easyabs/lcis. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by May 20, 2015. Conference website: http://www.ntnu.edu/web/lcis/conference
8th Syntax, Phonology and Language Analysis conference (SinFonIJA 8)
The Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana is pleased to announce that the 8th Syntax, Phonology and Language Analysis conference (SinFonIJA 8) will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 24-26 September 2015. SinFonIJA is a formal linguistics conference organized each year by a different institution in the area of former Yugoslavia and Austria-Hungary. The theme of the SinFonIJA conference is wide and spans all areas of formal linguistics. The conference will be preceded (on 23 September) by a workshop for MA and PhD students. Invited Speakers Zeljko Boskovic, University of Connecticut, USA Guglielmo Cinque, University of Venice, Italy Peter Jurgec, University of Toronto, Canada Penka Stateva, University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia Invited Student Speaker Marko Hladnik, Utrecht University, the Netherlands Abstracts are invited from all areas of theoretical linguistics, including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, psycholinguistics and historical linguistics. Submissions from other areas of linguistics will also be considered, provided that the theoretical significance of the paper is clearly demonstrated in the abstract. We invite abstracts for either a 25 minute oral presentation, followed by 10 minutes of discussion, or a poster presentation. Deadline for abstract submission: April 15, 2015 Local Organizers Tatjana Marvin, Franja Lipovsek, Gasper Ilc, Andrej Stopar (Department of Comparative and General Linguistics and Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana) For more information, visit the conference website: http://www.anglistika.net/sinfonija
Write to the US Senate to Protect World Language Education
The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee of the United States Senate has released a draft of the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which drops the Foreign Language Assistance Act entirely and does not contain any provisions for world languages. The Senate Committee is currently accepting public comment at the email address FixingNCLB@help.senate.gov. The Foreign Language Assistance Act was initiated in 2001 as a part of No Child Left Behind and provides grants to state or local education agencies to fund half the yearly costs of establishing or expanding foreign language programs in elementary and secondary schools. Only about 25% of elementary schools and 58% of middle schools have foreign language programs. As the most critical ages in language learning are between 1 and 7 years old, support for elementary world language programs is important to incentivize. Mary Kusler, the director of government relations for the National Education Association, said, “We can strongly say that this [draft] is a starting point from which we can all begin discussions. We need to ensure there are the appropriate safeguards by the federal government to ensure all students are receiving a 21st century education regardless of their zip code. But we are pleased to see measures that increase the flexibility of educators and their districts to meet the needs of their individual students, especially those with the greatest needs.” To bring language learning into the conversation send an email insisting on high-quality world language programs to FixingNCLB@help.senate.gov. For a comprehensive email template, click here: http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=123209
LANGUAGE OUTREACH
The United Nations is one of the world's largest employers of language professionals. Several hundred language professionals work for the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi. Many more are hired by the regional commissions of the United Nations in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut and Santiago. At the United Nations, the term "language professional" applies to a range of specialized and interrelated occupations, mainly interpreters, translators, editors, verbatim reporters, terminologists, reference assistants, copy preparers and proofreaders.
Write to the US Senate to Protect World Language Education
The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee of the United States Senate has released a draft of the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which drops the Foreign Language Assistance Act entirely and does not contain any provisions for world languages. The Senate Committee is currently accepting public comment at the email address FixingNCLB@help.senate.gov. The Foreign Language Assistance Act was initiated in 2001 as a part of No Child Left Behind and provides grants to state or local education agencies to fund half the yearly costs of establishing or expanding foreign language programs in elementary and secondary schools. Only about 25% of elementary schools and 58% of middle schools have foreign language programs. As the most critical ages in language learning are between 1 and 7 years old, support for elementary world language programs is important to incentivize. Mary Kusler, the director of government relations for the National Education Association, said, âWe can strongly say that this [draft] is a starting point from which we can all begin discussions. We need to ensure there are the appropriate safeguards by the federal government to ensure all students are receiving a 21st century education regardless of their zip code. But we are pleased to see measures that increase the flexibility of educators and their districts to meet the needs of their individual students, especially those with the greatest needs.To bring language learning into the conversation send an email insisting on high-quality world language programs to FixingNCLB@help.senate.gov.
Sad news about Joshua Fishman
Sadly, on Sunday, 1st March, the world famous sociolinguist Joshua Fishman passed away. To commemorate his life, a series of YouTube videos of an interview with him at the Trace Foundation, discussing minority languages and corpus planning, has been made. It can be found at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4actLHRLC4&list=PLBD228921EC37AE32. Also, please note that two volumes published in conjunction with the celebration of Joshua Fishman's 80th birthday are the following: Language Loyalty, Language Planning, and Language Revitalization: Recent Writings and Reflections from Joshua A. Fishman, ed. by Nancy H. Hornberger & Martin Pütz http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?K=9781853599019 Language Loyalty, Continuity, and Change: Joshua A. Fishman's Contributions to International Sociolinguistics, by Ofelia García, Rakhmiel Peltz, and Harold F. Schiffman http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?K=9781853599026 Finally note that at the following link you can find a guide to the Joshua A. Fishman Papers at the Department of Special Collections and University Archives Stanford University Libraries http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt4k4025n4/entire_text/
Conference on teaching second langagues
Please find below an invitation by the LiMe project team to attend their project conference on teaching second langagues (with special interest in the application of media and ICT to help the European-wide migrant population develop language and cultural competences) that will take place on March 17th in Caceres, Spain. You are also invited to take part in the poster presentation until February 23rd - please see below.
Excellent journal is online
Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis Across Disciplines (CADAAD) Journal (which is an excellent journal) now has a new, standalone website which can be accessed at www.cadaadjournal.com.
Bilingual students are economic gold
Every spring in Texas, U.S.A. white, middle-class parents value bilingualism enough to line up in the early morning hours to sign up their children for a spot in next fall's dual-language kindergarten
ECML - Call for submission: Languages at the heart of learning
At the core of this Call for submissions for the ECML programme 2016 - 2019 lie the interrelationship between quality education and quality language education. Language is at the root of all learning: all teachers, irrespective of sector or subject area, have a role to play in developing the linguistic and intercultural repertoires of their learners. This is reflected in the title: LANGUAGES AT THE HEART OF LEARNING. This Call builds on the expertise, networks and most successful outputs of the past 20 years of ECML operation in both Europe and beyond. It aims to take the underlying principles of the current programme 2012-15 to the next level of innovative development and practical implementation in a wide range of European language-learning environments with the ultimate goal of improving access to quality education for all.
Celebrating the International Mother Language Day with a quiz
The UN's International Mother Language Day is marked every 21 February to promote linguistic and cultural diversity around the world. Diversity is the bedrock of Europe's cultural heritage, so the EU is keen to also protect linguistic diversity. The EU boast 24 official languages, but how many of them can you recognise? Try our quiz to find out. The EU's most widely spoken mother tongues are: German (16%), Italian and English (13% each), French (12%), Spanish and Polish (8% each). More than 60 regional and minority languages are spoken in the EU. The EP called for the protection of endangered languages and linguistic diversity in a resolution adopted in September 2013 Linguistic diversity in the EP MEPs have the right to use any of the official languages when speaking in the EP, while all parliamentary documents such as reports and legislation, are published in all official languages of the EU. In addition anyone living in the EU can contact all EU institutions in any of the EU's official languages and receive a reply in the same language. The Parliament's website is also available in all 24 official languages and it also offers Twitter accounts in all of them. Try our quiz and see in how many EU languages you recognise the word “tongue”.
Not a Small World After All
Overall enrollment in foreign language courses is down for the first time since about 1995, and enrollments in major European languages -- including Spanish -- are way down, according to a new report from the Modern Language Association. Language advocates aren’t sure what’s caused the drop, and say it’s too soon to tell whether it’s a fluke or the beginning of a new trend away from foreign language study. But they’re calling for a renewed effort in helping students see the value in upper-division language classes, which could be helpful to them in their careers.
Workshop at NODALIDA 2015, Vilnius, Lithuania May 11, 13-18
Semantic resources and semantic annotation for Natural Language Processing and the Digital Humanities. Even if language resources covering English tend to receive most attention in the LT community, recent years have shown an increased interest in developing lexical semantic resources and semantically annotated corpora of also lesser-resourced languages, including the languages in the Nordic and Baltic region. Nevertheless, high-quality semantic resources with sufficient coverage still prove to be a serious bottleneck not only in purely rule-based NLP applications but also in supervised corpus-based approaches. Also in the Digital Humanities there is an increased interest in and need for semantic annotation which would enable more refined search in, and better visualization and analyses of large-scale corpus data. This workshop focuses in particular on the interplay between lexical-semantic resources as resembled by wordnets, framenets, propbanks, and others and their relation to practical corpus annotation. The workshop – a follow-up on the successful Nodalida 2009 and 2013 workshops on semantic resources – intends to bring together researchers involved in building and integrating semantic resources (lexicons and corpora) as well as researchers who apply these resources for semantic processing. Also researchers who are more theoretically interested in investigating the interplay between lexical semantics, lexicography, corpus linguistics and Digital Humanities are welcome. We invite papers presenting original research relating to semantic resources for NLP and DH on topics such as: • representation of lexical-semantic knowledge for computational use • the interplay between lexical-semantic resources and semantically annotated corpora • corpus-based approaches to lexical-semantic resources • tools for semantic annotation • terminology and lexical semantics: concept-based vs lexical semantic approaches • monolingual vs. multilingual approaches to semantic lexicons and corpora • quality assessment of lexical-semantic resources: criteria, methods • applications using lexical-semantic resources (information retrieval, semantic tagging of corpora, MT, Digital Humanities etc.) • machine-learning techniques to discover semantic structures such as unsupervised learning, distance supervision, or cross-language learning. • traditional lexicography and NLP lexicons: re-use and differences • applying semantic resources (lexica, corpora) for semantic processing • word sense disambiguation based on lexically informed techniques Submission Papers should conform to the main Nodalida stylesheet. Submissions must be anonymous, i.e. not reveal author(s) on the title page or through self-references. Papers must be submitted digitally, in PDF, and uploaded through the on-line conference system. Paper submissions that violate either of these requirements will be returned without review. The page limit for submissions is up to fourteen pages of text, plus unlimited additional pages with bibliographic references. All submissions to the workshop must be uploaded electronically following the above requirements to the EasyChair conference management system: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=nodalida15 All submissions will be reviewed by the program committee. All accepted papers will be collected into a proceedings volume to be submitted for publication in the NEALT Proceedings Series (Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings). Important dates • Monday March 23: Submission of papers • Thursday April 16: Notification of acceptance • Thursday April 23: Submission of camera ready manuscripts • Monday May 11: Workshop Workshop organizers • Bolette Sandford Pedersen (University of Copenhagen, Organizing Chair) • Lars Borin (University of Gothenburg) • Markus Forsberg (University of Gothenburg) • Sanni Nimb (Association for Danish Language and Literature) • Anders Søgaard (University of Copenhagen) • Pierre Nugues (Lund University) • Hector Martinez Alonso (University of Copenhagen) • Anders Johannsen (University of Copenhagen) • Sussi Olsen (University of Copenhagen) Program committee Lars Borin (University of Gothenburg) Normunds Grūzītis (University of Gothenburg) Eiríkur Rögnvaldsson (Iceland University) Ruth Vatvedt Fjeld (University of Oslo) Markus Forsberg (University of Gothenburg) Karin Friberg Heppin (University of Gothenburg) Richard Johansson (University of Gothenburg) Rune Lain Knudsen (University of Oslo) Dimitrios Kokkinakis (University of Gothenburg) André Lynum (University of Oslo) Sanni Nimb (Association for Danish Language and Literature) Pierre Nugues (Lund University) Krister Lindén (University of Helsinki) Jussi Piitulainen (University of Helsinki) Bolette Sandford Pedersen (University of Copenhagen) Anders Søgaard (University of Copenhagen) Joel Priestley (University of Oslo) Heili Orav (University of Tartu) Esben Alfort (Ankiro, Denmark) Jørg Asmussen, (Association for Danish Language and Literature) Hector Martinez Alonso, (University of Copenhagen) Anders Johannsen, (University of Copenhagen) Workshop link: http://cst.ku.dk/english/projekter/semantikprojekt/nodalidaws/ For all inquiries, please email Bolette S. Pedersen <bspedersen@hum.ku.dk>.
Corpus Linguistics in the South 9: Computation, Corpora and Critique
The organisers are pleased to announce that the ninth CLS event will take place on Saturday, 18 April 2015 at Oxford Brookes University. Twenty years after the publication of the seminal paper by Hardt-Mautner (1995), the use of computer-aided methods and increasingly large corpora to analyse issues at the discourse/society interface is well established. The aim of this workshop is to invite exploration and discussion of the key methodological, theoretical and practical issues in this burgeoning field. In particular, they welcome proposals for papers that: • conceptually examine the issues raised in employing automated procedures for the analysis of social semiotic issues. Does it remain true that the ‘historical knowledge and sensitivity’ required for critical interpretation ‘can be possessed by human beings but not by machines’ (Fowler 1991: 68)? • discuss innovations in methods and techniques (of annotation, classification, inference, etc.) that have enhanced the possibilities for critical analyses of language and discourse. How far have we moved fromFowler and Kress's (1979: 197) assertion that ‘there is no analytic routine through which a text can be run with a critical description issuing automatically at the end’? • present specific cases of corpus-based critical studies of discourse, reflecting on the advantages and limitations of the approach Presentations should be 30 minutes in length, and will be followed by 15 minutes for discussion. Please send your abstract to alischinsky@brookes.ac.uk by 14th March 2015. Acceptance of submitted abstracts will be notified by the end of March. In keeping with prior Corpus Linguistics in the South events, participation in the workshop is free. Please be aware that the number of places is limited, and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
