Links
A few multilingualism-related websites (which LINEE does not necessarily endorse). The descriptions of websites are drawn from the websites themselves.
Research Projects
DYLAN
The DYLAN project seeks to identify the conditions under which Europe's linguistic diversity can be an asset for the development of knowledge and economy.
DYLAN is in an Integrated Project (Contract N° 028702) funded under Framework Programme 6 (FP6) of the European Union.
The project embraces 20 research institutions in 12 European Countries and runs from 2006 to 2011. DYLAN investigates multilingualism in companies, EU institutions, and educational systems.
Eldia (European Language Diversity for All)
Eldia is an interdisciplinary research project aims at contributing to a better understanding of how local, “national” and “international” (vehicular) languages interact in contemporary Europe.
Researchers come from eight universities in six countries. The project will develop a systematic and generalizable way of describing, measuring and evaluating the effects of the changing balances between European languages by creating a commensurable and easily applicable instrument, the European Language Vitality Barometer (EuLaViBar).
ENRI-East
ENRI-East is an international research effort to acquire new knowledge and achieve a deeper understanding of the interplay of European, national and regional identities evolving along the new eastern borders of the European Union.
The project is co-funded by FP7 (2008–2011) and is undertaken by a network of eleven teams embracing more than 50 scientists from ten EU and CIS countries. The full title of the project is: Interplay of European, National and Regional Identities: Nations between States along the New Eastern Borders of the European Union. A cross-national study of trans-boundary social and ethnic groups in Europe.
NFP 56 – Sprachenvielfalt in der Schweiz
Die schweizerische Sprachenpolitik soll das Verständnis zwischen den Sprachgruppen, die sprachbezogenen Identitätsbildung der Individuen und ihre erst- und mehrsprachigen Kompetenzen fördern. Das NFP 56 will die wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen für diese Politik legen.
Das Programm ist in fünf Schwerpunkte aufgegliedert:
- Aktuelle Herausforderungen an den schulischen Sprachunterricht
- Sprachkompetenz von Erwachsenen
- Rechtliche Voraussetzungen und Rahmenbedingungen sprachpolitischen Handelns
- Sprachgebrauch in der Wirtschaft
- Zusammenspiel zwischen Sprache und Identität
Prof. Rita Franceschini (LINEE) ist Mitglied der Leitungsgruppe.
University Hamburg, Research Centre 538: Multilingualism
Documents, analyzes and describes language in the context of multilingualism. This includes patterns of language use in multilingual environments, bilingual language acquisition, and the role of multilingualism and language contact in language contact and language change.
In the fourth and current funding period (2008–2011), projects have been grouped into two branches, of which each will further focus on a central set of common issues.
Four projects form the branch Multilingual Language Acquisition, where the mutual focus lies in the nature of “critical phases” in language acquisition.
Eight projects form the branch on Historical Aspects of Multilingualism and Variation, dealing with questions concerning language change and language contact. A new shared focus in this area will be the analysis of recent or ongoing language contact situations and will therefore expand the research of language change into the realm of spoken language.
Organisations
British Council, Intercultural Dialogue
The Intercultural Dialogue programme of the British Council aims to strengthen understanding and trust between and within different cultures. It supports people striving for better informed, more inclusive societies that accept, respect and welcome each other.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/brussels-intercultural-dialogue.htm
EACEA: Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency
The role of EACEA is to manage European funding opportunities and networks in the fields of education and training, citizenship, youth, audiovisual and culture (for example Erasmus, Eurydice, or Europe for Citizens).
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index_en.php
ECML – European Centre for Modern Languages
The European Centre for Modern Languages is an Enlarged Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe. The ECML's Strategic Objectives are to help its member states implement effective language teaching policies.
The ECML aims at finding effective language teaching policies
- focusing on the practice of the learning and teaching of languages
- promoting dialogue and exchange among those active in the field
- training multipliers
- supporting programme-related networks and research projects
In order to implement its strategic objectives, the European Centre for Modern Languages, organises a programme of international projects on language education.
ECMI: European Centre for Minority Issues
The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) conducts practice and policy-oriented research, provides information and documentation, and offers advisory services concerning minority-majority relations in Europe.
A Culture and Diversity cluster addresses the cultural issues of minority existence, in particular language and education but is also concerned with the access of minorities to the media.
EURAC, Institute for Specialised Communication and Multilingualism
Created in 1992 as a private research and teaching center, the European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano is home to researchers from all over Europe who work together on a wide range of interdisciplinary projects. Part of the academy is the Institute for Specialised Communication and Multilingualism
The main research topics of the Institute are
- bilingualism and multilingualism (language learning and language contact)
- specialized communication (terminology in sectors such as administration, law, environment, spatial planning; multilingual knowledge management)
- language technologies (computational linguistics, data modelling, creation of monolingual and aligned multilingual corpora)
http://www.eurac.edu/en/research/institutes/Multilingualism/default.html
European Commission
Presentation of EU language policies and programmes to promote multilingualism in Europe, maintained by the Directorate-General for Education and Culture.
http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/index_en.htm
European Council, Language Policy Division
The Division is responsible for designing and implementing initiatives for the development and analysis of language education policies aimed at promoting linguistic diversity and plurilingualism.
The Division’s programmes are complemented by those of the European Centre for Modern Languages (Graz, Austria) with a particular focus on implementation of policy.
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is a unique Council of Europe convention designed to protect and promote these languages in everyday life.
Mercator: European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning
The Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning (Mercator Research Centre in short) aims at the acquisition, circulation and application of knowledge. The Mercator Research Centre gathers and mobilises expertise in the field of language learning at school, at home and through cultural participation in favour of linguistic diversity of Europe.
http://www.mercator-research.eu/home-1/view?set_language=en
Associations
Business Platform for Multilingualism
The Platform was launched by the DG Education and Culture with the scope of consulting representatives of the educational and business at EU level (European associations) on matters related to the ways of developing multilingualism in the business environment, as a mean to improve the competitiveness of EU companies and the know-how and qualifications of human resources. This Platform is the first concrete product of the recent strategy “Multilingualism: an asset for Europe and a shared commitment”, launched by the EU on September 2008.
The Platform is composed of 21 European association, both the educational and business sector, based in different countries and having members in the whole EU. The first meeting was chaired by the Commissioner on languages, Mr. Leonard Orban, and was attended by the Director General of Education and Culture, Mrs. Odile Quintin.
The purpose of the Platform – that is independent by the Commission – is to exchange ideas and suggestions among the members in order to deliver an advice to the Commission on how multilingualism should be improved in the coming years. This advice will be taken into consideration in the drafting of the Recommendation on multilingualism that the EU will publish in 2011 and that will be addressed to the Member States.
Chair: Wolfgang Mackiewicz, elc(at)zedat.fu-berlin.de
EFIL: European Federation for Intercultural Learning
The Federation promotes synergies and opportunities for its Member Organisations in the field of intercultural learning and global education.
Members of EFIIL are voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organisations. They form a network of 51 partner organisations with operations covering 80 countries worldwide.
EFNIL: European Federation of National Institutions for Language
All the member states of the European Union have institutions whose role includes monitoring the official language or languages of their country, advising on language use, or developing language policy.
The European Federation of National Institutions for Language provides a forum for these institutions to exchange information about their work and to gather and publish information about language use and language policy within the European Union.
In addition, the Federation encourages the study of the official European languages and a coordinated approach towards mother-tongue and foreign-language learning, as a means of promoting linguistic and cultural diversity within the European Union.
EUCIS-LLL: European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning
The European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning (EUCIS-LLL) gathers 20 European networks working in education and training. Together, these organisations cover all sectors of education and training including networks for higher education, vocational education and training, adult education and popular education; networks for students, school heads, parents, HRD professionals, teachers and trainers. Through its members, EUCIS-LLL embodies lifelong learning.
The platform was created with the purpose of involving the different educative actors as closely as possible in the dynamics of discussing and implementing the policies and actions of the European Union. Its goal is to offer the possibility for the European citizen’s voice to be heard on educational issues, and, leaning on the expertise of the networks that make up the platform, to bring concrete solutions for potential ways in which the decisions made by the European Institutions can be realised.
EUNIC Brussels: European Union National Institutes for Culture
EUNIC in Brussels is the framework through which EU national cultural institutions, with a permanent presence in Belgium, together with their networks throughout Europe co-operate in the development and execution of uniquely multilateral cultural projects and initiatives. EUNIC in Brussels’ activities compliment the national role and the cultural programs of its member institutes.
IAIE: International Association for Intercultural Education
Since 1984 the International Association for Intercultural Education has brought together professional educators interested in diversity and equity issues in education. This is defined quite broadly, and includes intercultural education, multi-cultural education, anti-racist education, human rights education, conflict-resolution, multi-lingualism issues, etc.
International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA)
AILA is the international federation of national or regional associations of Applied Linguistics. Through its member associations, AILA currently has a membership of more than 8.000 individuals worldwide who as researchers, policy makers or practitioners are active in the field of Applied Linguistics.
International Association of Multilingualism IAM
The International Association of Multilingualism is an international network of scholars who share an interest in multilingualism.
The association organizes a conference every two years and its members are regularly involved in organizing workshops, seminars and panel discussions at conferences around the world.
In 2010, the positions of vice-president and treasurer are being held by LINEE members (Gessica De Angelis and Eva Vetter).
NPLD: Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity
The Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD) was established at the end 2007 with the aim of facilitating the sharing of existing best practice and the development of new and innovative ideas in the field of language planning in all linguistic domains amongst Europe’s constitutional, regional and smaller-state languages.
Co-funded by the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme over the course of three years, the Network encompasses autochthonous European constitutional, regional and smaller state languages to promote meaningful linguistic diversity in the context of a multilingual Europe.
RML2future
The network intends to foster multilingualism and linguistic diversity in Europe with a strong focus on regional and minority languages (RML).
Its main aim is to promote the European objective of multilingualism, according to which each European citizen should learn two additional languages beside his/her mother tongue. The final aim of the network is to become a competence centre on regional and minority languages and on multilingual regions.
The ICC – International Certificate Conference
The ICC is an international association. It promotes quality in foreign language learning and teaching by
- certifying progress and achievement in language acquisition
- certifying teachers’ competence to teach
- assuring the quality of courses offered
- offering guidelines for the evaluation of teaching institutions, and
- providing criteria for the evaluation of teaching materials and courses
As a marketplace for ideas, projects, teachers and courses, the ICC promotes and encourages research and development in language teaching by working together.
Membership is open to educational institutions, professional associations / organisations, producers and distributors of products and services in the field of language training and publishers. The ICC is currently building up a network of institutes of higher education (Universities of Applied Sciences and similar institutes).
Journals
Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines
Free but formal, peer-reviewed electronic journal, intended to provide a publishing platform for cross-disciplinary critical discourse research.
Current Issues in Language Planning
Routledge, London/New York: The journal Current Issues in Language Planning provides major summative and thematic review studies spanning and focusing the disparate language policy and language planning literature related to: 1) polities and language planning and 2) issues in language planning.
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rclp
European Journal of Language Policy / Revue européenne de politique linguistique
Liverpool University Press, Liverpool: The Journal aims to address major developments in language policy from a European perspective, regarding multilingualism and the diversity of languages as valuable assets in the culture, politics and economics of twenty-first century societies.
http://www.liverpool-unipress.co.uk/html/publication.asp?idProduct=3857
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality
Emerald, Bingley: The International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research encourages articles that advance multidisciplinary multicultural theory and research on the roles of culture, tourism, and hospitality in the lives of individuals, households, and organizations.
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=ijcthr
International Journal of Multilingualism
Routledge, London/New York: The aim of the International Journal of Multilingualism (IJM) is to foster, present and spread research focused on psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic and educational aspects of multilingual acquisition and multilingualism.
The journal is interdisciplinary and seeks to go beyond bilingualism and second language acquisition by developing the understanding of the specific characteristics of acquiring, processing and using more than two languages.
International Journal of the Sociology of Language
De Gruyter Mouton. The IJSL is dedicated to the development of the sociology of language in its broadest sense, as a truly international and interdisciplinary field in which various approaches, theoretical and empirical, supplement and complement each other, contributing thereby to the growth of language-related knowledge, applications, values and sensitivities.
http://www.degruyter.de/journals/ijsl/detailEn.cfm
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Routledge, London/New York: The Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (JEMS) publishes the results of first-class research on all forms of migration and its consequences, together with articles on ethnic conflict, discrimination, racism, nationalism, citizenship and policies of integration.
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/carfax/1369183x.html
Journal of Language and Politics
John Benjamins, Amsterdam: The Journal of Language and Politics (JLP) represents a forum for analysing and discussing the various dimensions in the interplay of language and politics.
The basic assumption is that the language of politics cannot be separated from the politics of language. The notion of ’Political Discourse’ does not remain limited to the ’institutional’ field of politics (e.g. parliamentary discourse, election campaigns, party programmes, speeches, etc.) but opens to all linguistic manifestations that may be considered to be political, provided that it is convincingly argued what makes them ’political’.
http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_seriesview.cgi?series=jlp
Journal of Language Contact. Evolution of languages, contact and discourse
as of 2011 (Volume 4): Brill, Leiden: As a platform for discussion, dialogue, and theoretical argumentation with the aim of relocating language contact within the wider framework of research on language change JLC provides two series:
- The first volume entitled ‘THEMA’ publishes issues focusing on a chosen topic.
- The second volume titled ‘VARIA’ is open to all kinds of contributions which are concerned with the outlined objectives of the journal and do not fall under a common theme of a THEMA issue.
Language Policy
Springer Netherlands: This journal covers both language policy and educational policy. It presents policies concerning the status and form of languages as well as acquisition policies pertaining to the teaching and learning of languages.
It contains detailed accounts of promoting and managing language policy and research papers on the development, implementation and effects of language policy in all regions of the world and under different conditions. The journal also includes empirical studies that contribute to a theory of language policy.
http://www.springer.com/education+%26+language/linguistics/journal/10993?detailsPage=aboutThis
Language Problems and Language Planning
John Benjamins, Amsterdam: This international multi-lingual journal publishes articles primarily on political, sociological, and economic aspects of language and language use.
It is especially concerned with relationships between and among language communities, particularly in international contexts, and in the adaptation, manipulation, and standardization of language for international use. Articles deal with language policy, language management, and language use in international organizations, multinational enterprises, etc., and theoretical studies on global communication, language interaction, and language conflict.
http://www.benjamins.com/cgi-bin/t_seriesview.cgi?series=lplp
World Englishes. Journal of English as an International and Intranational Language
Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken NJ: World Englishes is committed to the study of varieties of English in their distinctive cultural, sociolinguistic and educational contexts.
It is integrative in its scope and includes theoretical and applied studies on language, literature and English teaching, with emphasis on cross-cultural perspectives and identities.
The Linguist List
Extensive list of journals on http://linguistlist.org/pubs/journals/
Social Networks
Facebook group LINEE
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20886920979
AILA Research Network on Language Policy
http://groups.google.com/group/lpren
The Linguist List
http://linguistlist.org/
Facebook group on multilingualism
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18977111129
Facebook group on minority and regional languages
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Network-to-Promote-Linguistic-Diversity/87136599373
Other resources
ADUM: ADUM was a project offering information on EU programmes relevant for the funding of minority language promotion projects. The website still contains a database with links and experts.
http://www.adum.info/app/adum/web/03_database/index.jsp
Eurominority: different maps of languages in Europe and its regions
http://www.eurominority.org/version/eng/maps-other.asp
Eupedia: different maps of Europe
http://www.eupedia.com/europe/maps_of_europe.shtml
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