October 2021
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COMEX held its 70th plenary meeting                      

The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages held its 70th plenary meeting from 29 September to 1 October 2021 in a hybrid format (Strasbourg/online). Having resumed its monitoring visits in June, the Committee of Experts adopted its evaluation reports on the application of the Charter by Poland and Cyprus. It also adopted its mid-term report on the implementation of its recommendations for immediate action by Armenia (to be published soon). The evaluation reports on Poland and Cyprus will be transmitted to the authorities of the respective State Party for possible comments within a deadline of two months.

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EU Survey: Consultation with European Language Technology users and consumers

The survey is delivered by the European Language Equality (ELE) project and specifically addressed to users and consumers in the field of Language Technology (LT) and Language-centric Artificial Intelligence. The goal is to prepare a plan to tackle the striking imbalance between European languages in terms of the support they receive through language technologies.

 

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European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) 25th Anniversary!

The ECMI is turning 25 this year and to celebrate they commissioned an analysis of its entire publication collection, aiming to identify key analytical areas, where the ECMI’s publications have had the most impact. Now, their second and third thematic anniversary publication bundles are online: “Non-Territorial Autonomy” and “Self-Determination and Secession”.

 

 

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INTERESTING LINKS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EUROPE

● Language immersion in schools [in Basque]

● Development of Scottish Gaelic text normaliser

● Spain’s ‘Netflix law’ criticized over lack of quotas for Catalan language

● Turkic minorities and communities gathered at the 3rd Thematic Seminar of FUEN TAG

● Less equal than others: National minorities and the overlooked challenge of socio-economic inequalities

● 1 in 5 Welsh speakers ‘prevented’ from speaking the language with someone else

● Danish-Frisian Schleswig party makes it to Bundestag after 70-year hiatus

● Council of Europe: Czech Republic should intensify efforts to combat stereotypes and hate speech against national minorities

● Duolingo launches partnership with National Centre for Learning Welsh

● OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities expressed satisfaction with outcomes of visit to Ukraine
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Newsletter: Project on protecting national minorities in Ukraine

On 1 October 2021, the Council of Europe (Office in Ukraine) published its newsletter on the project "Strengthening protection of national minorities, including Roma and minority languages in Ukraine". The newsletter gives a summary of news and updates on project developments for April to September 2021.

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Mercator Multilingualism Lecture!

Dr Krista Byers-Heinlein (Professor of Psychology at Concordia University, Montreal) will give a lecture that examines the role of language quantity and quality in language acquisition, concluding with a discussion of how a better understanding of language exposure in early multilingual development can inform both policy and practice. Join the lecture online on November 26, 2021!

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Language lecture

Can language repertoires be managed? By Bernard Spolsky

 

Dictionary-builder

Endangered and minority languages: Tutorials for Living Dictionaries

Roma children and the inclusion of home languages in education

As part of a mission to improve Roma children’s academic success in the south of France, Nathalie Auger (professor of didactic linguistics for second languages) first worked with Roma families for a year to better understand their linguistic and cultural experiences, with a view to including these in school activities.

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The LANGSCAPE Journal Vol. 4 is now online!

Volume 4 offers a selective overview of the role and significance of pluri- and multilingualism in education and training contexts for teachers of modern language. Under the general heading of Pluri- and Multilingualism in Initial Language Teacher Education and Training, the volume presents contributions from an international and contrastive viewpoint.

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INTERESTING LINKS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WORLD

● Reviving the Cree and Ojibwe languages of Manitoba with TikTok [Canada]

● A ‘smart’ facemask that can translate what you say into 8 languages [www]

● Special issue of the International Journal of the Sociology of Language: Ideologies of English in Asia [Asia]

● Consortium formed to boost use of indigenous languages in education [South Africa]

● More linguistic inclusion in elections [Canada]

● Eight ancient languages still spoken today [www]

● Kazakhstan’s shift from Cyrillic to Latin alphabet [Kazakhstan]

● Special Issue Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. Exploring the multilingual family repertoire: Ethnographic approaches [www]

FUEN: Molise Croats hosted the 24th AGSM Seminar

Last week, the small community of Croats in Molise, Italy, hosted the 24th Seminar of the Working Group of Slavic Minorities in FUEN (AGSM). Over 30 participants from seven countries, representing nine minority groups took part in the meeting which started on Friday, 1 October with the official opening.

 

 

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Portugal signs the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

On 7 September 2021, the Permanent Representative of Portugal to the Council of Europe signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The signing is to be followed by Portugal’s ratification of the Charter. The Charter has been ratified by 25 states. A further nine states have now signed, but not yet ratified it.

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INTERESTING EVENTS

6 October 2021, Leeuwarden (Netherlands)
Final Meeting of Holi-Frysk project
Organised by NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences

14 - 15 October 2021, Flensburg (Germany)
International conference: Multi-platform and Connecting Communities: Contemporary Challenges for Minority Language Media
Organised by the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)

2-3 November 2021, Ljouwert/Leeuwarden (The Netherlands)
Final Multiplier Event VirtuLApp
Organised by the Erasmus+ project consortium VirtuLApp, hosted by Mercator

11 - 13 November 2021, Online
International Conference on Community/Heritage Language Education
Sydney Institute of Community Languages Education at Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney

18 November 2021, Wolvega (Netherlands)
‘Symposium erkende talen’: taalemancipatie
Organised by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties)

26 November 2021, Online
Mercator Multilingualism Lecture. We talk, they listen: The role of language exposure in early multilingual development
Organised by Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning

29 - 30 November 2021, Paris (France)
2nd International Symposium on Family Language Policy
Organised by the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (Inalco)

15 - 16 December 2021, (Online)
The Value of Languages in a Multilingual World
Organised by Multilingualism Research Centre (MRC)/ Macquarie University Sydney (Australia)

16-19 December 2021, Tirana (Albania)
Conference 'Endangered Languages and Diaspora'
Organised by the Foundation for Endangered Languages and the Center for Research and Publication on Arbëresh

Spring 2022 (postponed), TBA
International conference: Multi-platform and Connecting Communities: Contemporary Challenges for Minority Language Media
Organised by Europa Universität Flensburg, European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) and the University of the Basque Country

27-29 June 2022, Warsaw (Poland)
World Congress of Modern Languages and the Annual Conference of the Polish Association of Modern Languages
Organised by the International Federation of Language Teacher Associations, the Polish Association of Modern Languages and the Faculty of Modern Languages, University of Warsaw

13-16 July 2022, Ghent (Belgium)
Sociolinguistics Symposium 24 - Inside and beyond binaries
Organised by Ghent University

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