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Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning now on Facebook
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Mobilising Civil Society to Promote Multilingualism: Poliglotti4.eu
 The Civil Society Platform to promote Multilingualism was launched by the European Commission in October 2009. Since then 29 selected member organisations, active in the fields of culture, non-formal
and informal education systems and media, interested in issues connected to multilingualism with a transnational or European-wide dimension have delivered a set of recommendations to EU policy makers in
order to improve multilingualism policy on EU, Members State and regional level.
Poliglotti4.eu
The ongoing EC co-funded Poliglotti4.eu project, to which nine of the platform members, including the Mercator Network, have committed, is intended to set up an online Language Observatory until December 2012. Read more...
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How does the situation of the Frisians in the Netherlands compare to that of the Kurds in Turkey?
 It is this and other questions that cultural anthropologist and returned emigrant Dr Kadir Canatan (picture) is hoping to get answered during his study visit at the Fryske Akademy in July. Dr. Canatan teaches sociology at Balıkesir University, Turkey. Balıkesir is a city between İzmir and Bursa in the Aegean Region. After his study Cultural Anthropology and Sociology at VU University Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam, Canatan studied the issues of ethnical minorities in big cities for some years. In the meanwhile he graduated on the Turkish Islam in the Netherlands. In the year 2005 he decided to return to Turkey under the influence of the intense public debate about minorities in The Netherlands and the hardening of the Dutch society towards these groups.
Back in Turkey he was confronted with the Kurdish issue, a national minority, although not recognised as such. The delicate position of the Kurds reminded him of the situation in the Netherlands with the Frisians. By comparison, he now tries to contribute to the process of normalisation of the Kurds in Turkey. Therefore he is interested in the arguments that are used in The Netherlands to recognise Frisians as a national minority, and their status at this moment. How do the Frisians develop their language and culture in peaceful co-existence with their Dutch 'neighbours'? To which extent have European recognition and programs such as the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities concrete effects on the position of the Frisians and their language?
At the Fryske Akademy Dr. Canatan found a suitable base for his research. Dr. Canatan: “The Fryske Akademy offers me a workplace for a few weeks and the expertise of knowledgeable people who can help me to correct my perception of Fryslân and to get my research questions answered.”
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Mercator Research Centre started new language research
 Commissioned by the Municipality of Leeuwarden, the Mercator European Research Centre started a new language research project focussing on city dialects, called “Cultuurvuur” (Cultural Fire). Goal of the research is to supply the municipality with a report, including best practices and recommendations regarding the local city dialect: Stedfrysk. Stedfrysk, a mixture of Frisian and Dutch, is used in a number of cities in the Provinsje Fryslân (Province of Friesland) and is seen as a dialect of Frisian. The Mercator European Research Centre will approach several cities in Europe the coming months, with questions on e.g. preservation of city dialects and how to promote both passive and active use of city dialects. The Mercator European Research Centre warmly welcomes suggestions regarding which cities and city dialects in Europe should be given attention to.
Preferable, this empirical research will lead to a more extensive research project in the future. This future research should focus on the possibilities of using dialects, minority languages and/or regional languages in urban areas, to stimulate the use of it and to investigate the effects of possible incentives. It is intended to apply for EU funding for this future research project, together with several European partners.
Please contact Tjallien Kalsbeek if you have suggestions or if you are interested in this research area.
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Agreement on Cooperation between the government of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District (Russian Federation) and the Fryske Akademy (The Netherlands)
 Since the XIIth Conference of the Foundation for Endangered Languages, which took place in September 2008 in Leeuwarden, official contacts have been established between the government of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District in the Russian Federation and the Fryske Akademy and its Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning in the Netherlands. To formalise these contacts, together with the Department for International Relations of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District in 2011 an official document has been prepared for an Agreement on Cooperation.
In this Agreement both Parties recognise the importance of maintaining cultural diversity and its major component – language diversity. They recognise that the widening of mutually beneficial cooperation, the use of scientific and cultural potential of the Parties, knowledge and experience of specialists in different spheres will stimulate the use, study, maintenance and development of minority languages, in particular the languages of the indigenous peoples of the North inhabiting the territory of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District. Read more...
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More than 100 participants to attend the conference ‘4 or more languages for all: Language policy challenges of the future’
  More than 100 experts, practitioners, policymakers and other stakeholders are going to participate in the conference ‘4 or more languages for all: Language policy challenges of the future’ to be held in the Nordic House in the Faroe Islands 22 - 24 August. The conference is the first of its kind to be held in the Faroe Islands.
A high level of multilingualism is an important resource entailing many advantages for both the individual and society at large. ‘4 or more languages for all: Language Policy challenges of the future’ aims at investigating what type of language policies (regarding education, law-making, social issues, politics, etc.) fulfil this goal in diverse circumstances.
The list of speakers and participants includes some of the best scholars and practitioners in the field of language policy and multilingualism in the Nordic countries and from other places in Europe as well. It is an interdisciplinary forum which brings together scholars, policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders from diverse disciplines such as sociolinguistics, sociology, history, linguistics, literature studies, political science and law.
Final deadline to register for the conference is 10 August 2011.
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Mercator Conference on Legislation: “The role of legislation in enhancing linguistic diversity: recent developments and trends”
 30 September - 1 October 2011, Barcelona, Catalonia
Final programme now available online!
It has been 5 years since Mercator Legislation organised the Mercator International Symposium on Minority Languages. Back then the conference was entitled “Linguistic Rights as a Social Inclusion
Factor”, which raised the question on how the linguistic rights of recent immigrants and receiving communities could be regulated and guaranteed, specifically within minority language communities that
already share their space with majority or dominant language communities.
After 5 years, the prosperity which then attracted migrant citizens to EU countries has turned into a deep economic crisis that could affect political approaches to diversity. Read more...
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MELT Conference
We would like to invite you to an important conference which will be of interest to all those working in the field of regional and minority languages and in particular those dealing with early years education or child care. The focus of the conference is the MELT (Multilingual Early Language Transmission) project and matters relating to the support of language acquisition amongst bilingual and multilingual children in regional and minority language communities.
If you are interested in attending this conference, please send us an email. You can find a registration form on the MELT website, for further information on the MELT project, please visit www.meltproject.eu
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Expert in the spotlight in July/August 2011: James Costa
 The expert in the Spotlight feature gives you the chance to interact one-in-one with our Ask the expert-section. The feature also provides interesting and insightful comments regarding the subjects mentioned above, in-depth content and exclusive Q and A’s.
James Costa (picture) is working at the Institut Nationale de Recherche Pedagogique / National Institute for Pedagogical Research in Lyon, France. The INRP is a public agency whose purpose is to encourage and enhance research in the fields of education and training. It offers its expertise and teams to all researchers, trainers and decision-makers in the sphere of education.
In collaboration with several laboratories in France (DDL & ICAR in Lyon, Parole et Language in Aix-en-Provence) and England (SOAS) he is working on an international project on language revitalisation in Europe and Latin America
Read more...
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22 - 24 August 2011:
"Four or more languages for all - Language policy challenges of the
future", conference on multilingualism in the Nordic countries. The
Nordic House, Faroe Islands |
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22 - 25 August 2011:
Regional FEL Conference Multilingualism and Language Learning in China,
Mongolia and Russia, at Ulan-Ude and Lake Baikal, Buryatia, Russian
Federation,
Conference Languages: Russian and Mongolian |
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31 August - 3 September 2011: First Soillse Residential Conference: “Maintaining and Revitalising Minority Languages in their ‘Heartlands’” SABHAL MÒR OSTAIG UHI,
Sleat, the Isle of Skye,
Scotland |
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14-16 September 2011: Conference: “National, Ethnic and Language Minorities in the EU”, Lublin, Poland |
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25-27 September 2011: 3rd Regional Conference of the network RML2FUTURE, together with Narodni svet koroških Slovencev – the Council of the Carinthian Slovenes, Celovec / Klagenfurt, Austria |
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30 September - 1 October 2011: Conference
“The role of legislation in enhancing linguistic diversity: recent developments
and trends”, organised by Mercator Network and CIEMEN, to be held in Barcelona, Spain |
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6 October 2011: MELT Conference, Brussels, Belgium |
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28 - 30 October 2011: Expolingua Berlin, Russisches Haus der Wissenschaft und Kultur, Berlin, Germany |
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With the support of:
Lifelong Learning
Programme
European
Commission
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