WorldWideScience

Sample records for multilingualism

  1. The multilingual brain

    OpenAIRE

    Engel de Abreu, Pascale

    2013-01-01

    The multilingual brain. Is a multilingual education beneficial for children? What are the optimal conditions under which a child can become perfectly multilingual? The given lecture will focus on the "cognitive advantages" of multilingualism and illustrate the impact that being multilingual has on the cognitive organisation of the brain. Practical questions regarding multilingual education will also be discussed.

  2. Multilingual Policies and Multilingual Education in the Nordic Countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Björklund, Mikaela; Björklund, Siv; Sjöholm, Kaj

    2013-01-01

    This article presents some aspects of multilingualism and multilingual education in the Nordic countries, drawing upon experiences from the project "Network for Researchers of Multilingualism and Multilingual Education, RoMME" (2011-2013), where Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden are represented. The aim is to briefly present and…

  3. The multilingual brain

    OpenAIRE

    Engel de Abreu, Pascale

    2014-01-01

    The multilingual brain. Is a multilingual education beneficial for children? What are the optimal conditions under which a child can become perfectly multilingual? The given lecture will focus on the "cognitive advantages" of multilingualism and illustrate the impact that being multilingual has on the cognitive organisation of the brain. Practical questions regarding multilingual education will also be discussed. Ass et gutt e Kand méisproocheg ze erzéien? Wat sinn déi optimal Konditio...

  4. Multilingual Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Phillipson, Robert

    2013-01-01

    Review of: Multilingual Europe: Multilingual Europeans. (European Studies: An Interdisciplinary Series in European Culture, History and Politics, Vol. 29). Eds. Láslá Maràcz & Mireille Rosello. Rodopi, 2012. 323 pp.......Review of: Multilingual Europe: Multilingual Europeans. (European Studies: An Interdisciplinary Series in European Culture, History and Politics, Vol. 29). Eds. Láslá Maràcz & Mireille Rosello. Rodopi, 2012. 323 pp....

  5. Multilingual Awareness and Heritage Language Education: Children's Multimodal Representations of Their Multilingualism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melo-Pfeifer, Sílvia

    2015-01-01

    In this article, we analyse visual narratives of multilingual children, in order to acknowledge their self-perception as multilingual selves. Through the analysis of drawings produced by children enrolled in Portuguese as heritage language (PHL) classes in Germany, we analyse how bi-/multilingual children perceive their multilingual repertoires…

  6. Multilingual School Population: Ensuring School Belonging by Tolerating Multilingualism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Der Wildt, Anouk; Van Avermaet, Piet; Van Houtte, Mieke

    2017-01-01

    Societies have become super-diverse due to migration and globalization. Many mainstream classroom teachers feel managing the linguistic variety children bring to school is challenging. This often leads to restrictive language policies. Research on multilingualism has given us insight into the multilingual realities of pupils, which allows us to…

  7. Teachers' Beliefs about Multilingualism and a Multilingual Pedagogical Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haukås, Åsta

    2016-01-01

    Knowledge of teachers' beliefs is central to understanding teachers' decision-making in the classroom. The present study explores Norwegian language teachers' beliefs about multilingualism and the use of a multilingual pedagogical approach in the third-language (L3) classroom. This study analysed data collected via focus group discussions with 12…

  8. Multilingualism and Specific Language Impairment

    OpenAIRE

    Engel de Abreu, Pascale

    2014-01-01

    Is a multilingual education beneficial for children? What are the optimal conditions under which a child can become perfectly multilingual? When should we be concerned about a multilingual child's language skills? What are the signs of Specific Language Impairment in a child who speaks more than one language? Developmental psychologist and Associate Professor in multilingual cognitive development at the University of Luxembourg Pascale Engel de Abreu will address these questions based on what...

  9. Inequalities of Multilingualism: Challenges to Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tupas, Ruanni

    2015-01-01

    This paper discusses structural and ideological challenges to mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) which has in recent years been gaining ground in many educational contexts around the world. The paper argues, however, that MTB-MLE is set against these challenges - referred to here as inequalities of multilingualism - which prevent…

  10. Benefits of Multilingualism in Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okal, Benard Odoyo

    2014-01-01

    The article gives a brief analytical survey of multilingualism practices, its consequences, its benefits in education and discussions on the appropriate ways towards its achievement in education. Multilingualism refers to speaking more than one language competently. Generally there are both the official and unofficial multilingualism practices. A…

  11. Preparing FCS Professionals for a Multilingual Society: Building Community through the Experiences of Multilingual Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duncan, Janine; Duncan, Daniel

    2014-01-01

    As demographics in the United States shift, family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals must be prepared to foster healthy communities that embrace multilingual families. Because hegemonic language ideologies challenge multilingual families, FCS professionals need to know how to inclusively reframe communities to honor multilingual families.…

  12. Understanding Editing Behaviors in Multilingual Wikipedia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Suin; Park, Sungjoon; Hale, Scott A; Kim, Sooyoung; Byun, Jeongmin; Oh, Alice H

    2016-01-01

    Multilingualism is common offline, but we have a more limited understanding of the ways multilingualism is displayed online and the roles that multilinguals play in the spread of content between speakers of different languages. We take a computational approach to studying multilingualism using one of the largest user-generated content platforms, Wikipedia. We study multilingualism by collecting and analyzing a large dataset of the content written by multilingual editors of the English, German, and Spanish editions of Wikipedia. This dataset contains over two million paragraphs edited by over 15,000 multilingual users from July 8 to August 9, 2013. We analyze these multilingual editors in terms of their engagement, interests, and language proficiency in their primary and non-primary (secondary) languages and find that the English edition of Wikipedia displays different dynamics from the Spanish and German editions. Users primarily editing the Spanish and German editions make more complex edits than users who edit these editions as a second language. In contrast, users editing the English edition as a second language make edits that are just as complex as the edits by users who primarily edit the English edition. In this way, English serves a special role bringing together content written by multilinguals from many language editions. Nonetheless, language remains a formidable hurdle to the spread of content: we find evidence for a complexity barrier whereby editors are less likely to edit complex content in a second language. In addition, we find that multilinguals are less engaged and show lower levels of language proficiency in their second languages. We also examine the topical interests of multilingual editors and find that there is no significant difference between primary and non-primary editors in each language.

  13. Understanding Editing Behaviors in Multilingual Wikipedia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suin Kim

    Full Text Available Multilingualism is common offline, but we have a more limited understanding of the ways multilingualism is displayed online and the roles that multilinguals play in the spread of content between speakers of different languages. We take a computational approach to studying multilingualism using one of the largest user-generated content platforms, Wikipedia. We study multilingualism by collecting and analyzing a large dataset of the content written by multilingual editors of the English, German, and Spanish editions of Wikipedia. This dataset contains over two million paragraphs edited by over 15,000 multilingual users from July 8 to August 9, 2013. We analyze these multilingual editors in terms of their engagement, interests, and language proficiency in their primary and non-primary (secondary languages and find that the English edition of Wikipedia displays different dynamics from the Spanish and German editions. Users primarily editing the Spanish and German editions make more complex edits than users who edit these editions as a second language. In contrast, users editing the English edition as a second language make edits that are just as complex as the edits by users who primarily edit the English edition. In this way, English serves a special role bringing together content written by multilinguals from many language editions. Nonetheless, language remains a formidable hurdle to the spread of content: we find evidence for a complexity barrier whereby editors are less likely to edit complex content in a second language. In addition, we find that multilinguals are less engaged and show lower levels of language proficiency in their second languages. We also examine the topical interests of multilingual editors and find that there is no significant difference between primary and non-primary editors in each language.

  14. Multilingualism and social inclusion

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marácz, L.; Adamo, S.

    2017-01-01

    This is a thematic issue on the relation between multilingualism and social inclusion. Due to globalization, Europeanization, supranational and transnational regulations linguistic diversity and multilingualism are on the rise. Migration and old and new forms of mobility play an important role in

  15. Multilingual Practices of University Students and Changing Forms of Multilingualism in Luxembourg

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Bres, Julia; Franziskus, Anne

    2014-01-01

    With its own national language, Luxembourgish, and three languages of administration, French, German and Luxembourgish, Luxembourg has long been a very multilingual country. The nature of this multilingualism is now changing, due to the rising proportion of migrants in the country, who now make up 43% of the resident population. The changing…

  16. Embodying multilingual interaction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hazel, Spencer; Mortensen, Janus

    this linguistic diversity is managed in situ by participants engaged in dialogue with one another, and what it is used for in these transient multilingual communities. This paper presents CA-based micro-ethnographic analyses of language choice in an informal social setting – a kitchen – of an international study...... literature on language choice in interaction, our findings emphasize that analyses of language choice in multilingual settings need to take into account social actions beyond the words that are spoken. We show that facial, spatial and postural configurations, gaze orientation and gestures as well as prosodic...... in the particular community of practice that we are investigating. Reference Hazel, Spencer, and Janus Mortensen. forthcoming. Kitchen talk: Exploring linguistic practices in liminal institutional interactions in a multilingual university setting. in Language Alternation, Language Choice, and Language Encounter...

  17. Multilingualism, Empathy and Multicompetence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewaele, Jean-Marc; Wei, Li

    2012-01-01

    The present study investigates the link between multilingualism and the personality trait of cognitive empathy among 2158 mono- and multilinguals. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. Statistical analyses revealed that the knowledge of more languages was not linked to cognitive empathy. Bilingual upbringing and the experience of…

  18. A Bright Future for Interdisciplinary Multilingualism Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comanaru, Ruxandra-S.; Dewaele, Jean-Marc

    2015-01-01

    Multilingualism is a prevalent reality in today's world. From an individual level to a societal one, multilingualism incorporates many aspects that have been studied extensively by diverse social research disciplines. The present article will explore the potential directions which multilingualism research can take, concentrating mainly on the…

  19. German Schools Abroad: Hotspots of Elite Multilingualism?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sander, Anne E; Admiraal, Wilfried

    2016-01-01

    While multilingualism itself is a widely analyzed topic, a study about multilingualism at German schools abroad is so far unique. This quantitative study investigates the differences in the size of German expressive and receptive vocabulary between monolingual and multilingual students, aged between 5 and 11 years. A cohort of 65 multilingual…

  20. Piecing Together the "Workplace Multilingualism" Jigsaw Puzzle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hua, Zhu

    2014-01-01

    Multilingualism in the workplace is different from multilingualism at home or in other domains of social life. It has more direct, yet entangled, economic and social implications and serves interactional purposes which can be at any point on the continuum of goal-orientation and relationship-building. Multilingualism in the workplace is both a…

  1. Language Choice in Multilingual Communities: The Case of Larteh ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In a multilingual community, the multilingual speaker needs to make the right language choice which principally depends on the domain of usage and the linguistic repertoire of speech participants. This paper investigates factors that govern language choices that multilingual speakers make in Larteh, a multilingual ...

  2. Word level language identification in online multilingual communication

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nguyen, Dong-Phuong; Dogruoz, A. Seza

    2013-01-01

    Multilingual speakers switch between languages in online and spoken communication. Analyses of large scale multilingual data require automatic language identification at the word level. For our experiments with multilingual online discussions, we first tag the language of individual words using

  3. Affordances theory in multilingualism studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larissa Aronin

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The concept of affordances originating in Gibson’s work (Gibson, 1977 is gaining ground in multilingualism studies (cf. Aronin and Singleton, 2010; Singleton and Aronin, 2007; Dewaele, 2010. Nevertheless, studies investigating affordances in respect of teaching, learning or using languages are still somewhat rare and tend to treat isolated aspects of multilingualism. This is despite the fact that the theory of affordances can actually provide a valuable, supplementary, up-to-date framework within which a clearer, sharper description and explication of the intriguing range of attributes of multilingual communities, educational institutions and individuals, as well as teaching practices, become feasible. It is important that not only researchers and practitioners (teachers, educators, parents, community and political actors but also language users and learners themselves should be aware of how to identify or, if necessary, design new affordances for language acquisition and learning. The aim of this article is to adapt the concept of affordances to multilingualism studies and additional language teaching, and in so doing advance theoretical understanding in this context. To this end the article contains a brief summary of the findings so far available. The article also goes further into defining the ways of how affordances work in relation to multilingualism and second language teaching and puts forward an integrated model of affordances.

  4. Multilingualism and Social Inclusion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2017-01-01

    This is a thematic issue on the relation between multilingualism and social inclusion. Due to globalization, Europeanization, supranational and transnational regulations linguistic diversity and multilingualism are on the rise. Migration and old and new forms of mobility play an important role...... in these processes. As a consequence, English as the only global language is spreading around the world, including Europe and the European Union. Social and linguistic inclusion was accounted for in the pre-globalization age by the nation-state ideology implementing the ‘one nation-one people-one language’ doctrine...... in governance and daily life protected by a legal framework. This does not mean that there is full equality of languages. This carries over to the fair and just social inclusion of the speakers of these weaker, dominated languages as well. There is always a power question related to multilingualism. The ten...

  5. Underlying Paradox in the European Union's Multilingualism Policies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Fern L.

    2013-01-01

    The European Union (EU) has developed comprehensive policies in recent years to promote multilingualism. In this article, major EU policy statements on multilingualism are analyzed to demonstrate how their underlying language ideology produces paradox by both encouraging multilingualism and regulating its definition within the EU. The first…

  6. Developing Multilingual Pedagogies and Research through Language Study and Reflection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catalano, Theresa; Shende, Madhur; Suh, Emily K.

    2018-01-01

    Globalisation and increased transnational migration underscore the need for educational responses to multilingualism and multilingual discourses. One way to heighten awareness of multilingual pedagogies (while simultaneously providing data for multilingual research) is the use of reflective language study and journaling by language…

  7. Complex systems, multilingualism and academic success in South ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In South Africa, students are multilingual and this is often ignored or perceived as a hindrance to academic success. Conversely, there are studies that have found a positive relationship between bi- and multilingualism and cognitive development during the past 40 years. The aim of this article is to view multilingualism and ...

  8. Multilingual phonological analysis and speech synthesis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Coleman, J.S.; Dirksen, A.; Hussain, S.; Waals, J.

    1996-01-01

    We give an overview of multilingual speech synthesis using the IPOX system. The first part discusses work in progress for various languages: Tashlhit Berber, Urdu and Dutch. The second part discusses a multilingual phonological grammar, which can be adapted to a particular language by setting

  9. New Perspectives on Multilingualism and L2 Acquisition: An Introduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Zarobe, Leyre Ruiz; de Zarobe, Yolanda Ruiz

    2015-01-01

    This article focuses on the description of one of the main features of current multilingualism, complexity, through a selection of issues related to its role in L2 acquisition, as the proper notion of multilingualism, multilingualism as a social phenomenon and multilingualism as a multidimensional phenomenon. We also present several aspects of…

  10. Olowalu Review: Developing identity through translanguaging in a multilingual literary magazine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alex Josef Kasula

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available With the current trends in our globalized society, there is a clear increase in multilinguals rise; however, the understanding of multilingual identity and policy towards education stays relatively the same. Recent investigation in multilingualism in the US has shed light on the positive impacts of alternating policy in language education with regard to a greater understanding in how translanguaging and identity impact the language learner and language learning policies (Garcia & Wei, 2013. The following article describes the development of an online multilingual literary magazine, Olowalu Review, that aimed to provide English language learners in an English-only language policy a space to translanguage. Thus, having the opportunity to develop and express their multilingual identities. Goals and the development of the magazine are described in terms relating to current multilingual theory. While the outcomes and findings reveal how Olowalu Review enabled multilinguals to foster and exercise multilingual identities and skills, raise multilingual awareness, and act as an important multilingual artifact through an analysis of written submissions and interviews with authors. Pedagogical implications are discussed to empower language teachers, learners, or artists to develop the same or similar project for their own local, national, or global community.

  11. Resourcing speech-language pathologists to work with multilingual children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLeod, Sharynne

    2014-06-01

    Speech-language pathologists play important roles in supporting people to be competent communicators in the languages of their communities. However, with over 7000 languages spoken throughout the world and the majority of the global population being multilingual, there is often a mismatch between the languages spoken by children and families and their speech-language pathologists. This paper provides insights into service provision for multilingual children within an English-dominant country by viewing Australia's multilingual population as a microcosm of ethnolinguistic minorities. Recent population studies of Australian pre-school children show that their most common languages other than English are: Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, and Greek. Although 20.2% of services by Speech Pathology Australia members are offered in languages other than English, there is a mismatch between the language of the services and the languages of children within similar geographical communities. Australian speech-language pathologists typically use informal or English-based assessments and intervention tools with multilingual children. Thus, there is a need for accessible culturally and linguistically appropriate resources for working with multilingual children. Recent international collaborations have resulted in practical strategies to support speech-language pathologists during assessment, intervention, and collaboration with families, communities, and other professionals. The International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children's Speech was assembled to prepare a position paper to address issues faced by speech-language pathologists when working with multilingual populations. The Multilingual Children's Speech website ( http://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech ) addresses one of the aims of the position paper by providing free resources and information for speech-language pathologists about more than 45 languages. These international

  12. Multilingualism and Nation Building. Multilingual Matters 91.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansour, Gerda

    This book examines the phenomenon of multilingualism in West Africa from a historical, social, and environmental perspective. Chapter 1 explains why the catalogue of African languages established by linguists is not reliable for assessing the linguistic diversity of the region. It also discusses studies that show that the linguistic behavior in…

  13. Multilingualism and Creativity: A Multivariate Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fürst, Guillaume; Grin, François

    2018-01-01

    This paper proposes a contribution to the investigation of the relation between multilingualism and creativity. Past evidence of a correlation between multilingualism and creativity is reviewed in a generalist perspective, that is, without focusing on a specific population such as migrants or highly proficient bilinguals. This review is also…

  14. Multilingualism and Multicompetence: A Conceptual View

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franceschini, Rita

    2011-01-01

    The overall aim of this article is to argue that the functioning of every language system is based on a potential multilingual competence. The empirical basis for this is now broad enough to gain a comprehensive view on the overall competence of a multilingual individual. Moreover, increasing theoretical reflection has conferred an increasingly…

  15. Multilingualism: Its Open and Hidden Agendas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komorowska, Hanna

    2013-01-01

    The author analyses tendencies presented in recently launched EU reports claiming that newly published data reveal a need to rethink approaches to individual and social multilingualism. In the first part of the article approaches to individual as well as to societal multilingualism are discussed from a historical perspective. In the second part…

  16. Is Multilingualism Linked to a Higher Tolerance of Ambiguity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeWaele, Jean-Marc; Wei, Li

    2013-01-01

    The present study investigates the link between multilingualism and the personality trait Tolerance of Ambiguity (TA) among 2158 mono-, bi- and multilinguals. Monolinguals and bilinguals scored significantly lower on TA compared to multilinguals. A high level of global proficiency of various languages was linked to higher TA scores. A stay abroad…

  17. Sounds Affecting the Moments of Stuttering in Multilingualism: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrish, Taryn; Nesbitt, Amy; le Roux, Mia; Zsilavecz, Ursula; van der Linde, Jeannie

    2017-01-01

    Research involving stuttering in multilingual individuals is limited. Speech-language therapists face the challenge of treating a diverse client base, which includes multilingual individuals. The aim of this study was to examine the stuttering moments across English, Afrikaans, and German in a multilingual speaker. A single multilingual adult with…

  18. Stylistic Performance through Affective Marking: A Case of Multilingual Literary Discourse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Urjani Chakravarty

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper provides an overall analysis of how multi-lingual writer like Amitav Ghosh write about emotion in his literary text, and emphasize on how multilingual authors display emotion/affect through use of literary multilingualism (affective markers combined with writer style. Through use of multiple strategies, they reduces the limitations of interpretation of their texts. Furthermore, this paper highlighted the centrally sociolinguistic and cognitive dimensions of the relationships between multilingualism and emotion and how this is influenced by assumptions of Relevance Theory i.e. optimal relevance in a literary text. One should expect to find relationships between sociolinguistic diversity and affective expression for most authors in locally specific ways, whether multilingual or not. Such scholarship can then illuminate how the authors by using literary multilingualism through writer style and affective markers can shape emotions across various contexts in a literary text. Future research into multilingualism and emotion should continue to distinguish between how multilingual authors use linguistic forms to show feeling, and how they express about feeling in their created texts. Keywords: Language, Culture, Literary Multilingualism, Style, Affect and Relevance Theory

  19. Introduction: Multilingual Behavior in Youth Groups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jens Normann Jørgensen

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available This introduction reviews some of the major work on bilingual and multilingual children and adolescents in Scandinavia, from Kotsinas (1985 and Boyd (1985 to the present. The introduction was originally published in J. N. Jørgensen (ed. 2001: Multilingual behavior in Youth Groups, Copenhagen Studies in Bilingualism, The Køge Series, Volume K11, Danish University of Education.

  20. Multilingual classrooms, language and literacy learners: Global childhoods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Mette Vedsgaard; Daugaard, Line Møller; Cox, Robyn

    2015-01-01

    childhoods of young multilingual and multiliterate learners, but explore globalised classrooms from various perspectives: the perspectives of learners, teachers and policymakers. In combination, the papers in the symposium offer a nuanced description of the tensions and dilemmas in contemporary multilingual...... classrooms across the globe and a multifaceted analysis of the multilingual nature of global childhoods. The first paper reports on research study conducted in primary schools in Sydney, Australia which investigated how multilingual children understand their own linguistic practices and how they report...... this practice. The children were asked to consider the role of their mulitingualism in their daily classroom experiences. The second paper, based on a linguistic ethnographic case study in Denmark, explores language ideological aspects of global childhoods as they are negotiated in and around ’mother tongue...

  1. Literacy and linguistic diversity in the multilingual classroom

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Helle Pia

    and educational failure. Our study takes place in classrooms where teachers are engaged in developing a literacy pe dagogy which allows space for multilingualism and multimodality. Through intervention studies in these linguistically diverse classrooms, we are also investigating how teachers and students navigate....... The longitudinal study ‘Signs of language’ involves five multilingual classrooms. We are exploring how multilingual children interpret and create signs in order to communicate and perform their social identity in different multilingual and multimodal classroom settings. We are aiming at getting a better...... understanding of the children’s complex uses of the linguistic and semiotic resources available to them by paying close attention to the perspective of the children - as users and nterpreters of literacy (Blackledge & Creeese 2010). In classrooms some identity options are more available to the students than...

  2. Translanguaging in the Writing of Emergent Multilinguals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiramba, Lydiah Kananu

    2017-01-01

    This article discusses the findings of an empirical study that investigated the writing practices in a multilingual, rural, fourth-grade classroom in Kenya. The study was undergirded by Bakhtin's heteroglossia. Analysis of texts indicated that these emergent multilinguals used multiple semiotic resources to maximize the chances of meeting the…

  3. Equitable multilingualism? The case of Stellenbosch University ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article reflects on Stellenbosch University Writing Lab's pedagogical approach to multilingualism and inclusivity within the complex and political nature of multilingual language policies at a South African university. The Writing Lab has always been promoted as a facility for all students, not just those in need of ...

  4. Multilingual and Multimodal Composition at School: "ScribJab" in Action

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dagenais, Diane; Toohey, Kelleen; Bennett Fox, Alexa; Singh, Angelpreet

    2017-01-01

    In this article, we explain how recent research on multilingualism, multilingual education, and multimodality informs our thinking about the use of "ScribJab," a multilingual iPad application and website ("ScribJab.com"), which enables users to compose, illustrate, and narrate stories in two languages. Drawing on excerpts from…

  5. The Paradoxical Visions of Multilingualism in Education: The Ideological Dimension of Discourses on Multilingualism in Belgium and Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hambye, Philippe; Richards, Mary

    2012-01-01

    In this article, we will examine some contrasted discourses on multilingualism that circulate nowadays in the field of education. Focusing on the cases of French-speaking Belgium and of the Franco-Ontarian community in Canada, we will show the existence of two discourses on multilingualism: one that insists on the positive value of multilingualism…

  6. English Medium Instruction in Multilingual and Multicultural Universities:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Birgit; Holmen, Anne; Kling, Joyce

    ’ experiences in the midst of curricular change and presents reflections on ways to professionally navigate in English to meet the demands of the multilingual and multicultural classroom. English Medium Instruction in Multilingual and Multicultural Universities is key reading for university management......English Medium Instruction in Multilingual and Multicultural Universities analyses the issues related to EMI at both a local and international level and provides a broad perspective on this topic. Drawing on field studies from a Northern European context and based primarily on research carried out...

  7. The Languages of the Multilingual: Some Conceptual and Terminological Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammarberg, Bjorn

    2010-01-01

    Research on individual multilingualism and third language acquisition has expanded greatly in recent years. A theoretical correlate of this is the recognition of the fact that humans are potentially multilingual by nature, that multilingualism is the default state of language competence, and that this in turn has implications for an adequate…

  8. [Monolingualism, an overlooked multilingual?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincent, E

    There has been some emphasis on the practice of multi­lingualism. It is seen as encouraging children creativity, lin­guis­­tic sensitivity and openness. In this article, we seek to find out if the different qualities demonstrated in multilingualism can also be developed in a monolingualism context. Despite the fact that it is a single language system - where grammar, accents, the rhythm of the sentence remain unchanged - it will be interesting to draw some parallels with multilingualism. This will lead us to study the processes of oral and written language acquisition in children. The associations with stuttering will also be mentioned.

  9. UNITY IN DIVERSITY. THE EUROPEAN UNION’S MULTILINGUALISM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura-Cristiana SPĂTARU-NEGURĂ

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available It is undeniable that the European Union represents the most ambitious legal and linguistic project, integrating 28 Member States and 24 official languages. What we undertook with this study was to explore the importance of multilingualism in the European Union and the problems that unity in diversity involves. This study tried to touch upon both theoretical aspects (i.e., what the multilingualism of EU law implies and practical issues (i.e., the interaction between legal languages at national and at EU level, problems emerging from multilingualism, illustrated by the relevant case law of the European Court of Justice. In many ECJ cases, it was underlined that multilingualism is essential to the EU legal order. The meaning of EU law cannot be derived from one version of the official languages and the ECJ regularly heads for a uniform interpretation of the contradictory versions. The present study is part of a more complex research on this theme and it is meant to approach certain important points of my PhD thesis. A first part of this research on multilingualism has already been published.

  10. Multilingual Aeronautical Dictionary (Dictionnaire Aeronautique Multilingue)

    Science.gov (United States)

    1980-01-01

    8217See ’aerofoil profile’ DE Bord’Boden-Funkverkehr (ili 20~ AGARD MULTILINGUAL AERONAUTICAL DICTIONARY 10318 air mileage indicator (AMI) ES comunicacion ...Autogenschweissen (nil ES sistema fml autom~tico de comunicacion NE automatische besturing ES soldadura MI autdgena aire-tierra P otooWatmtc FR soudage Wm autogene...AERONAUTICAL DICTIONARY DE Fernmeldesatellit [m) RU 1. maPXWbPOBK& ff1 OTcOKOB RU onPe~ene~me Wn Aesma84HN Komnaca ES satelite Wm do comunicaciones 2

  11. Constructing Glocal Identities through Multilingual Writing Practices on Flickr.com[R

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Carmen K. M.; Barton, David

    2011-01-01

    This article reports on a study of user-generated multilingual writing activities on the photo sharing site, Flickr.com[R]. It discusses how Flickr users deploy their multilingual resources when interacting with international audiences, the factors affecting their language choice, and how new multilingual identities are constructed. An exploratory…

  12. Stylistic Performance through Affective Marking: A Case of Multilingual Literary Discourse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakravarty, Urjani

    2016-01-01

    This paper provides an overall analysis of how multi-lingual writer like Amitav Ghosh write about emotion in his literary text, and emphasize on how multilingual authors display emotion/affect through use of literary multilingualism (affective markers) combined with writer style. Through use of multiple strategies, they reduces the limitations of…

  13. Multilingual Communication and Language Acquisition: New Research Directions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canagarajah, A. Suresh; Wurr, Adrian J.

    2011-01-01

    In this article, we outline the differences between a monolingual and multilingual orientation to language and language acquisition. The increasing contact between languages in the context of globalization motivates such a shift of paradigms. Multilingual communicative practices have remained vibrant in non-western communities for a long time. We…

  14. Multilingualism in the Workplace: Language Practices in Multilingual Contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angouri, Jo

    2014-01-01

    The modern workplace is international and multilingual. Both white and blue collar employees are expected to be mobile, work increasingly in (virtual) teams (Gee et al. 1996) and to address complex organisational issues in a language that, often, is not their first language (L1). This results in a number of languages forming the ecosystem of…

  15. Nigerian Theatre and the Multilingual Challenge | Umukoro | Ibadan ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The paper examines the prospects and problems of theatrical communication in a multilingual and multicultural society like Nigeria. It attempts to identify the historical basis for multilingualism from the global perspective and explores the relative potentials of the literary arts of poetry, prose and drama in responding to the ...

  16. Embracing African languages as indispensable resources through the promotion of multilingualism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ndimande-Hlongwa, Nobuhle

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper seeks to explore the potential significance of additive multilingualism in South Africa’s multilingual society. Additive multilingualism treasures the principle of equality among all 11 official languages. Therefore, our point of departure is the South African Constitution and various policy provisions that advocate for a multilingual mode of operation. The paper is premised upon the potential value of multilingualism that encompasses indigenous African languages and the view of language as a resource. This concurs with the language policy of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN, which seeks to promote a multilingual society. Perceptions and experiences of a group of part-time LLB students regarding the learning of isiZulu as an additional language at UKZN were solicited in this study. The ‘language as a resource’ framework was employed as the theoretical approach of the study. The study established an acknowledgement of the resourcefulness of isiZulu as instrumental in fostering social cohesion, breaking communication barriers, and dispelling misconceptions about the value of these languages.

  17. Intensity of Multilingual Language Use Predicts Cognitive Performance in Some Multilingual Older Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keijzer, Merel; de Bot, Kees

    2018-01-01

    Cognitive advantages for bilinguals have inconsistently been observed in different populations, with different operationalisations of bilingualism, cognitive performance, and the process by which language control transfers to cognitive control. This calls for studies investigating which aspects of multilingualism drive a cognitive advantage, in which populations and under which conditions. This study reports on two cognitive tasks coupled with an extensive background questionnaire on health, wellbeing, personality, language knowledge and language use, administered to 387 older adults in the northern Netherlands, a small but highly multilingual area. Using linear mixed effects regression modeling, we find that when different languages are used frequently in different contexts, enhanced attentional control is observed. Subsequently, a PLS regression model targeting also other influential factors yielded a two-component solution whereby only more sensitive measures of language proficiency and language usage in different social contexts were predictive of cognitive performance above and beyond the contribution of age, gender, income and education. We discuss these findings in light of previous studies that try to uncover more about the nature of bilingualism and the cognitive processes that may drive an advantage. With an unusually large sample size our study advocates for a move away from dichotomous, knowledge-based operationalisations of multilingualism and offers new insights for future studies at the individual level. PMID:29783764

  18. Multilingualism and dyslexia: challenges for research and practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cline, T

    2000-01-01

    Over the last two decades there has been an expansion of activity and substantial progress in research on dyslexia and research on bilingualism and multilingualism. But the study of dyslexia has generally focused on monolingual learners and the study of bilingualism has tended to focus on speakers who do not have special educational needs. This paper will review the strands of research to date that have a bearing on multilingualism and dyslexia and attempt to identify the major challenges that face researchers and teachers. A satisfactory response cannot be developed without a full understanding of the impact that dyslexia has on language learning and the impact that multilingualism has on literacy learning.

  19. Academic outcomes of multilingual children in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connor, Meredith; O'Connor, Elodie; Tarasuik, Joanne; Gray, Sarah; Kvalsvig, Amanda; Goldfeld, Sharon

    2017-02-24

    The Australian educational system is increasingly challenged to meet the needs of multilingual students, who comprise a fifth of the student population. Within the context of a monolingual English curriculum, multilingual children who enter school not yet English proficient may be at risk of experiencing inequitable educational outcomes. We examined the relationship between the timing of multilingual children's acquisition of receptive English vocabulary skills and subsequent reading and numeracy outcomes, as well as factors associated with earlier versus later timing of acquisition. Data were drawn from the Kindergarten-cohort (n = 4983) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children - a nationally representative, community sample of Australian children. Linear regression analyses revealed that multilingual children who begin school with proficient receptive English vocabulary skills, or who acquire proficiency early in schooling, are indistinguishable from their monolingual peers in literacy and numeracy outcomes by 10-11 years. However, later acquisition of receptive English vocabulary skills (i.e. after 6-7 years) was associated with poorer literacy outcomes. In turn, socioeconomic disadvantage and broader language or learning problems predicted this later acquisition of receptive English vocabulary skills. All children need to be supported during the early years of school to reach their full educational potential.

  20. Multilingualism and transnational communication strategies in Europe: from Hapsburg to the European Union

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Korshunova, G.; Marácz, L.; Marácz, L.; Rosello, M.

    2012-01-01

    The chapter discusses multilingualism in the European context and transnational communication strategies in order to accommodate the challenges of multilingualism. In the introduction, concepts defining multilingualism, transnationalism and communication strategies will be discussed and clarified.

  1. Rights and Multilingualism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torpsten, Ann-Christin

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, the author focuses on educational values and second language learners' experiences from education. She is using a life story approach. Overarching aim of the presentation is to discuss second language teacher students' encountering with Swedish school, mother tongue tuition, second language and multilingualism. The goal was achieved…

  2. Theorizing Translanguaging and Multilingual Literacies through Human Capital Theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Patrick H.; Murillo, Luz A.

    2015-01-01

    In this conceptual article we invite multilingual researchers to consider the concept of translanguaging through the lens of human capital theory. Our thinking about the interconnections among human capital, multilingualism, and translanguaging is motivated by our research in border "colonias" and other minoritized communities in South…

  3. Multilingual speaker age recognition: regression analyses on the Lwazi corpus

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Feld, M

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Multilinguality represents an area of significant opportunities for automatic speech-processing systems: whereas multilingual societies are commonplace, the majority of speechprocessing systems are developed with a single language in mind. As a step...

  4. Flexible Multilingual Education: Putting Children's Needs First

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Jean-Jacques

    2014-01-01

    This book examines the benefits of multilingual education that puts children's needs and interests above the individual languages involved. It advocates flexible multilingual education, which builds upon children's actual home resources and provides access to both the local and global languages that students need for their educational and…

  5. Multilingual Cultural Resources in Child-Headed Families in Uganda

    Science.gov (United States)

    Namazzi, Elizabeth; Kendrick, Maureen E.

    2014-01-01

    This article reports on a study focusing on the use of multilingual cultural resources in child-headed households (CHHs) in Uganda's Rakai District. Using funds of knowledge and sociocultural perspectives on children's learning, we documented through ethnographic observations and interviews how children in four CHHs used multilingual cultural…

  6. Identity Practices of Multilingual Writers in Social Networking Spaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hsin-I

    2013-01-01

    This study examines the literacy practices of two multilingual writers in social networking communities. The findings show that the multilingual writers explored and reappropriated symbolic resources afforded by the social networking site as they aligned themselves with particular collective and personal identities at local and global levels.…

  7. Language Contact in Nigerian Multilingual Society

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C.A. Adetuyi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Multilingual society, being a society that has more than one significant lan-guage group is a sociolinguistic phenomenon that arises as a result of language contact but the fundamental problem in this type of society is that to enthrone one of the languages can be accepted conveniently as the National language. Any attempt to enthrone one of the languages at the expense of the other has proven a failure due to the fact that it appears as distinct, which is inherent and regrettably discriminating and domineering on the other languages and this dies in the mine of ethnic bickering. In Nigeria, like many other African nations, multilingualism is a rule, rather than an exemption, the problem of 'forging ahead' is of crucial importance. Among the competing languages that scramble for national recognition or official status, whether indigenous or for-eign, one must emerge as the official language (the language of administration and education at some levels, the language of relevance, from the competition for the purpose of uniting the nation. Fortunately, English has emerged as that privileged language of its kind. The Nigerian society is irretrievably heterogeneous. Students from diverse ethno-linguistic, cultural and economic groups are exposed quite early to several languages, including their mother tongues and English. Nigerian scholars have variously, as have others examined the connection between multilingualism and interference; we avail ourselves of such studies in situating our reflections. This paper thus looks into the importance of language, most especially English language in the multilingual society.

  8. Rate of multilingual phonological acquisition: Evidence from a cross-sectional study of English-Mandarin-Malay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Hui W; Wells, Bill; Howard, Sara

    2015-01-01

    Early child multilingual acquisition is under-explored. Using a cross-sectional study approach, the present research investigates the rate of multilingual phonological acquisition of English-Mandarin-Malay by 64 ethnic Chinese children aged 2;06-4;05 in Malaysia--a multiracial-multilingual country of Asia. The aims of the study are to provide clinical norms for speech development in the multilingual children and to compare multilingual acquisition with monolingual and bilingual acquisition. An innovative multilingual phonological test which adopts well-defined scoring criteria drawing upon local accents of English, Mandarin and Malay is proposed and described in this article. This procedure has been neglected in the few existing Chinese bilingual phonological acquisition studies resulting in peculiar findings. The multilingual children show comparable phonological acquisition milestones to that of monolingual and bilingual peers acquiring the same languages. The implications of the present results are discussed. The present findings contribute to the development of models and theories of child multilingual acquisition.

  9. Language to Language: Nurturing Writing Development in Multilingual Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shagoury, Ruth

    2009-01-01

    The author spent four years embedded in a multilingual kindergarten classroom in which children spoke six different languages and several more years observing multilingual Head Start classrooms. She shares numerous examples of young dual language learners actively figuring out the way written language works in their first and second languages.…

  10. The Literacy Practices of "Transfronterizos" in a Multilingual World

    Science.gov (United States)

    de la Piedra, Maria Teresa; Guerra, Juan C.

    2012-01-01

    This introduction provides the background for this special issue by first describing the US-Mexico border, a fascinating context in which to research issues related to Spanish-English biliteracy and multilingualism. We present main points in the prevailing discussion within the field of literacy studies about issues of multilingualism and…

  11. Multilingual Education: The Role of Language Ideologies and Attitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liddicoat, Anthony J.; Taylor-Leech, Kerry

    2015-01-01

    This paper overviews issues relating to the role of ideologies and attitudes in multilingual education (MLE). It argues that ideologies and attitudes are constituent parts of the language planning process and shape the possibilities for multilingualism in educational programmes in complex ways, but most frequently work to constrain the ways that…

  12. Learning to Read and Write in the Multilingual Family

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiao-lei

    2011-01-01

    This book is a guide for parents who wish to raise children with more than one language and literacy. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, as well as the experiences of parents of multilingual children, this book walks parents through the multilingual reading and writing process from infancy to adolescence. It identifies essential literacy…

  13. Crowd-Sourcing (Semantically) Structured Multilingual Educational Content (CoSMEC)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarasowa, Darya; Auer, Sören; Khalili, Ali; Unbehauen, Jörg

    2014-01-01

    The support of multilingual content becomes crucial for educational platforms due to the benefits it offers. In this paper we propose a concept that allows content authors to use the power of the crowd to create (semantically) structured multilingual educational content out of their material. To enable the collaboration of the crowd, we expand our…

  14. The Concordance of Multilingual Legal Texts at the WTO

    Science.gov (United States)

    Condon, Bradly J.

    2012-01-01

    Multilingualism is a sensitive and complex subject in a global organisation such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). In the WTO legal texts, there is a need for full concordance, not simply translation. This article begins with an overview of the issues raised by multilingual processes at the WTO in the negotiation, drafting, translation,…

  15. Multilingualism As A Contemporary Phenomenon; Its Potential for Teachers And Learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luminita DIACONU

    2018-10-01

    Full Text Available Knowledge of teachers’ beliefs is central to understanding teachers’ decision-making in the classroom. The present study explores international language teachers’ beliefs about multilingualism and the use of a multilingual pedagogical approach in the third-language (L3 classroom. This study analyzed data collected with 12 teachers of French (N = 4, German (N = 2 and Spanish (N = 6 using qualitative content analysis. Three main themes emerged from the analysis. (1 The teachers view multilingualism as a potentially positive asset. Although they think that multilingualism has benefited their own language learning, they do not conclude that multilingualism is automatically an asset to students. (2 The teachers claim to make frequent use of their students’ linguistic knowledge of English when teaching the L3. However, the teachers rarely focus on the transfer of learning strategies because they believe that learning an L3 is completely different from learning the second language L2 English. (3 The teachers think that collaboration across languages could enhance students’ language learning; however, no such collaboration currently exists.

  16. New CALL-SLA Research Interfaces for the 21st Century: Towards Equitable Multilingualism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortega, Lourdes

    2017-01-01

    The majority of the world is multilingual, but inequitably multilingual, and much of the world is also technologized, but inequitably so. Thus, researchers in the fields of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and second language acquisition (SLA) would profit from considering multilingualism and social justice when envisioning new CALL-SLA…

  17. A Multilingual Approach to Analysing Standardized Test Results: Immigrant Primary School Children and the Role of Languages Spoken in a Bi-/Multilingual Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Angelis, Gessica

    2014-01-01

    The present study adopts a multilingual approach to analysing the standardized test results of primary school immigrant children living in the bi-/multilingual context of South Tyrol, Italy. The standardized test results are from the Invalsi test administered across Italy in 2009/2010. In South Tyrol, several languages are spoken on a daily basis…

  18. Multilingual Development in Children with Autism: Perspectives of South Asian Muslim Immigrant Parents on Raising a Child with a Communicative Disorder in Multilingual Contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jegatheesan, Brinda

    2011-01-01

    This study examined the perceptions of three Muslim families on multilingual development in their children with autism. Findings indicate that the families' goal of maintaining normalcy in their children's life could not be attained without immersion in multiple languages. They believe that immersion in multilingual contexts helped their children…

  19. Beyond Identity: The Desirability and Possibility of Policies of Multilingualism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubin, Aviad

    2017-01-01

    Many contributors to the normative literature on language policy argue that inclusive multilingual regimes are beneficial on several grounds. However, despite the professed advantages of multilingualism, most nation-states have been reluctant to equally recognise minority languages alongside the majority language. This reality raises three…

  20. Developments in the Multilingual and Multicultural Learning Space

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauridsen, Karen M.; Cozart, Stacey Marie; Kling, Joyce

    Uni project (2012-15) recommends that higher education institutions (HEI) provide ‘the necessary professional development and teacher training programmes that will allow HE teachers to appropriately develop (…) their professional and pedagogical knowledge, skills and competences and thereby empower them...... to ensure the quality of their teaching – and their students’ learning – in the multilingual and multicultural learning space’ (www.intluni.eu; Carroll 2015; Leask 2015). For many universities and other HEIs around the world, the multilingual and multicultural classroom is the new – or no longer quite so...... platform with resources targeted at EDs responsible for advancing faculty development in this area. In this session, the presenters will report on the first outcomes of EQUiiP. Participants will then be invited to interact and explore best practices in the multilingual and multicultural learning space...

  1. Building multilingual learning environments in early years education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Dodman

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the early language development of children with particular reference to the importance of personal multilingualism and the reasons why this should be promoted in early years education. It is argued that such an objective is best achieved by building multilingual learning environments at the level of nursery and infant schools. The characteristics of such environments are described and ways of evaluating projects designed to build them are presented.

  2. Multilingualism in Southern Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peirce, Bonny Norton; Ridge, Stanley G. M.

    1997-01-01

    Reviews recent research in multilingualism in Southern Africa, focusing on the role of languages in education, sociolinguistics, and language policy. Much of the research is on South Africa. Topics discussed include language of instruction in schools, teacher education, higher education, adult literacy, language contact, gender and linguistic…

  3. Multilingualism as a Principle of the EU Court of Justice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karina Kh. Rekosh

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Since the jurisprudence reflects relations between the institutions, bodies and organizations of the EU and native speakers, the EU Court of Justice plays a huge role in shaping the legal discourse. Relations between the EU and citizens show the effectiveness of the principle of multilingualism, that is apparent before the Court. The enlargement of the Union to 28 member States and, accordingly, the increase of the number of official languages to 24 complicate the implementation of the principle of multilingualism and create many problems for the EU Court of Justice: legal, linguistic, budget, translation. All documents of the Court are not translated into 24 EU official languages completely and often limited to summaries. All documents are translated only into French and proceeding languages, for the scale of the translation work have a direct impact on the timing of legal proceedings. To provide help in written translations, much work is carried out in the Court on drawing up dictionaries, thesauri, where multilingualism is fully manifested. On the use of languages and language regime, There is an extensive legal practice, however, the term «multilingualism» is not used by the Court, despite the recognition of the principle of equality of all official languages, perhaps, due to the fact that the Court itself not always follows it. The article shows that multilingualism as a legal concept and principle opens up, sometimes adjacent to the already distinguished objects of regulation, new areas of legal research. Comparison of legal solutions to the problems of multilingualism in different states with a variety of languages, law and order, or in international organizations, lays basis of "comparative linguistic law" Now in the doctrine of law of the European Union neither the linguistic law, nor the comparative linguistic law do not exist, but to provide cooperation in the field of justice and mutual recognition of judicial decisions on the

  4. Heterogeneity: multilingualism and democracy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans-Jürgen Krumm

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Linguistic diversity and multilingualism on the part of individuals are aprerequisite and a constitutive condition of enabling people to live togetherin a world of growing heterogeneity. Foreign language teaching plays animportant part in democratic education because it can be seen as a trainingin respecting otherness and developing an intercultural, non-ethnocentricperception and attitude. This is all the more important because of the neces-sity of integrating children from migrant families into school life.My article argues that language education policy has to take this per-spective into account, i.e., of establishing a planned diversification so thatpupils (and their parents will not feel satisfied with learning English only,but also become motivated to learn languages of their own neighbourhood,such as migrant and minority languages. However, in order to make use ofthe linguistic resources in the classroom, relating it to the democratic impetusof foreign language education, it is necessary to revise existing languagepolicies and to develop a multilingual perspective for all educational institutions.

  5. Constructions of the literacy competence levels of multilingual students

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holm, Lars

    2017-01-01

    discourse about the validity of standardised literacy testing of multilingual students. These findings give reason to question and discuss equality oriented educational programmes and strategies for multilingual students in which standarised literacy testing plays a central role, and to discuss ethical...... issues around the production and use of standarised literacy tests in educational contexts which are characterised by linguistic diversity....

  6. Multilingual Children's Interaction with Metafiction in a Postmodern Picture Book

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daugaard, Line Møller; Johansen, Martin Blok

    2014-01-01

    When teachers and school librarians choose picture books for multilingual children, they often base their choice on an evaluation of linguistic comprehensibility, content familiarity and cultural appropriateness. This means that postmodern picture books may be excluded. This paper presents a case study of multilingual children's encounter with a…

  7. Working Memory and Short-Term Memory Abilities in Accomplished Multilinguals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biedron, Adriana; Szczepaniak, Anna

    2012-01-01

    The role of short-term memory and working memory in accomplished multilinguals was investigated. Twenty-eight accomplished multilinguals were compared to 36 mainstream philology students. The following instruments were used in the study: three memory subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (Digit Span, Digit-Symbol Coding, and Arithmetic,…

  8. Is ERASMUS furthering multilingualism?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Margrethe

    One aim of the ERASMUS program is the furthering of multilingualism in Europe. This paper examines under what conditions the aim is achieved in the case of non-language exchange students coming to Scandinavia. The paper draws on a longitudinal study involving interviews with, and tests done by, 240...

  9. Politics and Policies of Promoting Multilingualism in the European Union

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romaine, Suzanne

    2013-01-01

    This article examines the politics of policies promoting multilingualism in the European Union (EU), specifically in light of the recently released European Union Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism. As the most far-reaching and ambitious policy document issued by the European Commission, the Platform warrants close scrutiny at a significant…

  10. The Multilingual Apple: Languages in New York City. Second Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Ofelia, Ed.; Fishman, Joshua A., Ed.

    This collection of papers tells the story of how languages other than English have contributed to making New York City a culturally vibrant and linguistically diverse city. Part 1, "Introduction to the Multilingual Apple," features "New York's Multilingualism: World Languages and Their Role in a U.S. City" (Ofelia Garcia). Part…

  11. Opening up towards Children's Languages: Enhancing Teachers' Tolerant Practices towards Multilingualism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Der Wildt, Anouk; Van Avermaet, Piet; Van Houtte, Mieke

    2017-01-01

    Mainstream teachers struggle with linguistic diversity, often leading to restricting multilingualism. Scientific research, however, recommends including pupils' home languages in school. Various qualitative studies have evaluated implementations in schools and indicated possibilities for improving teachers' attitudes towards multilingualism. This…

  12. Design Considerations for Multilingual Web Sites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joan Starr

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available The most powerful marketing, service, and information-distribution tool a library has today is its Web site, but providing Web content in many languages is complex. Before allocating scarce technical and financial resources, it is valuable to learn about writing systems, types of writing, how computers render and represent writing systems, and to study potential problem areas and their possible solutions. The accepted Web standard for presenting languages is Unicode and a full understanding of its history and the coding tools it provides is essential to making appropriate decisions for specific multilingual and internationalization projects. Actual coding examples, as well as a sampling of existing multilingual library services, also serve to illuminate the path of implementation.

  13. Multilingual Children Increase Language Differentiation by Indexing Communities of Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Shannessy, Carmel

    2015-01-01

    An area in need of study in child language acquisition is that of complex multilingual contexts in which there is little language separation by interlocutor or domain. Little is known about how multilingual children use language to construct their identities in each language or in both languages. Identity construction in monolingual contexts has…

  14. Emerging Multilingual Awareness in Educational Contexts: From Theory to Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jessner, Ulrike; Allgäuer-Hackl, Elisabeth; Hofer, Barbara

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this article is to stress the importance of a dynamic systems or complexity theory approach as a necessary prerequisite to understanding the development of multi-competence in multilingual learners. Selected results from a study on emergent multilingual awareness in children, carried out in South Tyrol, are outlined and discussed. The…

  15. Contextualizing Multilingualism in Morocco

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel, Mayra C.; Ball, Alexis

    2009-01-01

    This article discusses the educational system of Morocco and the ways the country's multilingual history has influenced and continues to direct the choice of the languages used in schools. Suggestions that will eliminate cultural mismatch and thus facilitate interactions with Moroccan students and their families are included. The research focuses…

  16. Honoring and Building on the Rich Literacy Practices of Young Bilingual and Multilingual Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souto-Manning, Mariana

    2016-01-01

    In this article, the author invites teachers of children who are bilingual, multilingual, and at promise for bi-/multilingualism to honor and build on their rich literacy practices. To do so, she challenges ideas and labels that continuously disempower bilingual and multilingual learners. Souto-Manning establishes the understanding that education…

  17. English and Arabic Inscriptions in the Linguistic Landscape of Yemen: A Multilingual Writing Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anwar A. H. Al-Athwary

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The present paper investigates the multilingual written texts of the signboards in the public space of Yemen. It attempts to apply Reh's (2004 typology of multilingual writing. Reh introduces four strategies of multilingualism: duplicating, fragmentary, overlapping, and complementary. They refer to the arrangement of information in the inscriptions of multilingual signs in a given linguistic landscape (LL. To achieve this purpose, a data corpus of 755 multilingual signs in the LL of Yemen has been used, the majority of which are bilingual in Arabic and English. The analysis showed that all four strategies of duplicating, fragmentary, overlapping, and complementary multilingual writings were generally employed in Sana'a's LL. While overlapping and complementary multilingualism were totally absent in the top-down signs, duplicating and fragmentary multilingualism had much higher frequency over overlapping and complementary ones in bottom-up signs. Keeping in mind that speech community in Yemen is monolingual in Arabic, the absence or low frequency of overlapping, and complementary signs in both top-down and bottom-up levels can be explained by the fact that these two types of texts presuppose multilingual readers since knowledge of all the languages involved is necessary to understand the whole message. The model of writing mimicry system proposed by Sutherland (2015 is also examined. Writing mimicry system was found to be a salient feature of the public space of Yemen performing some specific functions; it is only used for advertising and promotional purposes rather than expressing the identity of ethnolinguistic minorities. The study also revealed that Sana'a multilingual LL is characterized by the use of Arabicised English, glocalisation and multifunctional signs, all of which are employed to serve a general purpose of promoting, and advertising commodities and showing modernity and success. Standard Arabic appears on almost all of both top

  18. Multilingual educational trends and practices in Lebanon: A case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahous, Rima; Bacha, Nahla Nola; Nabhani, Mona

    2011-12-01

    This paper reports on the multilingual background, language education policies and practices in Lebanon. Specifically, it shows how the multilingual make-up in the country is translated into language policies in schools. A survey of 30 private school principals, middle managers and teachers was administered online to obtain their views on school policies, problems, successes, concerns and quality ranking. Results showed that a great deal of work has been done to introduce a language of instruction and a third language as decreed by the Ministry of Education and at the same time keep the national language, Arabic, alive. The main concerns of the participants were the need for teacher training programmes and resources. Although the research implies that the school systems, in keeping up with this multilingual milieu, could be contributing to the death of the national language as well as producing students who are not fluent in any of the languages, there continues to be an attempt to keep alive a quality multilingual educational context which contributes to a cohesive society.

  19. Multilingual and social semiotic perspectives on literacy learning and teaching

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Helle Pia

    to the complex processes involved in biliterate meaning making and script learning. Multilingual and social semiotic perspectives on literacy learning and teaching – summaryOn the basis of data from the longitudinal study Signs of Language, I focus on how a social semiotic perspective on literacy learning...... and teaching can contribute to expanding the conceptualization of literacy to be more sensitive to the complex processes involved in biliterate meaning making and script learning.......Multilingual and social semiotic perspectives on literacy learning and teaching – abstract In the context of an increasing multilingualism, literacy teaching has become a central and contested issue in public and political debate. International comparisons of levels of literacy have been...

  20. Direct and indirect effects of multilingualism on novel language learning: An integrative review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirosh, Zoya; Degani, Tamar

    2017-05-25

    Accumulated recent research suggests that prior knowledge of multiple languages leads to advantages in learning additional languages. In the current article, we review studies examining potential differences between monolingual and multilingual speakers in novel language learning in an effort to uncover the cognitive mechanisms that underlie such differences. We examine the multilingual advantage in children and adults, across a wide array of languages and learner populations. The majority of this literature focused on vocabulary learning, but studies that address phonology, grammar, and literacy learning are also discussed to provide a comprehensive picture of the way in which multilingualism affects novel language learning. Our synthesis indicates two avenues to the multilingual advantage including direct transfer of prior knowledge and prior skills as well as indirect influences that result from multilingual background and include more general changes to the cognitive-linguistic system. Finally, we highlight topics that are in need of future systematic research.

  1. Turbulence and Dilemma: Implications of Diversity and Multilingualism in Australian Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heugh, Kathleen

    2014-01-01

    An international interest in multilingualism and multilingual education has burgeoned since the turn of the twenty-first century, accompanying apparently significant changes in the physical and virtual mobilities of people, international frameworks, and commitments and goals for socially just education. It has also accompanied major political…

  2. Multilingual text induced spelling correction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reynaert, M.W.C.

    2004-01-01

    We present TISC, a multilingual, language-independent and context-sensitive spelling checking and correction system designed to facilitate the automatic removal of non-word spelling errors in large corpora. Its lexicon is derived from raw text corpora, without supervision, and contains word unigrams

  3. Are Multilingualism, Tolerance of Ambiguity, and Attitudes toward Linguistic Variation Related?

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Compernolle, Rémi A.

    2016-01-01

    This article explores the links between multilingualism, the personality trait Tolerance of Ambiguity (TA), and attitudes toward linguistic variation among 379 mono-, bi-, and multilingual adults who completed an online questionnaire. A self-reported high level of proficiency in multiple languages, short- and long-term residence abroad, and high…

  4. Multilingual Information Discovery and AccesS (MIDAS): A Joint ACM DL'99/ ACM SIGIR'99 Workshop.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oard, Douglas; Peters, Carol; Ruiz, Miguel; Frederking, Robert; Klavans, Judith; Sheridan, Paraic

    1999-01-01

    Discusses a multidisciplinary workshop that addressed issues concerning internationally distributed information networks. Highlights include multilingual information access in media other than character-coded text; cross-language information retrieval and multilingual metadata; and evaluation of multilingual systems. (LRW)

  5. Concept of Multilingualism as Strategy of Language Policy and Foreign-Language Education in Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I A Korotova

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this article the language policy of the European Union (EU in the field of lobbying the concept of multilingual Europe is considered. In this research the didactic aspects of the policy of multilingualism are accented, and also the results of the approbation of policy of multilingualism in the educational theory and practice of the EU are analyzed.

  6. Linguistic diversity and literacy practices in multilingual classrooms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Helle Pia

    & Leung, 2001). In search of a critical postmodern perspective on classroom studies, as advocated by Lin & Luk (2002), the study 'Signs of language‘ (2008-2014) aims to investigate the possibilities of restructuring the literacy practices in multilingual classrooms by giving attention to the children‘ s......In the context of an increasing multilingualism, literacy teaching has become a central and contested issue in public and political debate. International comparisons of levels of literacy have been interpreted as an indication of a prevailing literacy crisis that demands political actions to avoid...

  7. Singing as Language Learning Activity in Multilingual Toddler Groups in Preschool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kultti, Anne

    2013-01-01

    This research focused on learning conditions in preschool that support multilingual children's linguistic development. The aim of this paper was to study singing activities through the experiences of ten multilingual children in toddler groups (one to three years of age) in eight Swedish preschools. A sociocultural theoretical approach is used to…

  8. Language Practices in Multilingual Communities: Insights from a Suburban High School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willoughby, Louisa

    2013-01-01

    As a result of globalisation and mass migration, suburbs and schools around the world are becoming increasingly multiethnic, multilingual places. Yet there is still relatively little linguistic research on how language is used in everyday interaction in these multilingual communities. In this paper, I explore the strengths and limitations of…

  9. Towards multilingual access to textual databases in natural language

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radwan, Khaled

    1994-01-01

    The Cross-Lingual Information Retrieval system (CLIR) or Multilingual Information Retrieval (MIR) has become the key issue in electronic documents management systems in a multinational environment. We propose here a multilingual information retrieval system consisting of a morpho-syntactic analyser, a transfer system from source language to target language and an information retrieval system. A thorough investigation into the system architecture and the transfer mechanisms is proposed in that report, using two different performance evaluation methods. (author) [fr

  10. Modelling vocabulary development among multilingual children prior to and following the transition to school entry

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLeod, Andrea A. N.; Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie; Parent, Sophie; Jacques, Sophie; Séguin, Jean R.

    2017-01-01

    Differences between monolingual and multilingual vocabulary development have been observed but few studies provide a longitudinal perspective on vocabulary development before and following school entry. This study compares vocabulary growth profiles of 106 multilingual children to 211 monolingual peers before and after school entry to examine whether: (1) school entry coincides with different rates of vocabulary growth compared to prior to school entry, (2) compared to monolingual peers, multilingual children show different vocabulary sizes or rates of vocabulary growth, (3) the age of onset of second-language acquisition for multilingual children is associated with vocabulary size or rate of vocabulary growth, and (4) the sociolinguistic context of the languages spoken by multilingual children is associated with vocabulary size or rate of vocabulary growth. Results showed increases in vocabulary size across time for all children, with a steeper increase prior to school entry. A significant difference between monolingual and multilingual children who speak a minority language was observed with regards to vocabulary size at school entry and vocabulary growth prior to school entry, but growth rate differences were no longer present following school entry. Taken together, results suggest that which languages children speak may matter more than being multilingual per se. PMID:29354017

  11. Modelling vocabulary development among multilingual children prior to and following the transition to school entry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLeod, Andrea A N; Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie; Parent, Sophie; Jacques, Sophie; Séguin, Jean R

    2018-01-01

    Differences between monolingual and multilingual vocabulary development have been observed but few studies provide a longitudinal perspective on vocabulary development before and following school entry. This study compares vocabulary growth profiles of 106 multilingual children to 211 monolingual peers before and after school entry to examine whether: (1) school entry coincides with different rates of vocabulary growth compared to prior to school entry, (2) compared to monolingual peers, multilingual children show different vocabulary sizes or rates of vocabulary growth, (3) the age of onset of second-language acquisition for multilingual children is associated with vocabulary size or rate of vocabulary growth, and (4) the sociolinguistic context of the languages spoken by multilingual children is associated with vocabulary size or rate of vocabulary growth. Results showed increases in vocabulary size across time for all children, with a steeper increase prior to school entry. A significant difference between monolingual and multilingual children who speak a minority language was observed with regards to vocabulary size at school entry and vocabulary growth prior to school entry, but growth rate differences were no longer present following school entry. Taken together, results suggest that which languages children speak may matter more than being multilingual per se.

  12. Multilingual students' acquisition of English as their L3

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Samal Jalal, Rawand

    with regard to English proficiency. The current study conducted in Denmark investigated multilingual students’ English proficiency compared to their monolingual peers’, and examined which learning strategies proficient L3 learners utilize. The sample was comprised of 9-graders who are monolinguals (N = 82......) and multilinguals with Turkish L1 (N = 134). The participants provided basic demographic information, and were tested in their general English proficiency. Out of the 70 multilinguals with Turkish L1, 12 participants were selected for further testing; i.e., the four participants who scored the lowest, four...... participants with intermediate scores, and the four who scored the highest, on a test of English proficiency. These participants were tested in their L1 (Turkish) and their L2 (Danish) in order to examine whether their proficiency in their L1 and L2 was associated with English proficiency. Furthermore, the 12...

  13. Monolingual versus multilingual acquisition of English morphology: what can we expect at age 3?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicholls, Ruth J; Eadie, Patricia A; Reilly, Sheena

    2011-01-01

    At least two-thirds of the world's children grow up in environments where more than one language is spoken. Despite the global predominance of multilingualism, much remains unknown regarding the language acquisition of children acquiring multiple languages compared with monolingual children. A greater understanding of multilingualism is crucial for speech-language pathologists given the increasing number of children being raised in linguistically diverse environments. To investigate the expressive morphological abilities of multilingual children acquiring English, compared with monolingual children, at 3 years of age. Participants were 148 children (74 multilingual children; 74 matched monolingual children; mean age of 3 years 4 months) already participating in a larger prospective longitudinal cohort study of language development in Melbourne, Australia. Thirty-one languages in addition to English were represented within the embedded cohort. All participants completed a direct language assessment to measure their expressive abilities across a range of English morphemes. The parents of the multilingual participants completed an interview regarding the children's language backgrounds and experiences. The Multilingual Group typically performed below the Monolingual Group in terms of their accurate use and mastery of English morphemes at 3 years of age, although variable expressive abilities were indicated within each group. The same morphemes were shown to be mastered by relatively higher proportions of each group. Likewise, the same forms were mastered by relatively lower proportions of each group. The results indicated similarities between the children's acquisition of English morphology, regardless of whether they were acquiring English only or in combination with another language(s) at 3 years of age. This study found a range of similarities and differences between multilingual compared with monolingual children's acquisition of English morphology at 3 years of

  14. Practitioner Review: Multilingualism and neurodevelopmental disorders - an overview of recent research and discussion of clinical implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uljarević, Mirko; Katsos, Napoleon; Hudry, Kristelle; Gibson, Jenny L

    2016-11-01

    Language and communication skills are essential aspects of child development, which are often disrupted in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Cutting edge research in psycholinguistics suggests that multilingualism has potential to influence social, linguistic and cognitive development. Thus, multilingualism has implications for clinical assessment, diagnostic formulation, intervention and support offered to families. We present a systematic review and synthesis of the effects of multilingualism for children with neurodevelopmental disorders and discuss clinical implications. We conducted systematic searches for studies on multilingualism in neurodevelopmental disorders. Keywords for neurodevelopmental disorders were based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition categories as follows; Intellectual Disabilities, Communication Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Specific Learning Disorder, Motor Disorders, Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders. We included only studies based on empirical research and published in peer-reviewed journals. Fifty studies met inclusion criteria. Thirty-eight studies explored multilingualism in Communication Disorders, 10 in ASD and two in Intellectual Disability. No studies on multilingualism in Specific Learning Disorder or Motor Disorders were identified. Studies which found a disadvantage for multilingual children with neurodevelopmental disorders were rare, and there appears little reason to assume that multilingualism has negative effects on various aspects of functioning across a range of conditions. In fact, when considering only those studies which have compared a multilingual group with developmental disorders to a monolingual group with similar disorders, the findings consistently show no adverse effects on language development or other aspects of functioning. In the case of ASD, a positive effect on communication and social functioning has

  15. Multilingual processing in the brain

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Noort, M.W.M.L. van den; Struys, E.; Kim, K.Y.; Bosch, M.P.C.; Mondt, K.; Kralingen, R.B.A.S. van; Lee, M.Y.; Craen, P. van de

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, in contrast to previous neuroimaging literature reviews on first language (L1) and second language (L2), the focus was only on neuroimaging studies that were directly conducted on multilingual participants. In total, 14 neuroimaging studies were included in our study such as 10

  16. Multilingual access to full text databases; Acces multilingue aux bases de donnees en texte integral

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fluhr, C; Radwan, K [Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucleaires (INSTN), Centre d` Etudes de Saclay, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

    1990-05-01

    Many full text databases are available in only one language, or more, they may contain documents in different languages. Even if the user is able to understand the language of the documents in the database, it could be easier for him to express his need in his own language. For the case of databases containing documents in different languages, it is more simple to formulate the query in one language only and to retrieve documents in different languages. This paper present the developments and the first experiments of multilingual search, applied to french-english pair, for text data in nuclear field, based on the system SPIRIT. After reminding the general problems of full text databases search by queries formulated in natural language, we present the methods used to reformulate the queries and show how they can be expanded for multilingual search. The first results on data in nuclear field are presented (AFCEN norms and INIS abstracts). 4 refs.

  17. Mediating Multilingual Children's Language Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potts, D.; Moran, M. J.

    2013-01-01

    The everyday reality of children's multilingualism is a significant resource for expanding students' perspectives on the world, but many questions remain regarding the negotiation of these resources in mainstream classrooms. Drawing on research from a long-term Canadian study of multiliterate pedagogies, this paper explores mediation of home…

  18. Multilingualism and Education for Democracy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biseth, Heidi

    2009-01-01

    This essay attempts to show the importance of linguistic issues in education for democracy and the close relationship between democracy and multilingualism. Increasingly nation-states are having to adapt to linguistic diversity within their borders and to recognize that democracy requires the participation of all citizens, including those…

  19. Affordances Theory in Multilingualism Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aronin, Larissa; Singleton, David

    2012-01-01

    The concept of affordances originating in Gibson's work (Gibson, 1977) is gaining ground in multilingualism studies (cf. Aronin and Singleton, 2010; Singleton and Aronin, 2007; Dewaele, 2010). Nevertheless, studies investigating affordances in respect of teaching, learning or using languages are still somewhat rare and tend to treat isolated…

  20. Post-Monolingual Research Methodology: Multilingual Researchers Democratizing Theorizing and Doctoral Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Singh

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on the ground-breaking research in the study of languages in doctoral education. It argues for democratizing the production and dissemination of original contributions to knowledge through activating and mobilizing multilingual Higher Degree Researchers’ (HDRs capabilities for theorizing through them using their full linguistic repertoire. This paper contributes to this study’s development of post-monolingual research methodology which provides a theoretic-pedagogical framework for multilingual HDRs (a to use their full linguistic repertoire in their research; (b to develop their capabilities for theorizing and (c to construct potentially valuable theoretical tools using metaphors, images, concepts and modes of critique. This paper is based on a longitudinal program of collaborative research whereby monolingual Anglophone and multilingual HDRs jointly developed their capabilities for theorizing through producing Anglo-Chinese analytical tools, and the associated pedagogies for using their languages in doctoral research. This longitudinal research program has been undertaken in the field of doctoral education to further a defining feature of democracy, namely linguistic diversity. This research has been conducted with the aims of promoting the multilingualism of Australian universities and activating linguistic communities of scholars to use their full linguistic repertoire in their research. The main finding arising from this program of research has been the development of post-monolingual research methodology which (a uses the divergences within and between languages to undertake theorizing and (b in co-existence with the tensions posed by monolingualism, especially the insistence on using extant theories available in only one language. Doctoral pedagogies of intellectual/racial equality provide multilingual HDRs with insights into the debates about the geopolitics governing the use of languages in the production and

  1. Literacy education, reading engagement, and library use in multilingual classes

    OpenAIRE

    Tonne, Ingebjørg; Pihl, Joron

    2012-01-01

    The topic of this paper is literacy education and reading engagement in multilingual classes. What facilitates reading engagement in the language of instruction in multilingual classes? In this paper, we analyze reading engagement in a literature-based literacy program in Norway (2007–2011). The design was a research and development project in which teachers, researchers, and librarians collaborated within literacy education. We present pedagogical interventions within the project and analyze...

  2. Antinomies of Ideologies and Situationality of Education Language Politics in Multilingual Contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odugu, Desmond Ikenna

    2015-01-01

    Widespread scholarly and political attention to language-related inequities in the 20th century precipitated a spate of orientations to language planning in multilingual societies. While various orientations indicate a shift from earlier deficit to affirmative views of multilingualism, vigorous debates persist about the logical and pragmatic…

  3. Multilingual Researchers Internationalizing Monolingual English-Only Education through Post-Monolingual Research Methodologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Singh

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The argument advanced in this Special Issue of Education Sciences favors democratizing knowledge production and dissemination across the humanities and social sciences through the mainstreaming of multilingual researchers capabilities for theorizing using their full linguistic repertoire. An important contribution of the papers in this Special Issue is the promise that post-monolingual research methodology holds for collaborative projects among multilingual and monolingual researchers that tap into intercultural divergences across languages. Together these papers give warrant to multilingual researchers, including Higher Degree Researchers develop their capabilities for theorizing using their full linguistic repertoire, an educational innovation that could be of immense benefit to scholars working predominantly monolingual universities. Through their thought provoking papers presented in this Special Issue, these researchers invites those working in the education sciences to seriously consider the potential benefits of multiplying the intellectual resources used for theorizing that is possible through activating, mobilizing and deploying researchers’ multilingual resources in knowledge production and dissemination.

  4. A Multilingual Perspective on Translanguaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacSwan, Jeff

    2017-01-01

    Translanguaging is a new term in bilingual education; it supports a heteroglossic language ideology, which views bilingualism as valuable in its own right. Some translanguaging scholars have questioned the existence of discrete languages, further concluding that multilingualism does not exist. I argue that the political use of language names can…

  5. Marketing, Management and Performance: Multilingualism as Commodity in a Tourism Call Centre

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duchene, Alexandre

    2009-01-01

    This paper focuses on the ways an institution of the new economy--a tourism call centre in Switzerland--markets, manages and performs multilingual services. In particular, it explores the ways multilingualism operates as a strategic and managerial tool within tourism call centres and how the institutional regulation of language practices…

  6. Towards the multilingual semantic web principles, methods and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Buitelaar, Paul

    2014-01-01

    To date, the relation between multilingualism and the Semantic Web has not yet received enough attention in the research community. One major challenge for the Semantic Web community is to develop architectures, frameworks and systems that can help in overcoming national and language barriers, facilitating equal access to information produced in different cultures and languages. As such, this volume aims at documenting the state-of-the-art with regard to the vision of a Multilingual Semantic Web, in which semantic information will be accessible in and across multiple languages. The Multiling

  7. Multilingual trends in a globalized world prospects and challenges

    CERN Document Server

    Singh, Navin Kumar

    2013-01-01

    This book presents evolving language education trends by drawing examples and case studies from around the world. Over the past few decades, significant economic and political changes have taken place around the world which have had a significant impact on language teaching and learning practices across the globe. With globalization, the focus of language education has shifted from monolingualism towards bilingualism and multilingualism, in that multilingual practices have become the norm rather than the exception in most parts of the world. This book brings together some of latest controversi

  8. The Accommodation of Multilingualism through Blended Learning in Two Information Technology Classes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olivier, Jako

    2013-01-01

    The South African society can be described as culturally diverse and multilingual. However, despite the advantages of mother-tongue education, English is often chosen as the language of learning and teaching at the cost of the other official languages. This article proposes that multilingualism, through the use of languages other than English in…

  9. Multilingual Aspects of Speech Sound Disorders in Children. Communication Disorders across Languages

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLeod, Sharynne; Goldstein, Brian

    2012-01-01

    Multilingual Aspects of Speech Sound Disorders in Children explores both multilingual and multicultural aspects of children with speech sound disorders. The 30 chapters have been written by 44 authors from 16 different countries about 112 languages and dialects. The book is designed to translate research into clinical practice. It is divided into…

  10. Multilingual Federated Searching Across Heterogeneous Collections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, James; Fox, Edward A.

    1998-01-01

    Describes a scalable system for searching heterogeneous multilingual collections on the World Wide Web. Details Searchable Database Markup Language (SearchDB-ML) for describing the characteristics of a search engine and its interface, and a protocol for requesting word translations between languages. (Author)

  11. More Delusions May Be Observed in Low-Proficient Multilingual Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yi-Chien; Liu, Yen-Ying; Yip, Ping-Keung; Akanuma, Kyoko; Meguro, Kenichi

    2015-01-01

    Language impairment and behavioral symptoms are both common phenomena in dementia patients. In this study, we investigated the behavioral symptoms in dementia patients with different language backgrounds. Through this, we aimed to propose a possible connection between language and delusion. We recruited 21 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to the DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, from the memory clinic of the Cardinal Tien Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. They were classified into two groups: 11 multilinguals who could speak Japanese, Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese, and 10 bilinguals who only spoke Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese. There were no differences between age, education, disease duration, disease severity, environment and medical care between these two groups. Comprehensive neuropsychological examinations, including Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), Verbal fluency, Chinese version of the Boston naming test (BNT) and the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD), were administered. The multilingual group showed worse results on the Boston naming test. Other neuropsychological tests, including the MMSE, CASI and Verbal fluency, were not significantly different. More delusions were noted in the multilingual group. Three pairs of subjects were identified for further examination of their differences. These three cases presented the typical scenario of how language misunderstanding may cause delusions in multilingual dementia patients. Consequently, more emotion and distorted ideas may be induced in the multilinguals compared with the MMSE-matched controls. Inappropriate mixing of language or conflict between cognition and emotion may cause more delusions in these multilingual patients. This reminds us that delusion is not a pure biological outcome of brain degeneration. Although the cognitive performance was not significantly different

  12. Facilitating Reading Acquisition in Multilingual Environments in India (FRAME-India). Final Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Pooja; de Hoop, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    Most of the world is multilingual--multilingual at the national level (policies), at the community and family level (practices), and at the individual level (cognitive)--and each of these has implications for teaching and learning. Yet, at present, most reading decisions are not based on empirical research of how children learn to read in…

  13. The gradience of multilingualism in typical and impaired language development: Positioning bilectalism within comparative bilingualism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kleanthes K. Grohmann

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available A multitude of factors characterizes bi- and multilingual compared to monolingual language acquisition. Two of the most prominent viewpoints have recently been put in perspective and enriched by a third (Tsimpli 2014: age of onset of children’s exposure to their native languages, the role of the input they receive, and the timing in monolingual first language development of the phenomena examined in bi- and multilingual children’s performance. This article picks up a fourth potential factor (Grohmann 2014b: language proximity, that is, the closeness between the two or more grammars a multilingual child acquires. It is a first attempt to flesh out the proposed gradient scale of multilingualism within the approach dubbed ‘comparative bilingualism’. The empirical part of this project comes from three types of research: (i the acquisition and subsequent development of pronominal object clitic placement in two closely related varieties of Greek by bilectal, binational, bilingual, and multilingual children; (ii the performance on executive control tasks by monolingual, bilectal, and bi- or multilingual children; and (iii the role of comparative bilingualism in children with a developmental language impairment for both the diagnosis and subsequent treatment as well as the possible avoidance or weakening of how language impairment presents.

  14. The Gradience of Multilingualism in Typical and Impaired Language Development: Positioning Bilectalism within Comparative Bilingualism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grohmann, Kleanthes K; Kambanaros, Maria

    2016-01-01

    A multitude of factors characterizes bi- and multilingual compared to monolingual language acquisition. Two of the most prominent viewpoints have recently been put in perspective and enriched by a third (Tsimpli, 2014): age of onset of children's exposure to their native languages, the role of the input they receive, and the timing in monolingual first language development of the phenomena examined in bi- and multilingual children's performance. This article picks up a fourth potential factor (Grohmann, 2014b): language proximity, that is, the closeness between the two or more grammars a multilingual child acquires. It is a first attempt to flesh out the proposed gradient scale of multilingualism within the approach dubbed "comparative bilingualism." The empirical part of this project comes from three types of research: (i) the acquisition and subsequent development of pronominal object clitic placement in two closely related varieties of Greek by bilectal, binational, bilingual, and multilingual children; (ii) the performance on executive control tasks by monolingual, bilectal, and bi- or multilingual children; and (iii) the role of comparative bilingualism in children with a developmental language impairment for both the diagnosis and subsequent treatment as well as the possible avoidance or weakening of how language impairment presents.

  15. Multilingual Institutional Discourses of Negotiation and Intertextuality in Writing Center Interactions in Macao

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Alice Shu-Ju

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation explores the identity enactments (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005) of 14 multilingual university writing center tutors and multilingual student writers who use English and Putonghua to negotiate their interactions. The study is situated within sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978) and uses ethnographic methods such as observation,…

  16. Multilingual school starters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Helle Pia

    Multilingual school starters: social semiotics perspectives on second language and literacy learning in education Helle Pia Laursen The starting point for this paper is the still increasing role of literacy in educational settings. Often primary education is seen as almost being synonymous...... of globalisation. Furthermore, this perception of literacy entails that the student’s possible insights into other ways of adding signs to language than those we know from a specific version of the Latin alphabet, fall outside the interests of research and teaching. From this perspective and with a social semiotic...

  17. Multilingual Practices in Contemporary and Historical Contexts: Interfaces between Code-Switching and Translation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolehmainen, Leena; Skaffari, Janne

    2016-01-01

    This article serves as an introduction to a collection of four articles on multilingual practices in speech and writing, exploring both contemporary and historical sources. It not only introduces the articles but also discusses the scope and definitions of code-switching, attitudes towards multilingual interaction and, most pertinently, the…

  18. Multilingual Competences and Family Language Practices

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duarte, Joana; Gogolin, Ingrid; Klinger, Thorsten; Schnoor, Birger

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we examine the role of family-induced linguistic input as a predictor for proficiencies in written language production of multilingual children aged 11. Our study considers their proficiencies in majority language (German) as well as in their family languages. Given that in most cases

  19. Multilingual access to full text databases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fluhr, C.; Radwan, K.

    1990-05-01

    Many full text databases are available in only one language, or more, they may contain documents in different languages. Even if the user is able to understand the language of the documents in the database, it could be easier for him to express his need in his own language. For the case of databases containing documents in different languages, it is more simple to formulate the query in one language only and to retrieve documents in different languages. This paper present the developments and the first experiments of multilingual search, applied to french-english pair, for text data in nuclear field, based on the system SPIRIT. After reminding the general problems of full text databases search by queries formulated in natural language, we present the methods used to reformulate the queries and show how they can be expanded for multilingual search. The first results on data in nuclear field are presented (AFCEN norms and INIS abstracts). 4 refs

  20. Reconceptualizing Practice with Multilingual Children with Speech Sound Disorders: People, Practicalities and Policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verdon, Sarah; McLeod, Sharynne; Wong, Sandie

    2015-01-01

    Background: The speech and language therapy profession is required to provide services to increasingly multilingual caseloads. Much international research has focused on the challenges of speech and language therapists' (SLTs) practice with multilingual children. Aims: To draw on the experience and knowledge of experts in the field to: (1)…

  1. Current trends in multilingual speech processing

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In this paper, we describe recent work at Idiap Research Institute in the domain of multilingual speech processing and provide some insights into emerging ... and industry for technologies to help break down domestic and international language barriers, these also being barriers to the expansion of policy and commerce.

  2. Linguistic Minorities and the Multilingual Turn: Constructing Language Ownership through Affect in Cultural Production

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLaughlin, Mireille

    2016-01-01

    The "multilingual turn" brings questions of language ownership to the forefront of debates about linguistic minority governance. Acadian minority cultural producers construct language ownership using multiple languages and targeting multilingual publics, but use ideologies of monolingualism to situate Acadian authenticity in place and…

  3. Potential Lessons for Teaching in Multilingual Mathematics Classrooms in Australia and Southeast Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarkson, Philip C.

    2009-01-01

    Multilingual classrooms are the normal learning contexts for most children throughout the world. However not all such contexts are identical. This distinction is not always made in the literature. In this paper the multilingual context for classrooms in many urban classrooms in Australia is described before exploring a possible model that might be…

  4. Towards Multilingual Higher Education in South Africa: The University of Cape Town's Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madiba, Mbulungeni

    2010-01-01

    South African universities are required by the Language Policy for Higher Education adopted by the government on 6 November 2002 to implement multilingualism in their learning and teaching programmes. Multilingualism is recommended in this policy as a means to ensure equity of access and success in higher education, in contrast to past colonial…

  5. Multilingual Interaction and Minority Languages: Proficiency and Language Practices in Education and Society

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorter, Durk

    2015-01-01

    In this plenary speech I examine multilingual interaction in a number of European regions in which minority languages are being revitalized. Education is a crucial variable, but the wider society is equally significant. The context of revitalization is no longer bilingual but increasingly multilingual. I draw on the results of a long-running…

  6. Lifelong exposure to multilingualism: new evidence to support cognitive reserve hypothesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perquin, Magali; Vaillant, Michel; Schuller, Anne-Marie; Pastore, Jessica; Dartigues, Jean-François; Lair, Marie-Lise; Diederich, Nico

    2013-01-01

    Investigate the protective effect of multilingualism on cognition in seniors. As part of the MemoVie study conducted on 232 non-demented volunteers aged 65 and more, neurogeriatric and neuropsychological evaluations were performed. Participants were classified as presenting either cognitive impairment without dementia (CIND) or being free of any cognitive impairment (CIND-free). Language practices, socio-demographic data and lifestyle habits were recorded. In this retrospective nested case-control design, we used as proxies of multilingualism: number of languages practiced, age of acquisition and duration of practice, emphasizing the temporal pattern of acquisition, and the resulting practice of several languages sequentially or concomitantly during various periods of life. This special angle on the matter offered to our work a dimension particularly original and innovative. 44 subjects (19%) had CIND, the others were cognitively normal. All practiced from 2 to 7 languages. When compared with bilinguals, participants who practiced more than 2 languages presented a lower risk of CIND, after adjustment for education and age (odds ratio (OR) = 0.30, 95% confidence limits (95%CL) = [0.10-0.92]). Progressing from 2 to 3 languages, instead of staying bilingual, was associated with a 7-fold protection against CIND (OR = 0.14, 95%CL = [0.04-0.45], p = 0.0010). A one year delay to reach multilingualism (3 languages practiced being the threshold) multiplied the risk of CIND by 1.022 (OR = 1.022, 95%CL = [1.01-1.04], p = 0.0044). Also noteworthy, just as for multilingualism, an impact of cognitively stimulating activities on the occurrence of CIND was found as well (OR = 0.979, 95%CL = [0.961-0.998], p = 0.033). The study did not show independence of multilingualism and CIND. Rather it seems to show a strong association toward a protection against CIND. Practicing multilingualism from early life on, and/or learning it at a fast pace

  7. Lifelong exposure to multilingualism: new evidence to support cognitive reserve hypothesis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magali Perquin

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Investigate the protective effect of multilingualism on cognition in seniors. METHODS: As part of the MemoVie study conducted on 232 non-demented volunteers aged 65 and more, neurogeriatric and neuropsychological evaluations were performed. Participants were classified as presenting either cognitive impairment without dementia (CIND or being free of any cognitive impairment (CIND-free. Language practices, socio-demographic data and lifestyle habits were recorded. In this retrospective nested case-control design, we used as proxies of multilingualism: number of languages practiced, age of acquisition and duration of practice, emphasizing the temporal pattern of acquisition, and the resulting practice of several languages sequentially or concomitantly during various periods of life. This special angle on the matter offered to our work a dimension particularly original and innovative. RESULTS: 44 subjects (19% had CIND, the others were cognitively normal. All practiced from 2 to 7 languages. When compared with bilinguals, participants who practiced more than 2 languages presented a lower risk of CIND, after adjustment for education and age (odds ratio (OR = 0.30, 95% confidence limits (95%CL = [0.10-0.92]. Progressing from 2 to 3 languages, instead of staying bilingual, was associated with a 7-fold protection against CIND (OR = 0.14, 95%CL = [0.04-0.45], p = 0.0010. A one year delay to reach multilingualism (3 languages practiced being the threshold multiplied the risk of CIND by 1.022 (OR = 1.022, 95%CL = [1.01-1.04], p = 0.0044. Also noteworthy, just as for multilingualism, an impact of cognitively stimulating activities on the occurrence of CIND was found as well (OR = 0.979, 95%CL = [0.961-0.998], p = 0.033. CONCLUSION: The study did not show independence of multilingualism and CIND. Rather it seems to show a strong association toward a protection against CIND. Practicing multilingualism

  8. Anxiety and EFL: Does Multilingualism Matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Amy S.; Lee, Junkyu

    2013-01-01

    The current study is motivated by the gap in the current literature about foreign language classroom anxiety, namely the underlying construct of FL anxiety with regard to the understudied relationship between anxiety, proficiency, and multilingualism. The evidence for the effect of language anxiety on achievement is well-documented. More recently,…

  9. More Delusions May Be Observed in Low-Proficient Multilingual Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yi-Chien; Liu, Yen-Ying; Yip, Ping-Keung; Akanuma, Kyoko; Meguro, Kenichi

    2015-01-01

    Background Language impairment and behavioral symptoms are both common phenomena in dementia patients. In this study, we investigated the behavioral symptoms in dementia patients with different language backgrounds. Through this, we aimed to propose a possible connection between language and delusion. Methods We recruited 21 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to the DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, from the memory clinic of the Cardinal Tien Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. They were classified into two groups: 11 multilinguals who could speak Japanese, Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese, and 10 bilinguals who only spoke Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese. There were no differences between age, education, disease duration, disease severity, environment and medical care between these two groups. Comprehensive neuropsychological examinations, including Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), Verbal fluency, Chinese version of the Boston naming test (BNT) and the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD), were administered. Results The multilingual group showed worse results on the Boston naming test. Other neuropsychological tests, including the MMSE, CASI and Verbal fluency, were not significantly different. More delusions were noted in the multilingual group. Three pairs of subjects were identified for further examination of their differences. These three cases presented the typical scenario of how language misunderstanding may cause delusions in multilingual dementia patients. Consequently, more emotion and distorted ideas may be induced in the multilinguals compared with the MMSE-matched controls. Conclusion Inappropriate mixing of language or conflict between cognition and emotion may cause more delusions in these multilingual patients. This reminds us that delusion is not a pure biological outcome of brain degeneration. Although the cognitive

  10. A multilingual, multicultural and explanatory music education ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A multilingual, multicultural and explanatory music education dictionary for South Africa - using Wiegand's metalexicography to establish its purposes, functions ... dictionary, it will have to contain elements of different types of dictionaries, such as explanatory dictionaries, translation dictionaries, and learner's dictionaries.

  11. Educational Trajectories at the Crossroads: The Making and Unmaking of Multilingual Communities of Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budach, Gabriele

    2014-01-01

    This article investigates the educational trajectories of young multilingual learners in Germany. Drawing on previous ethnographic research in a primary bilingual German-Italian Two-Way-Immersion classroom, this study examines the continuity and fragmentation of multilingual learning as they occur in the transition from primary to secondary…

  12. LANGUAGE POLICIES AND MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION IN MINORITY SCHOOLS IN OTTOMAN EMPIRE: OUTCOMES AND FUTURE INSIGHTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emrah DOLGUNSOZ

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Language is the spirit of nations; the cement of the culture mosaic. Its education has a critical role especially for multi-national societies and states. According to Human Rights, every individual has the right to develop, teach and learn his native language in any setting. But this democratic right is required to be regularized with a healthy, efficient and long term multilingual education policy. As one of the most powerful multi-ethnic empires of history, Ottoman Empire embraced numerous cultures and several unique languages. As a policy, the Empire followed a relatively flexible and irregular language policy which fostered national homogeneity and unity in time. On the other hand, the Empire always kept the gap between Anatolian Turkish language by employing Ottoman language as official language. The imbalanced policies of multilingual education and Porte’s distance to Anatolian Turkish contributed a lot to the disintegration of the Empire. This study focuses on why Ottoman language policies adversely affected the unity of the multilingual Empire, scrutinizes the insufficient multilingual education models among Muslim society with its outcomes and discusses how multilingual education in minority schools contributed the disintegration process.

  13. The Moroccan Educational Context: Evolving Multilingualism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel, Mayra C.; Ball, Alexis

    2010-01-01

    This article begins an investigation of the educational system of Morocco and its context of language diversity. It examines the Moroccan cultural environment and the ways the multilingualism and education of its people has been and continues to be influenced by geography, colonization periods, religion, and history. The effects of the Educational…

  14. Drupal 7 Multilingual Sites

    CERN Document Server

    Pol, Kristen

    2012-01-01

    A practical book with plenty of screenshots to guide you through the many features of multilingual Drupal. A demo ecommerce site is provided if you want to practice on a sample site, although you can apply the techniques learnt in the book directly to your site too. Any Drupal users who know the basics of building a Drupal site and are familiar with the Drupal UI, will benefit from this book. No previous knowledge of localization or internationalization is required.

  15. Theoretical-and-Methodological Substantiation of Multilingual Model Activity in Kazakhstan Higher School Education System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ospanova, Bikesh Revovna; Azimbayeva, Zhanat Amantayevna; Timokhina, Tatyana Vladimirovna; Seydakhmetova, Zergul Koblandiyevna

    2016-01-01

    The need of implementing the model of professional development in training an expert in the conditions of multilingualism is considered. The possibility of using the multilingual approach in the context of present day education with the use of innovative technologies of training is substantiated, the definition of "multilingual…

  16. Speect: a multilingual text-to-speech system

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Louw, JA

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a new multilingual text-to-speech system, which we call Speect (Speech synthesis with extensible architecture), aiming to address the shortcomings of using Festival as a research sytem and Flite as a deployment system in a...

  17. Social Inclusion through Multilingual Ideologies, Policies and Practices: A Case Study of a Minority Church

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Huamei

    2011-01-01

    Adopting a materialist and processual approach to language and specifically multilingualism, this paper explores what language ideologies a minority, non-educational institution embraced and how this facilitated social inclusion through constructing institutional multilingualism within societal monolingualism. Specifically, I document how a…

  18. A SKOS-based multilingual thesaurus of geological time scale for interopability of online geological maps

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ma, X.; Carranza, E.J.M.; Wu, C.; Meer, F.D. van der; Liu, G.

    2011-01-01

    The usefulness of online geological maps is hindered by linguistic barriers. Multilingual geoscience thesauri alleviate linguistic barriers of geological maps. However, the benefits of multilingual geoscience thesauri for online geological maps are less studied. In this regard, we developed a

  19. Rastafarian-herbalists' enregisterment of multilingual voices in an ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Kate H

    issues of a religious nature are talked about and debated by multilingual speakers. ..... commuters through Bellstar Junction provides important business for the .... movement the Rastafari is guided by the following religious ethical practices ...

  20. Intercultural Contact and Multilingualism in an Intimate Relationship in the Austro-Hungarian Littoral.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinis, Anja Iveković

    2016-09-01

    The paper presents a case study of multilingualism in private correspondence in turn-of-the-century Austro-Hungarian Istria. Language attitudes and use of German, Italian and Slovenian are analyzed, with results indicating the compatibility of national feelings with an appreciation of multilingualism, as well as the important role that intimate intercultural relationships play in this regard in a culturally mixed region.

  1. Preparing pre-service teachers for multilingual classrooms ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article addresses the challenge and process of the curriculum design using the classic ADDIE model. It also documents student reaction to the compulsory module as well as their experience of language learning. Keywords: curriculum + multilingual classrooms, instructional design and development, language learning ...

  2. Voice user interface design for emerging multilingual markets

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Van Huyssteen, G

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Multilingual emerging markets hold many opportunities for the application of spoken language technologies, such as automatic speech recognition (ASR) or test-to-speech (TTS) technologies in interactive voice response (IVR) systems. However...

  3. From Bilingualism to Multilingualism in the Workplace: The Case of the Basque Autonomous Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Worp, Karin; Cenoz, Jasone; Gorter, Durk

    2017-01-01

    In this article we discuss the outcomes of a study into the languages of the workplace of internationally operating companies. Our aim is to contribute to studies of multilingualism in the workplace by adopting a holistic approach that focuses on several languages and relates the competences and attitudes of multilingual professionals to the…

  4. Functional MRI of Multilingual Subjects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Jae Min; Ryoo, Jae Wook; Choi, Dae Seob; Shin, Tae Beom; Chung, Sung Hoon; Kim, Ji Eun; Han, Heon; Kim, Sam Soo; Jeon, Yong Hwan

    2009-01-01

    To evaluate brain activation areas during the processing of languages in multilingual volunteers by functional MRI and to examine the differences between the mother and foreign languages. Nine multilingual (Korean, French, and English speaking) Korean individuals were enrolled in this study. Functional images were acquired during a lexical decision task (LDT) and picture naming task (PNT) in each of the Korean, French and English languages. The areas activated were analyzed topographically in each language and task, and compared between languages. Activation was noted in Broca's area, supramarginal gyrus, fusiform gyrus during the LDT. During the PNT, activation was noted in Broca's area, left prefrontal area, cerebellum, right extrastriated cortex. While Broca's area activation was observed for all languages during LDT, there was more activation in Broca's area and additional activation in the right prefrontal area with foreign languages. During the PNT, there was more activation in the left prefrontal area with foreign languages. Broca's area, which is known as a major language region, was activated by all languages and tasks. The brain activation areas were largely overlapping with the mother and foreign languages. However, there were wider areas of activation and additional different activation areas with foreign languages. These results suggest more cerebral effort during foreign language processing

  5. Number pronunciation in a multilingual environment and implications for an ASR system

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Molapo, R

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available . Mbogho, “Web-based corpus acquisition for Swahili language modelling,” in 3rd workshop on Spoken Languages Technolo- gies for Under-resourced languages, 2012, pp. 42–47. [8] T. Schlippe, C. Zhu, J. Gebhardt, and T. Schultz, “Text normalization based... multilingual environment and implications for an ASR system Raymond Molapo Human Language Technologies Research Group Meraka Institute CSIR, South Africa Multilingual Speech Technologies Group North-West University Vanderbijlpark South Africa Email: rmolapo...

  6. Book Review: Multilingualism online | Roux | Southern African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Book Title: Multilingualism online. Book Author: Carmen Lee. 2017. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781138900493. 170 pages. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2017.1373369 · AJOL African Journals Online.

  7. From Opposition to Transcendence: The Language Practices and Ideologies of Students in a Multilingual University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Mingyue

    2014-01-01

    This article explores language ideologies and language uses in a multilingual university in Hong Kong by exploring the voices and experiences of both mainland Chinese and Hong Kong students. Drawing on the notions of language ideologies, separate multilingualism, and translanguaging, the research illustrates how students' linguistic ideologies are…

  8. Structural brain differences between monolingual and multilingual patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease: Evidence for cognitive reserve.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duncan, Hilary D; Nikelski, Jim; Pilon, Randi; Steffener, Jason; Chertkow, Howard; Phillips, Natalie A

    2018-01-31

    Two independent lines of research provide evidence that speaking more than one language may 1) contribute to increased grey matter in healthy younger and older adults and 2) delay cognitive symptoms in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer disease (AD). We examined cortical thickness and tissue density in monolingual and multilingual MCI and AD patients matched (within Diagnosis Groups) on demographic and cognitive variables. In medial temporal disease-related (DR) areas, we found higher tissue density in multilingual MCIs versus monolingual MCIs, but similar or lower tissue density in multilingual AD versus monolingual AD, a pattern consistent with cognitive reserve in AD. In areas related to language and cognitive control (LCC), both multilingual MCI and AD patients had thicker cortex than the monolinguals. Results were largely replicated in our native-born Canadian MCI participants, ruling out immigration as a potential confound. Finally, multilingual patients showed a correlation between cortical thickness in LCC regions and performance on episodic memory tasks. Given that multilinguals and monolinguals were matched on memory functioning, this suggests that increased gray matter in these regions may provide support to memory functioning. Our results suggest that being multilingual may contribute to increased gray matter in LCC areas and may also delay the cognitive effects of disease-related atrophy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Exploring Linguistic Identity in Young Multilingual Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dressler, Roswita

    2014-01-01

    This article explores the linguistic identity of young multilingual learners through the use of a Language Portrait Silhouette. Examples from a research study of children aged 6-8 years in a German bilingual program in Canada provide teachers with an understanding that linguistic identity comprises expertise, affiliation, and inheritance. This…

  10. EuroGOV: Engineering a Multilingual Web Corpus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sigurbjörnsson, B.; Kamps, J.; de Rijke, M.

    2005-01-01

    EuroGOV is a multilingual web corpus that was created to serve as the document collection for WebCLEF, the CLEF 2005 web retrieval task. EuroGOV is a collection of web pages crawled from the European Union portal, European Union member state governmental web sites, and Russian government web sites.

  11. Lexicographical Resources in A Multilingual Environment: An ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article considers dictionaries as lexical infonnation / knowledge sources to be derived from a deeper, underlying, lexical database. These dictionary-tokens or -instantiations are inter alia specified by the users' needs. As a case in point of such a derivation meeting the needs of a multilingual society, a bidirectional ...

  12. Is mommy talking to daddy or to me? Exploring parental estimates of child language exposure using the Multilingual Infant Language Questionnaire

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, L.; Kager, R.W.J.

    2017-01-01

    Language input is a key factor in bi-/multilingual research. It roots in the definition of bi-/multilingualism and influences infant cognitive development since and even before birth. The methods used to assess language exposure among bi-/multilingual infants vary across studies. This paper

  13. Innovation in learning and development in multilingual and multicultural contexts: Principles learned from a higher educational study programme in Luxembourg

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziegler, Gudrun

    2011-12-01

    Multilingualism in education is a conceptual as well as a pedagogical challenge of the 21st century. Luxembourg, with its three statutory official languages (Luxembourgish, French and German), is an especially complex setting. The gap between traditional principles of language education on the one hand and the challenging impacts of today's multilingualisms on the other led the University of Luxembourg (founded in 2003) to set up a developmentally-driven Master's programme in 2007, entitled "Learning and Development in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts". After a presentation of the general multilingual settings in Luxembourg, this paper discusses the constellation of the multilingual University's staff and students and provides an analysis of the concept of the course by outlining its innovative approach, its principles and lessons learned with regard to running a trilingual higher education programme.

  14. The Exposure Advantage: Early Exposure to a Multilingual Environment Promotes Effective Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Samantha P; Liberman, Zoe; Keysar, Boaz; Kinzler, Katherine D

    2015-07-01

    Early language exposure is essential to developing a formal language system, but may not be sufficient for communicating effectively. To understand a speaker's intention, one must take the speaker's perspective. Multilingual exposure may promote effective communication by enhancing perspective taking. We tested children on a task that required perspective taking to interpret a speaker's intended meaning. Monolingual children failed to interpret the speaker's meaning dramatically more often than both bilingual children and children who were exposed to a multilingual environment but were not bilingual themselves. Children who were merely exposed to a second language performed as well as bilingual children, despite having lower executive-function scores. Thus, the communicative advantages demonstrated by the bilinguals may be social in origin, and not due to enhanced executive control. For millennia, multilingual exposure has been the norm. Our study shows that such an environment may facilitate the development of perspective-taking tools that are critical for effective communication. © The Author(s) 2015.

  15. Positive Cognitive Effects of Bilingualism and Multilingualism on Cerebral Function: a Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quinteros Baumgart, Cibel; Billick, Stephen Bates

    2018-06-01

    A review of the current literature regarding bilingualism demonstrates that bilingualism is linked to higher levels of controlled attention and inhibition in executive control and can protect against the decline of executive control in aging by contributing to cognitive reserve. Bilinguals may also have smaller vocabulary size and slower lexical retrieval for each language. The joint activation theory is proposed to explain these results. Older trilingual adults experience more protection against cognitive decline and children and young adults showed similar cognitive advantages to bilinguals in inhibitory control. Second language learners do not yet show cognitive changes associated with multilingualism. The Specificity Principle states that the acquisition of multiple languages is moderated by multiple factors and varies between experiences. Bilingualism and multilingualism are both associated with immigration but different types of multilingualism can develop depending on the situation. Cultural cues and language similarity also play a role in language switching and multiple language acquisition.

  16. Multilingualism and Education for Democracy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biseth, Heidi

    2009-01-01

    This essay attempts to show the importance of linguistic issues in education for democracy and the close relationship between democracy and multilingualism. Increasingly nation-states are having to adapt to linguistic diversity within their borders and to recognize that democracy requires the participation of all citizens, including those belonging to linguistic minorities. Democracy also requires that all linguistic groups share a sense of community. The author argues the need for educational policies that address these challenges.

  17. Multilingual Language and Literacy Practices and Social Identities in Sunni Madrassahs in Mauritius: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owodally, Ambarin Mooznah Auleear

    2011-01-01

    This study analyzes the connections among multilingual language practices, multilingual literacy practices, and social identities in two Sunni madrassahs in Mauritius. The study is framed by sociolinguistic and poststructuralist perspectives on language and identity, and social practice views of literacy. Data collection and analysis involved…

  18. Linked Heritage: a collaborative terminology management platform for a network of multilingual thesauri and controlled vocabularies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie-Veronique Leroi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Terminology and multilingualism have been one of the main focuses of the Athena Project. Linked Heritage as a legacy of this project also deals with terminology and bring theory to practice applying the recommendations given in the Athena Project. Linked Heritage as a direct follow-up of these recommendations on terminology and multilingualism is currently working on the development of a Terminology Management Platform (TMP. This platform will allow any cultural institution to register, SKOSify and manage its terminology in a collaborative way. This Terminology Management Platform will provide a network of multilingual and cross-domain terminologies.

  19. Towards a democratisation of new media spaces in multilingual ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Towards a democratisation of new media spaces in multilingual/multicultural Africa: A ... and can lead to misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the messages. ... also demonstrate that language and 'culture' are products of social activities.

  20. Multilingualism as Utopia: Fashioning Non-Racial Selves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stroud, Christopher; Williams, Quentin

    2017-01-01

    The challenge of contemporary South Africa is that of building a (post)nation of postracial equity in a fragmented world of a globalized ethical, economic and ecological meltdown. In this paper, we seek to explore the idea of multilingualism as a technology in the conceptualization of alternative, competing futures. We suggest that multilingualism…

  1. Language Policy, Multilingual Encounters, and Transnational Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Kendall A.

    2016-01-01

    The study of what has come to be known as family language policy has evolved and expanded significantly over the last hundred years, from its early beginnings in the diary studies of Ronjat and Leopold, to the interdisciplinary and transnational research found in this thematic issue of the "Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural…

  2. Multilingualism remixed: Sampling, braggadocio and the stylisation ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Remixing multilingualism and hip-hop in times of globalisation ... only the case that “[…] ... The remixing of global hip-hop in Cape Town started in an era defined by apartheid ..... refers to his socio-economic condition and attempts to relate to audience ..... Conversational sampling, race trafficking, and the invocation of the.

  3. Is Mommy Talking to Daddy or to Me? Exploring Parental Estimates of Child Language Exposure Using the Multilingual Infant Language Questionnaire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Liquan; Kager, René

    2017-01-01

    Language input is a key factor in bi-/multilingual research. It roots in the definition of bi-/multilingualism and influences infant cognitive development since and even before birth. The methods used to assess language exposure among bi-/multilingual infants vary across studies. This paper discusses the parental report patterns of the…

  4. Operationalizing Multilingualism: Language Learning Motivation in Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Amy S.; Erdil-Moody, Zeynep

    2016-01-01

    This study is an examination of language learning motivation and multilingual status in the Turkish English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Using Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) framework, specifically the ideal and ought-to L2 selves, this study examines the relationship between motivation and two operationalizations of…

  5. Language policy implementation in multilingual Nigeria: French and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    By all standards, Nigeria is a multilingual and Multicultural state parading more than five hundred indigenous languages existing alongside English language as an official language and French language as the defacto second official language. Choosing a national language among the existing indigenous languages has ...

  6. Translanguaging Practices and Perspectives of Four Multilingual Teens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel, Shannon M.; Pacheco, Mark B.

    2016-01-01

    Increasingly, educational research suggests that translanguaging pedagogies can provide meaningful supports for English language learners. Yet, few studies examine how multilingual teens in English-dominant settings independently translanguage to make sense of school and achieve their goals. In this study, we review definitions of translanguaging…

  7. Multilingualism and Teacher Preparation for the Universal Basic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Although the National Policy on Education stipulates the learning of at least three languages on completion of Junior Secondary School by each learner, the Nigerian linguistic environment which is evidently multilingual poses some challenges and setbacks for language teaching and learning among ethnic minorities.

  8. Language, Power, Multilingual and Non-Verbal Multicultural Communication

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marácz, L.; Zhuravleva, E.A.

    2014-01-01

    Due to developments in internal migration and mobility there is a proliferation of linguistic diversity, multilingual and non-verbal multicultural communication. At the same time the recognition of the use of one’s first language receives more and more support in international political, legal and

  9. Multimodal Literacy Practices in the Indigenous Sámi Classroom: Children Navigating in a Complex Multilingual Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietikäinen, Sari; Pitkänen-Huhta, Anne

    2013-01-01

    This article explores multimodal literacy practices in a transforming multilingual context of an indigenous and endangered Sámi language classroom. Looking at literacy practices as embedded in a complex and shifting terrain of language ideologies, language norms, and individual experiences and attitudes, we examined how multilingual Sámi children…

  10. Multilingualism and later life: a sociolinguistic perspective on age and aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Divita, David

    2014-08-01

    In this paper, I contribute to subjective accounts of aging by focusing on a population that has been largely overlooked in social gerontology: individuals in later life who are multilingual. How do such individuals experience and make sense of their multilingualism? What role does language play in the way they experience and make sense of their lives? To answer these questions I take a life story approach to three women who experienced similar sociohistorical circumstances but arrived at different linguistic outcomes: born in Spain around the time of the civil war (1936-1939), they migrated to Paris in the 1960s to pursue social and economic mobility. Although they arrived in France as monolingual Spanish speakers, they have since acquired French and now practice their multilingualism in distinct ways. I juxtapose their life stories to illustrate how the acquisition and use of language are informed by a confluence of personal, social, and historical factors. Focusing on the linguistic dimension of the life course I thus introduce a new perspective on the heterogeneity obtained among individuals at this stage of their biographical trajectories. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. International aspirations for speech-language pathologists' practice with multilingual children with speech sound disorders: development of a position paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLeod, Sharynne; Verdon, Sarah; Bowen, Caroline

    2013-01-01

    A major challenge for the speech-language pathology profession in many cultures is to address the mismatch between the "linguistic homogeneity of the speech-language pathology profession and the linguistic diversity of its clientele" (Caesar & Kohler, 2007, p. 198). This paper outlines the development of the Multilingual Children with Speech Sound Disorders: Position Paper created to guide speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') facilitation of multilingual children's speech. An international expert panel was assembled comprising 57 researchers (SLPs, linguists, phoneticians, and speech scientists) with knowledge about multilingual children's speech, or children with speech sound disorders. Combined, they had worked in 33 countries and used 26 languages in professional practice. Fourteen panel members met for a one-day workshop to identify key points for inclusion in the position paper. Subsequently, 42 additional panel members participated online to contribute to drafts of the position paper. A thematic analysis was undertaken of the major areas of discussion using two data sources: (a) face-to-face workshop transcript (133 pages) and (b) online discussion artifacts (104 pages). Finally, a moderator with international expertise in working with children with speech sound disorders facilitated the incorporation of the panel's recommendations. The following themes were identified: definitions, scope, framework, evidence, challenges, practices, and consideration of a multilingual audience. The resulting position paper contains guidelines for providing services to multilingual children with speech sound disorders (http://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech/position-paper). The paper is structured using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Children and Youth Version (World Health Organization, 2007) and incorporates recommendations for (a) children and families, (b) SLPs' assessment and intervention, (c) SLPs' professional

  12. University students' perceptions of multilingual education: A case ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    to implement multilingual education for purposes of teaching and learning ... higher education system, very little (excluding a range of stereotypes) is known about the ... learning of one additional or supportive language of tuition (CHE 2001:11). ..... state their gender, age, home language, household economic status and the ...

  13. Legitimating Multilingual Teacher Identities in the Mainstream Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higgins, Christina; Ponte, Eva

    2017-01-01

    This article explores the identities of a group of elementary teachers who participated in a professional development (PD) project on multilingual language learners. We study how the participating teachers drew on different aspects of their identities to respond to encouragement to increase their attention to students' diverse multilingual…

  14. Multilingualism and Language Learning: The Rome City Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menghini, Michela

    2016-01-01

    This article illustrates the findings on multilingualism related to the educational sphere in the city of Rome, within the scope and theoretical framework of the international project LUCIDE (Languages in Urban Communities--Integration and Diversity for Europe). Particularly, it describes the type of linguistic and cultural support offered to…

  15. Admitted or Denied: Multilingual Writers Negotiate Admissions Essays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wight, Shauna

    2017-01-01

    This article presents data from a collection of yearlong case studies on resident multilingual writers' college admissions essays. The focal student in this piece revealed the challenges that such writers face in presenting themselves to college admissions officers. Exploring these cultural and linguistic conflicts, this analysis uses Goffman's…

  16. Imagining a multilingual academy: rethinking language in higher ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Language affects all aspects of the academy as a platform for the cultivation of critical thinking. The extension of multilingualism (ie "more people using more languages in more registers and in more domains") in higher education would contribute significantly to "improving the quality of the higher education sector".

  17. MultiFarm: A Benchmark for Multilingual Ontology Matching

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meilicke, C.; García-Castro, R.; Freitas, F.; van Hage, W.R.; Montiel-Ponsoda, E.; Ribeiro de Azevedo, R.; Stuckenschmidt, H.; Svab-Zamazal, O.; Svatek, V.; Tamalin, A.; Wang, S.

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we present the MultiFarm dataset, which has been designed as a benchmark for multilingual ontology matching. The MultiFarm dataset is composed of a set of ontologies translated in different languages and the corresponding alignments between these ontologies. It is based on the OntoFarm

  18. Multilingual Writing and Pedagogical Cooperation in Virtual Learning Environments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mousten, Birthe; Vandepitte, Sonia; Arnó Macà, Elisabet

    Multilingual Writing and Pedagogical Cooperation in Virtual Learning Environments is a critical scholarly resource that examines experiences with virtual networks and their advantages for universities and students in the domains of writing, translation, and usability testing. Featuring coverage o...

  19. Why Multilingualism and Multilingual Communication Jeopardize a Common Social Policy for Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marácz László

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper studies the consequences of European multilingualism and multilingual communication for a common social policy in the Europe Union. In the past fifty years, the main focus of the Europeanization project has been on financial-economic developments and less on a common social policy. Even today, there is no common framework for social protection in the European Union. Common minimum income or wages for European citizens are lacking. In this paper, it will be argued that the lack of social protection has to do with Europe’s linguistic diversity. Language is seen as a building block of national communities and their political cultures. The European integration project can only continue if different European political cultures are shared. However, due to the fact that a neutral lingua franca is lacking, this has been unsuccessful so far. The interaction of social groups that have a different language repertoire with the structures of multilevel governance are responsible for the fact that some of these social groups, including the ‘Eurostars’, and national cosmopolitans benefit from social protection, whereas other groups lacking relevant language skills, such as anti-establishment forces, commoners, and migrants, are excluded from the European power domains. These power configurations can be fruitfully studied in the floral figuration model. Consequently, due to these patterns of inclusion and exclusion, true solidarity among European citizens is not within reach. These claims will be illustrated by a case study on the Netherlands, a country that has been pursuing neoliberal policies counterbalancing Eurozone and economic crises and is trying to assimilate migrants and other newcomers. Apart from assimilatory policies targeting migrants, language games used by competing forces are playing an important role in the discourse in order to set up power structures.

  20. multilingualism and the ethnic identity of the ette people

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    chy

    Bilingualism/multilingualism will be discussed in section four; while section ... In the past, our ancestors moved from one place to the other in search of ... The concept of ethnicity, however, encompasses a lot of meaning so that its definition is.

  1. Language Status and Literacy Trend in a Multilingual Society - Singapore

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuo, Eddie C. Y.

    1974-01-01

    Using data from census reports and educational statistics, this paper analyzes the language status and literacy trends in multilingual Singapore, where the four official languages are Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English. (CK)

  2. Multilingual Data Selection for Low Resource Speech Recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-09-12

    output of this feature fron- tend is a multilingual representation from the bottleneck layer of the second network. In our training framework , we use 40...16] M. Harper, “IARPA Babel Program,” http://www.iarpa.gov/index. php /research-programs/babel, [Online; accessed 2016-03-25]. [17] “Assamese Babel

  3. Multilingual event extraction for epidemic detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lejeune, Gaël; Brixtel, Romain; Doucet, Antoine; Lucas, Nadine

    2015-10-01

    This paper presents a multilingual news surveillance system applied to tele-epidemiology. It has been shown that multilingual approaches improve timeliness in detection of epidemic events across the globe, eliminating the wait for local news to be translated into major languages. We present here a system to extract epidemic events in potentially any language, provided a Wikipedia seed for common disease names exists. The Daniel system presented herein relies on properties that are common to news writing (the journalistic genre), the most useful being repetition and saliency. Wikipedia is used to screen common disease names to be matched with repeated characters strings. Language variations, such as declensions, are handled by processing text at the character-level, rather than at the word level. This additionally makes it possible to handle various writing systems in a similar fashion. As no multilingual ground truth existed to evaluate the Daniel system, we built a multilingual corpus from the Web, and collected annotations from native speakers of Chinese, English, Greek, Polish and Russian, with no connection or interest in the Daniel system. This data set is available online freely, and can be used for the evaluation of other event extraction systems. Experiments for 5 languages out of 17 tested are detailed in this paper: Chinese, English, Greek, Polish and Russian. The Daniel system achieves an average F-measure of 82% in these 5 languages. It reaches 87% on BEcorpus, the state-of-the-art corpus in English, slightly below top-performing systems, which are tailored with numerous language-specific resources. The consistent performance of Daniel on multiple languages is an important contribution to the reactivity and the coverage of epidemiological event detection systems. Most event extraction systems rely on extensive resources that are language-specific. While their sophistication induces excellent results (over 90% precision and recall), it restricts their

  4. A universal multilingual weightless neural network tagger via quantitative linguistics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carneiro, Hugo C C; Pedreira, Carlos E; França, Felipe M G; Lima, Priscila M V

    2017-07-01

    In the last decade, given the availability of corpora in several distinct languages, research on multilingual part-of-speech tagging started to grow. Amongst the novelties there is mWANN-Tagger (multilingual weightless artificial neural network tagger), a weightless neural part-of-speech tagger capable of being used for mostly-suffix-oriented languages. The tagger was subjected to corpora in eight languages of quite distinct natures and had a remarkable accuracy with very low sample deviation in every one of them, indicating the robustness of weightless neural systems for part-of-speech tagging tasks. However, mWANN-Tagger needed to be tuned for every new corpus, since each one required a different parameter configuration. For mWANN-Tagger to be truly multilingual, it should be usable for any new language with no need of parameter tuning. This article proposes a study that aims to find a relation between the lexical diversity of a language and the parameter configuration that would produce the best performing mWANN-Tagger instance. Preliminary analyses suggested that a single parameter configuration may be applied to the eight aforementioned languages. The mWANN-Tagger instance produced by this configuration was as accurate as the language-dependent ones obtained through tuning. Afterwards, the weightless neural tagger was further subjected to new corpora in languages that range from very isolating to polysynthetic ones. The best performing instances of mWANN-Tagger are again the ones produced by the universal parameter configuration. Hence, mWANN-Tagger can be applied to new corpora with no need of parameter tuning, making it a universal multilingual part-of-speech tagger. Further experiments with Universal Dependencies treebanks reveal that mWANN-Tagger may be extended and that it has potential to outperform most state-of-the-art part-of-speech taggers if better word representations are provided. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Vladimir Nabokov: A Case Study of Multilingualism and Translation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulina Rothermel

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This article explores the relationship between translation and multilingualism through an examination of Vladimir Nabokov’s works and views on the topic. The main idea of the article is that translation is one of the implications of multi-competence, as defined by Vivian Cook in 1991, and as such is reliant on the translator’s cultural grounding. In Nabokov’s case, multilingualism and multiculturalism resulted in some very specific approaches in his own translation, as well as in his setting of canons for other translators to follow. Advocacy of the literal style in transliteration which remains faithful to the original author constitutes evidence of the utmost appreciation for the broadening of mental horizons that such foreignization may bring. Some rendering of Nabokov’s works into Polish, and the following of his directives in those renditions, were also analyzed by the author of the article.

  6. Mandarin, Suzhou Dialect and English: Multilingualism in Suzhou

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Sibing

    2015-01-01

    This paper explains the situation of Mandarin, Suzhou dialect and English in Suzhou, the relation between language policy and language use, discusses the positive and negative consequences that multilingualism in Suzhou might have for the society, and focuses on the change of language use in Suzhou and provides suggestions for the maintenance of…

  7. Researching Multilingualism and Superdiversity: Grassroots Actions and Responsibilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Li

    2014-01-01

    The articles in this thematic issue document studies of grassroots actions in promoting multilingualism across different sectors of society as well as in different social and professional domains. In doing so, the contributors raise issues of the relevance of the notion of community in the age of superdiversity and the researcher's…

  8. A critical analysis of multilingual dictionaries | Prinsloo | Lexikos

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article evaluates the lexicographic value of multilingual dictionaries. Dictionaries covering three or more languages spoken in South Africa are taken as a case in point. An attempt will be made to reflect on their merits and shortcomings as reference works and learning tools but the focus will be on presumed ...

  9. A Circle of Learning: The impact of a narrative multilingualism approach on in-service teachers’ literacy pedagogies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belinda Mendelowitz

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the impact of a narrative multilingualism approach on in-service primary school teachers who attended the Advanced Certi"cate of Education (ACE Languages course at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2009. The teachers wrote their own language narratives and were required to implement language narrative work in their classrooms. The paper is a case study of three teachers’ implementation of multilingual narrative pedagogy, and explores the ways in which each teacher translates this pedagogy into their specific contexts. Theoretically, the paper attempts to deepen and extend narrative multilingualism as an approach to language teaching. The notions of uptake and pedagogical translation are explored at various levels, namely, the teachers’ uptake of a multilingual narrative approach and the learners’ uptake. The most striking aspect of the data, across all teachers, is the process and dynamics unleashed in the classroom space. The process of sharing language narratives reconfigured dynamics in the classroom and opened up the classroom space for teachers and learners. The interventions that the pedagogy of narrative multilingualism afforded enabled the validation of linguistic diversity. In a society where xenophobia and linguicism is prevalent, such interventions can play a valuable role in changing attitudes and teaching learners to value difference. Furthermore, previously silenced learners found their voices and participated more in class activities.

  10. Modelling vocabulary development among multilingual children prior to and following the transition to school entry

    OpenAIRE

    MacLeod, Andrea A. N.; Castellanos-Ryan, Natalie; Parent, Sophie; Jacques, Sophie; Séguin, Jean R.

    2017-01-01

    Differences between monolingual and multilingual vocabulary development have been observed but few studies provide a longitudinal perspective on vocabulary development before and following school entry. This study compares vocabulary growth profiles of 106 multilingual children to 211 monolingual peers before and after school entry to examine whether: (1) school entry coincides with different rates of vocabulary growth compared to prior to school entry, (2) compared to monolingual peers, mult...

  11. English-lus Multilingualism as the New Linguistic Capital? Implications of University Students' Attitudes towards Languages of Instruction in a Multilingual Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klapwijk, Nanda; Van der Walt, Christa

    2016-01-01

    This article investigates university students' attitudes and perceptions about language in a multilingual country where most instruction is in English and annual national literacy results have been declining for at least 15 years. Despite this decline, English seems to be entrenched as the language of instruction, and at university it seems a…

  12. Multilingual education in the light of diversity : Lessons learned

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Herzog-Punzenberger, Barbara; Le Pichon, E.M.M.; Siarova, Hanna

    2017-01-01

    While multilingualism and diversity have always been an integral part of Europe, they also became important characteristics of many national education systems in the past two decades. The linguistic diversity of modern classrooms is shaped by 1. the presence of historical non-dominant language

  13. A network of tongues: African languages, multilingualism and global ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Some scholars have noted that globalization portends 'a global common language' that offers unprecedented possibilities for mutual understanding and thus enables us to find fresh opportunities for international co-operation. Yet, others have argued in favour of multilingualism, described as an alternative, fundamental ...

  14. Semantic transference for enriching multilingual biomedical knowledge resources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez, María; Berlanga, Rafael

    2015-12-01

    Biomedical knowledge resources (KRs) are mainly expressed in English, and many applications using them suffer from the scarcity of knowledge in non-English languages. The goal of the present work is to take maximum profit from existing multilingual biomedical KRs lexicons to enrich their non-English counterparts. We propose to combine different automatic methods to generate pair-wise language alignments. More specifically, we use two well-known translation methods (GIZA++ and Moses), and we propose a new ad hoc method specially devised for multilingual KRs. Then, resulting alignments are used to transfer semantics between KRs across their languages. Transference quality is ensured by checking the semantic coherence of the generated alignments. Experiments have been carried out over the Spanish, French and German UMLS Metathesaurus counterparts. As a result, the enriched Spanish KR can grow up to 1,514,217 concepts (originally 286,659), the French KR up to 1,104,968 concepts (originally 83,119), and the German KR up to 1,136,020 concepts (originally 86,842). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. The Compilation of Multilingual Concept Literacy Glossaries at the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    account for the multilingual concept literacy glossaries being compiled under the auspices of .... a theory, i.e. the set of premises, arguments and conclusions required for explaining ... fully address cognitive and communicative needs, especially of laypersons. ..... tion at UCT, and in indigenous languages as auxiliary media.

  16. Foreign Language Anxiety in Turkey: The Role of Multilingualism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Amy S.; Khawaja, Anastasia J.

    2016-01-01

    As part of a larger study on individual differences and language learning in Turkey, this study explores the relationship between foreign language anxiety and two operationalisations of multilingualism: any experience with a third language and Perceived Positive Language Interaction; it also illuminates connections among the aforementioned…

  17. Development of a Tablet Application for the Screening of Receptive Vocabulary Skills in Multilingual Children: A Pilot Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaefer, Blanca; Bowyer-Crane, Claudine; Herrmann, Frank; Fricke, Silke

    2016-01-01

    For professionals working with multilingual children, detecting language deficits in a child's home language can present a challenge. This is largely due to the scarcity of standardized assessments in many children's home languages and missing normative data on multilingual language acquisition. A common approach is to translate existing English…

  18. Multilingual classrooms as sites of negotiations of language and literacy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Helle Pia; Daugaard, Line Møller

    2012-01-01

    Chapter 4, by Daugaard and Laursen, examines a multilingual classroom in Denmark as a site of negotiations of language and literacy. Classrooms have never been homogeneous, in many senses, but in the present era of global fl ows and new forms of mobility the heterogeneous nature of classrooms...... is more prominent than ever. In this chapter, the classroom is characterized as a messy marketplace, in which language ideologies and identity options are maintained, contested and negotiated. The close examination of literacy practices in the classroom in focus in this chapter shows what transitional...... processes take place when people move across spaces and how the sociolinguistic reality of the classroom clashes with the educational conceptualization of ‘the bilingual student’. The analysis also shows how multilingual children actively claim – and transform – linguistic space in the classroom....

  19. [Multilingualism and specific language impairment].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arkkila, Eva; Smolander, Sini; Laasonen, Marja

    2013-01-01

    Specific language impairment is one of the most common developmental disturbances in childhood. With the increase of the foreign language population group an increasing number of children assimilating several languages and causing concern in language development attend clinical examinations. Knowledge of factors underlying the specific language impairment and the specific impairment in general, special features of language development of those learning several languages, as well as the assessment and support of the linguistic skills of a multilingual child is essential. The risk of long-term problems and marginalization is high for children having specific language impairment.

  20. Language Learning Strategies of Multilingual Adults Learning Additional Languages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dmitrenko, Violetta

    2017-01-01

    The main goal consisted in identifying and bringing together strategies of multilinguals as a particular learner group. Therefore, research was placed in the intersection of the three fields: language learning strategies (LLS), third language acquisition (TLA), and the didactics of plurilingualism. First, the paper synthesises the major findings…

  1. multilingualism and the ethnic identity of the ette people

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    chy

    Mgbakoigba: Journal of African Studies, Volume 4, 2015. 1. MULTILINGUALISM AND ..... Tukano of the northwest Amazon because of their customs which forbids marriage among themselves rather they ... everyday life whether it is in the church, meetings, market, family etc. whereas Igala and Igbo languages are also used ...

  2. Accommodating multilingualism in IT classrooms in the Free State ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article explores the language context of Information Technology (IT) classes in the Free State province. An overview of the multilingual context within which the research was done is provided through a brief historical background of language accommodation and recognition in South Africa in general, and then ...

  3. Multilingualism as a learning scaffolding element: Reflection on first ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This reflective paper reports on the approach taken and the lesson learnt in introducing multilingualism as a Writing-To-Learn (WTL) strategy for active learning, especially for large classes. WTL strategies are well entrenched in social and humanities courses as opposed to 'technical' courses such as Information and ...

  4. Multilingual children's interaction with metafiction in a postmodern picture book

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Daugaard, Line Møller; Johansen, Martin Blok

    2014-01-01

    When teachers and school librarians choose picture books for multilingual children, they often base their choice on an evaluation of linguistic comprehensibility, content familiarity and cultural appropriateness. This means that postmodern picture books may be excluded. This paper presents a case...

  5. English in the multilingual classroom: implications for research, policy and practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janina Brutt-Griffler

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Purpose – The shift in the function of English as a medium of instruction together with its use in knowledge construction and dissemination among scholars continue to fuel the global demand for high-level proficiency in the language. These components of the global knowledge economy mean that the ability of nations to produce multilinguals with advanced English proficiency alongside their mastery of other languages has become a key to global competitiveness. That need is helping to drive one of the greatest language learning experiments the world has ever known. It carries significant implications for new research agendas and teacher preparation in applied linguistics. Design/methodology/approach – Evidence-based decision-making, whether it pertains to language policy decisions, instructional practices, teacher professional development or curricula/program building, needs to be based on a rigorous and systematically pursued program of research and assessment. Findings – This paper seeks to advance these objectives by identifying new research foci that underscore a student-centered approach. Originality/value – It introduces a new theoretical construct – multilingual proficiency – to underscore the knowledge that the learner develops in the process of language learning that makes for the surest route to the desired high levels of language proficiency. The paper highlights the advantages of a student-centered approach that focuses on multilingual proficiency for teachers and explores the concomitant conclusions for teacher development.

  6. How Does Linguistic Competence Enhance Cognitive Functions in Children? A Study in Multilingual Children with Different Linguistic Competences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Videsott, Gerda; Della Rosa, Pasquale Anthony; Wiater, Werner; Franceschini, Rita; Abutalebi, Jubin

    2012-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the attentional mechanisms of multilingual children with differential degrees of language competence. For this purpose, 118 children (61 female/57 male; mean age 10.9 years (SD = 0.29); early acquisition multilinguals) from the Ladin valleys in South Tyrol, Italy, performed the Attentional Network…

  7. "The Soccer Field, It Has Dirt": A Critical Analysis of Teacher Learners in Contact with Emergent Multilingual Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catalano, Theresa; Reeves, Jenelle R.; Wessels, Stephanie

    2018-01-01

    In today's globalized world, superdiversity and global migration have led to an increased focus on emergent multilingual students and how schools can best serve them. The authors explore how teacher learners in an undergraduate course on emergent multilinguals in a mid-sized university in the Midwest critically reflect on their learning in a…

  8. Elite Bilingualism? Language Use among Multilingual Teenagers of Swedish Background in European Schools and International Schools in Europe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rydenvald, Marie

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the language use and language attitudes as reported by a number of multilingual teenagers with a Swedish background in European Schools and international schools in Europe. Special attention is given to the concepts of Third Culture Kids and elite bilingualism in relation to teenagers' multilingualism. This study is based on…

  9. The need for an electronic multilingual dictionary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Kisiel

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The need for an electronic multilingual dictionary The paper analyses the issue of providing adequate equivalents in multilingual dictionaries. If equivalents are adequate, it means that: (1 the scope of meaning of one item is identical to its equivalent (cf. drive: drive a nail vs. drive a car; and (2 the collocations of the equivalents overlap. Two significant problems arise when searching for adequate equivalents: the lack of equivalents whose meanings are identical (narrower/wider meanings, partial overlap of meanings, more than equally good equivalent, and equivalents with homographs in a given language. Because such issues are difficult to resolve in a printed dictionary, we put forward some methods of addressing the problems in an electronic dictionary. The paper offers an example entry from such a dictionary, which presents a suggestion of a layout. We also took into consideration the potential problems which may appear if the entry is presented in this manner: first, one must set a limit for the description (a defined number of lexical units; second, one must avoid circularity, but at the same time also strive for an exhaustive description. Electronic dictionaries offer greater possibilities of presenting modern vocabulary and adding new classifiers (e.g. a classifier of politeness.

  10. Biography, policy and language teaching practices in a multilingual context: Early childhood classrooms in Mauritius

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aruna Ankiah-Gangadeen

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Language policies in education in multilingual postcolonial contexts are often driven by ideological considerations more veered towards socio-economic and political viability for the country than towards the practicality at implementation level. Centuries after the advent of colonisation, when culturally and linguistically homogenous countries helped to maintain the dominion of colonisers, the English language still has a stronghold in numerous countries due to the material rewards it offers. How then are the diversity of languages – often with different statuses and functions in society – reconciled in the teaching and learning process? How do teachers deal with the intricacies that are generated within a situation where children are taught in a language that is foreign to them? This paper is based on a study involving pre-primary teachers in Mauritius, a developing multilingual African country. The aim was to understand how their approach to the teaching of English was shaped by their biographical experiences of learning the language. The narrative inquiry methodology offered rich possibilities to foray into these experiences, including the manifestations of negotiating their classroom pedagogy in relation to their own personal historical biographies of language teaching and learning, the policy environment, and the pragmatic classroom specificities of diverse, multilingual learners. These insights become resources for early childhood education and teacher development in multilingual contexts caught within the tensions between language policy and pedagogy.

  11. Laboratory Studies on Multilingual Cognition and Further Language Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanz, Cristina; Cox, Jessica G.

    2017-01-01

    Multilingualism is now seen as the norm rather than the exception in an age of migration and supranational entities, and where minority language rights and the consequent educational policies have become more common. The field of applied linguistics reflects that transition: second language acquisition (sla) research is slowly being replaced by…

  12. The Compilation of Multilingual Concept Literacy Glossaries at the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In order to support concept literacy, especially for students for whom English is not the native language, a number of universities in South Africa are compiling multilingual glossaries through which the use of languages other than English may be employed as auxiliary media. Terminologies in languages other than English ...

  13. English as a third language in Norwegian schools. A study on English teachers' multilingual competence and knowledge of third language acquisition

    OpenAIRE

    Pedersen, Line

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates whether or not English teachers have the ability to teach English as an L3. The basis of this is the increase in multilingual pupils in Norwegian schools that are acquiring/will be acquiring English as their third language. The research question is as follows: ”Do English teachers have sufficient knowledge and competence in multilingualism to teach English as a third language to multilingual pupils?” As well as answering the research question, the study seeks to an...

  14. Multilingual Access to Cultural Heritage Resources

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irina Oberländer-Târnoveanu

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available For the visitor to the ARENA Portal for Archaeological Records of Europe Networked Access, the first option is to choose the language of the interface: Danish, English, Icelandic, Polish, Norwegian or Romanian. These are the languages of the six partners in the European project developed between 2001 and 2004. We expect a significant number of visitors from these countries, which made the choice of each respective mother tongue a natural one. Is the option of several languages just a courtesy for our public? It is more than that - it is a tool to facilitate access to multilingual archaeological information. Before we were ready for visitors to our sites, we had to understand each other, to index our digital resources using common terms, to find the right equivalents for archaeological realities described in several languages, to explain the concepts behind the words. Language is related to culture, identity and memory. There is a growing concern about the dominance of English as a global language of communication, while probably the majority of known languages are in danger of disappearing and cultural diversity is menaced. If we wish to make cultural heritage resources accessible to more people and to share knowledge, language is a key. My article is an attempt to address these issues. I will explore the role of language in scientific communication, multilingualism on the Internet, language policies, and also have a closer look at terminological tools for cultural heritage, especially for archaeology.

  15. Proposals and strategies for the valorization of the multilingualism in the mother tongue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Álvaro Antônio Caretta

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In every society, the language is manifested through various oral genres, written and also multimodal, with a huge diversity related to the various conditions of production and circulation of statements. It is true that language is shaped according to the various uses citizens make of it in society. Thus, one cannot perpetuate the myth of a uniform language; on the contrary, the study of the varieties that constitute the multilingualism should be emphasized because it contains a multiculturalism and also the identity of the different communities. In this context, it is essential to reflect on the issue of linguistic discrimination, a major drawback in the process of building a more egalitarian society, diverse and democratic, and also on the true role of cultural norms for writing texts teaching in schools and, especially, of orality where multilingualism appears more clearly. From the observation of these language modes, we understand the importance of various forms of linguistic expression in the constitution of social multilingualism, a prerequisite for a society that seeks to enhance the multiple facets of its multiculturalism. --- http://dx.doi.org/10.12957/matraga.2016.20771

  16. School Leadership along the Trajectory from Monolingual to Multilingual

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ascenzi-Moreno, Laura; Hesson, Sarah; Menken, Kate

    2016-01-01

    This article explores the critical role of school leaders in language policy change, and specifically in shifting their language education policies and practices from monolingual to multilingual. We examine the process of language policy change in three schools that were involved in a project aimed at increasing the knowledge base of school…

  17. MLED_BI: a new BI Design Approach to Support Multilingualism in Business Intelligence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nedim Dedić

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Existing approaches to support Multilingualism (ML in Business Intelligence (BI create problems for business users, present a number of challenges from the technical perspective, and lead to issues with logical dependence in the star schema. In this paper, we propose MLED_BI (Multilingual Enabled Design for Business Intelligence, a novel BI design approach to support the application of ML in BI Environment, which overcomes the issues and problems found with existing approaches. The approach is based on a revision of the data warehouse dimensional modelling approach and treats the Star Schema as a higher level entity. This paper describes MLED_BI and the validation and evaluation approach used.

  18. Does multilingualism affect the incidence of Alzheimer's disease?: A worldwide analysis by country.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klein, Raymond M; Christie, John; Parkvall, Mikael

    2016-12-01

    It has been suggested that the cognitive requirements associated with bi- and multilingual processing provide a form of mental exercise that, through increases in cognitive reserve and brain fitness, may delay the symptoms of cognitive failure associated with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. We collected data on a country-by-country basis that might shed light on this suggestion. Using the best available evidence we could find, the somewhat mixed results we obtained provide tentative support for the protective benefits of multilingualism against cognitive decline. But more importantly, this study exposes a critical issue, which is the need for more comprehensive and more appropriate data on the subject.

  19. The Politics of Multilingual Communication: Case Studies and Research Agendas

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marácz, L.; Craze, S.; Lempp, F.

    2014-01-01

    Due to globalisation, and different forms of migration and mobility there is a proliferation of linguistic diversity and multilingual communication. At the same time the recognition of the use of one’s first language receives more and more support in international political, legal and institutional

  20. Methodology in Bi- and Multilingual Studies: From Simplification to Complexity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aronin, Larissa; Jessner, Ulrike

    2014-01-01

    Research methodology is determined by theoretical approaches. This article discusses methods of multilingualism research in connection with theoretical developments in linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and education. Taking a brief glance at the past, the article starts with a discussion of an issue underlying the choice of…

  1. Multilingual education in South African universities: A possibility or ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    After the demise of apartheid it was hoped that a radical shift would give impetus to multilingual education in universities in South Africa. This is predicated on the vigour that South Africa exuded in its endeavour to promote eleven languages to national official status for the country. The question is, will universities ever be ...

  2. Language Disorders in Multilingual and Multicultural Populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goral, Mira; Conner, Peggy S.

    2014-01-01

    We review the characteristics of developmental language disorders (primary language impairment, reading disorders, autism, Down syndrome) and acquired language disorders (aphasia, dementia, traumatic brain injury) among multilingual and multicultural individuals. We highlight the unique assessment and treatment considerations pertinent to this population, including, for example, concerns of language choice and availability of measures and of normative data in multiple languages. A summary of relevant, recent research studies is provided for each of the language disorders selected. PMID:26257455

  3. Cognitive Linguistic Performances of Multilingual University Students Suspected of Dyslexia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindgren, Signe-Anita; Laine, Matti

    2011-01-01

    High-performing adults with compensated dyslexia pose particular challenges to dyslexia diagnostics. We compared the performance of 20 multilingual Finnish university students with suspected dyslexia with 20 age-matched and education-matched controls on an extensive test battery. The battery tapped various aspects of reading, writing, word…

  4. Writing Learning Outcomes for English Language Lessons in Multilingual Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Sally Ann

    2016-01-01

    This article proposes a pedagogic innovation in teacher education by articulating a method for writing learning outcomes for English language lessons in multilingual school contexts. The argument for this approach is founded on curriculum studies; however, the practice also draws specifically on applied psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic…

  5. Improving Meaningful Use of Accommodations by Multilingual Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shafer Willner, Lynn; Mokhtari, Kouider

    2018-01-01

    For more than two decades, accommodations have served as the primary strategy for ensuring the valid participation of multilingual learners (MLLs) in high-stakes summative assessments. Using historical analyses of the evolution of testing accommodation guidelines and related instructional practices, the authors explain how the application of…

  6. The challenge of multilingualism: in response to the language policy ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article investigates the requirements of the newly released Language Policy for Higher Education and provides guidelines for an educational approach that would support multilingual, higher education. In a nutshell, this policy challenges higher education institutions to provide in the linguistic needs of the new, more ...

  7. Literacy at a Distance in Multilingual Contexts: Issues and Challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christine I. Ofulue

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Literacy is perhaps the most fundamental skill required for effective participation in education (formal and non-formal for national development. At the same time, the choice of language for literacy is a complex issue in multilingual societies like Nigeria. This paper examines the issues involved, namely language policy, language and teacher development, and the role of distance education and information and communication technologies (ICTs, in making literacy accessible in as many languages as possible. Two distance learning literacy projects are presented as case studies and the lessons learned are discussed. The findings of this study suggest that although there is evidence of growing accessibility to ICTs like mobile phones, their use and success to increase access to literacy in the users’ languages are yet to be attained and maximised. The implication of the lessons learned should be relevant to other multilingual nations that seek the goal of increasing access to learning and promoting development so as to harvest economic benefits.

  8. Language, Literacy, and the Needs of the Multilingual Child

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snow, Catherine E.

    2013-01-01

    In this article, I first take on the issue of standards and the degree to which they do or do not contribute to the improvement of language and literacy outcomes for children in multilingual societies. Then I consider the relation of standards to language and, finally, raise the vexed issue of content knowledge and its relation to standards, on…

  9. Diaspora: Multilingual and Intercultural Communication across Time and Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Li; Hua, Zhu

    2013-01-01

    The nature of diaspora is changing in the 21st century. Yet many of the communication issues remain the same. At the heart of it is multilingual and intercultural communication across time and space. There is much that applied linguists can contribute to the understanding of diaspora in the era of globalization. This article discusses some of the…

  10. Interaction for Transfer: Flexible Approaches to Multilingualism and Their Pedagogical Implications for Classroom Interaction in Linguistically Diverse Mainstream Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosiers, Kirsten; Willaert, Evita; Van Avermaet, Piet; Slembrouck, Stef

    2016-01-01

    This study focuses on how teachers construe and give meaning to a pedagogical experiment in which the use of the home language in a primary school in Flanders was permitted in order to acknowledge the urban multilingual realities and resources of the pupils and to turn them into didactic capital (functional multilingual learning, FML). Using…

  11. IntlUni - The Challenges of the Multilingual and Multicultural Learning Space in the International University

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauridsen, Karen M.

    IntlUni: The challenges of the multilingual and multicultural learning space in the international university The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the internationalisation of higher education. This means that more people in higher education than ever before are teaching...... education adds value – or has the potential to add value – to the programmes offered and the learning outcomes achieved by students, the overarching aim of IntlUni is to identify the quality criteria that characterize or should characterize teaching and learning in the multilingual and multicultural...

  12. A strategic promotion of language use in multilingual South Africa ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article presents and discusses strategies for encouraging the use of all official languages in South Africa from a language management perspective. Although the South African language policy has been commended for its multilingual nature, the implementation of the policy is still problematic. Hence, I argue that we ...

  13. Exploring Learner Autonomy: Language Learning Locus of Control in Multilinguals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peek, Ron

    2016-01-01

    By using data from an online language learning beliefs survey (n?=?841), defining language learning experience in terms of participants' multilingualism, and using a domain-specific language learning locus of control (LLLOC) instrument, this article examines whether more experienced language learners can also be seen as more autonomous language…

  14. The importance of oral Spanish teaching to multilingual students: A ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper explores important aspects of teaching Spanish, both spoken and written, to multilingual students, with specific reference to United Sates International University (USIU), a private institution located in Nairobi, Kenya. The beginner students of Spanish at the University speak at least 3 languages, one of which is ...

  15. Development of the Multilingual Collaboration System for Farmers of Several Counntries (1) : Application of Basic Terminology Translation Dictionary

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Kang Oh; Nakaji, Kei; Nada, Yoichi

    2004-01-01

    In order to share agricultural information through the Internet, the multilingual collaboratioin system of agricultural productioni was developed for farmers of many countries. The basic terminology translationi dictionary was developed by using several open source programs and free software to translate the basic terminology of multilingual collaboration system. The basic terminology translationi dictionaru was composed of about 4200 terms in Japanese, Korean and English including 2700 horti...

  16. Political Strategies and Language Policies: The European Union Lisbon Strategy and Its Implications for the EU's Language and Multilingualism Policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krzyzanowski, Michal; Wodak, Ruth

    2011-01-01

    This paper explores the interplay between the politics and policies of multilingualism by looking at the role of political macro-strategies in shaping language and multilingualism policies within the European Union. The paper focuses on the relationship between the European Union's 2000-2010 Lisbon Strategy on the European Knowledge-Based Economy…

  17. Translanguaging as a vehicle for epistemic access: cases for reading comprehension and multilingual interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Makalela, Leketi

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available African multilingualism has always been construed from a monoglossic (i.e., one language at a time lens despite the pretensions of plural language policies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study reported in this paper explored the efficacy of alternating languages of input and output in the same lessons in order to offset linguistic fixity that is often experienced in monolingual classrooms. I present two case studies of translanguaging practices, one at an institution of higher learning and another in the intermediate phase (primary school. The results from these cases show that the use of more than one language by multilingual learners in classroom settings provides cognitive and social advantages for them. Using what I refer to as the ubuntu translanguaging model, I make a case that fuzziness and blurring of boundaries between languages in the translanguaging classes are (i necessary and relevant features of the 21st century to enhance epistemic access for speakers in complex multilingual spaces, and that they are (ii indexical to the pre-colonial African value system of ubuntu. Useful recommendations for classroom applications and further research are considered at the end of the paper.

  18. Rewriting traditional tales as multilingual narratives at elementary school: Problems and progress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heather Lotherington

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract For several years children at Joyce Public School have been rewriting traditional stories from localized cultural and linguistic perspectives, creating innovative, individualized narrative forms with digital technology. Our experimental multiliteracies research project is a collaboration of school and university teachers and researchers following a guided action research paradigm. The study has as one of its stated objectives the development of multilingual story retelling as a means of inexpensively supporting home language maintenance, fostering language awareness and aiding English as a second language learning in a community of high linguistic diversity. This paper tells our story thus far, focusing on how we have approached the creation of multilingual stories in heterogeneous, urban language classes, discussing stumbling blocks that have forced creative problem-solving and showcasing successes.

  19. Versatility of a multilingual and bi-directional approach for medical language processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rassinoux, A M; Lovis, C; Baud, R H; Scherrer, J R

    1998-01-01

    At the dawn of the 21st century, we are experiencing an exponential growth of online information that is mostly textual, and that benefits from new electronic media, such as the World Wide Web (WWW), to be broadly diffused across borders. However, there is a gap to bridge between holding information and accessing in a relevant way the deep underlying knowledge. Multilingual natural language processing (NLP), once tuned, is certainly the best solution to cope with this era of textual information. This paper focuses on the lesson learned through the joint development of an analyzer and a generator of medical language, within a multilingual context. Concrete examples, derived from the efforts under way in the European GALEN-IN-USE project, illustrate the use of these linguistic tools for the handling of surgical procedures.

  20. Why Multilingual Matters : Alternative Change Agents in Language Education Policy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Küeppers, Almut; Yagmur, K.

    Languages are powerful tools for change and have ceased to be only national symbols. In this focus paper, the overall question to be tackled is why and how the multilingual paradigm challenges nation-states and its institutions with a special focus on the domain of state education. While the former

  1. Emotions and HIV/AIDS in South Africa: A Multilingual Perspective ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper argues that in order to gain a more informed perspective on emotions and HIV/AIDS, crosslinguistic differences in emotion language need to be taken into account, particularly in a multilingual context. The paper reviews four published academic articles with the aim of illustrating how more consideration of the ...

  2. Multilingualism and cognitive state in the oldest old.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavé, Gitit; Eyal, Nitza; Shorek, Aviva; Cohen-Mansfield, Jiska

    2008-03-01

    In this study, the authors examined whether the number of languages a person speaks predicts performance on 2 cognitive-screening tests. Data were drawn from a representative sample of the oldest Israeli Jewish population (N = 814, M age = 83.0 years; SD = 5.4) that was interviewed first in 1989 and then twice more within the following 12 years. Cognitive state differed significantly among groups of self-reported bilingual, trilingual, and multilingual individuals at each of the 3 interview waves. Regression analyses showed that the number of languages spoken contributed to the prediction of cognitive test scores beyond the effect of other demographic variables, such as age, gender, place of birth, age at immigration, or education. Multilingualism was also found to be a significant predictor of cognitive state in a group of individuals who acquired no formal education at all. Those who reported being most fluent in a language other than their mother tongue scored higher on average than did those whose mother tongue was their best language, but the effect of number of languages on cognitive state was significant in both groups, with no significant interaction. Results are discussed in the context of theories of cognitive reserve. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved.

  3. Multilingualism in Canadian schools: Myths, realities and possibilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia A. Duff

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Bilingualism and multiculturalism have for four decades been official ideologies and policies in Canada but, as is often the case, the implementation and outcomes of such government policies nationally are less impressive than the rhetoric would suggest. This article reviews the political, theoretical and demographic contexts justifying support for the learning and use of additional languages in contemporary Canadian society and schools, and summarizes research demonstrating that bilingualism and multilingualism are indeed cognitively, socially, and linguistically advantageous for children (and adults, as well as for society. The five studies in this special issue are then previewed with respect to the following themes that run across them: (1 the potential for bilingual synergies and transformations in language awareness activities and crosslinguistic knowledge construction; (2 the role of multiliteracies and multimodality in mediated learning; and (3 the interplay of positioning, identity, and agency in language learning by immigrant youth. The article concludes that more Canadian schools and educators must, like the researchers in this volume, find ways to embrace and build upon students’ prior knowledge, their creativity, their collaborative problem-solving skills, their potential for mastering and manipulating multiple, multilingual semiotic tools, and their desire for inclusion and integration in productive, engaging learning communities.

  4. Integrated, Not Isolated: Defining Typological Proximity in an Integrated Multilingual Architecture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael T. Putnam

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available On the surface, bi- and multilingualism would seem to be an ideal context for exploring questions of typological proximity. The obvious intuition is that the more closely related two languages are, the easier it should be to implement the two languages in one mind. This is the starting point adopted here, but we immediately run into the difficulty that the overwhelming majority of cognitive, computational, and linguistic research on bi- and multilingualism exhibits a monolingual bias (i.e., where monolingual grammars are used as the standard of comparison for outputs from bilingual grammars. The primary questions so far have focused on how bilinguals balance and switch between their two languages, but our perspective on typology leads us to consider the nature of bi- and multi-lingual systems as a whole. Following an initial proposal from Hsin (2014, we conjecture that bilingual grammars are neither isolated, nor (completely conjoined with one another in the bilingual mind, but rather exist as integrated source grammars that are further mitigated by a common, combined grammar (Cook, 2016; Goldrick et al., 2016a,b; Putnam and Klosinski, 2017. Here we conceive such a combined grammar in a parallel, distributed, and gradient architecture implemented in a shared vector-space model that employs compression through routinization and dimensionality reduction. We discuss the emergence of such representations and their function in the minds of bilinguals. This architecture aims to be consistent with empirical results on bilingual cognition and memory representations in computational cognitive architectures.

  5. Strategies and Tactics in Academic Knowledge Production by Multilingual Scholars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curry, Mary Jane; Lillis, Theresa M.

    2014-01-01

    In the past decade, academic evaluation systems worldwide have markedly increased the use of mechanisms that privilege the use of English in journal publishing. In the context of these trends, this article highlights our findings from more than 12 years of research on the experiences and perspectives of 50 multilingual European scholars with…

  6. Towards a Practical Proposal for Multilingualism in Education in Kenya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oduor, Jane A. N.

    2015-01-01

    This article proposes multilingualism in education, where indigenous languages are used alongside English as the media of instruction in schools to eventually promote their use in Kenya. It begins by stating Kenya's language policy in education. It then states the responses given by some primary and secondary school teachers who were interviewed…

  7. Research rationalities and the construction of the deficient multilingual mathematics learner

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Halai, Anjum; Muzafar, I.; Valero, Paola

    2016-01-01

    the achievement gap and help the multilingual learner assimilate with the culture and language of the dominant group. We conclude that research rationality cannot be seen without a deeper questioning of the philosophical, ontological, and epistemological assumptions that underpin the traditional views of what...

  8. From Word Alignment to Word Senses, via Multilingual Wordnets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan Tufis

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Most of the successful commercial applications in language processing (text and/or speech dispense with any explicit concern on semantics, with the usual motivations stemming from the computational high costs required for dealing with semantics, in case of large volumes of data. With recent advances in corpus linguistics and statistical-based methods in NLP, revealing useful semantic features of linguistic data is becoming cheaper and cheaper and the accuracy of this process is steadily improving. Lately, there seems to be a growing acceptance of the idea that multilingual lexical ontologisms might be the key towards aligning different views on the semantic atomic units to be used in characterizing the general meaning of various and multilingual documents. Depending on the granularity at which semantic distinctions are necessary, the accuracy of the basic semantic processing (such as word sense disambiguation can be very high with relatively low complexity computing. The paper substantiates this statement by presenting a statistical/based system for word alignment and word sense disambiguation in parallel corpora. We describe a word alignment platform which ensures text pre-processing (tokenization, POS-tagging, lemmatization, chunking, sentence and word alignment as required by an accurate word sense disambiguation.

  9. Law and Language in a Multilingual Society

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Judge Louis Harms

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Terence McKenna, in Wild Ducks Flying Backwards, said that he did not believe thatthe world is made of quarks or electro-magnetic waves, or stars, or planets, or of anysuch things. ’I believe’ he said, ‘the world is made of language.’ It would have beenmore correct to have said that the world is made of languages, many of them.The subject, Law and Language in a Multilingual Society, raises critical issues notonly for us in this country but also for others because language is part – the greaterpart – of one's culture. A people without a culture is said to be like a zebra withoutstripes. Culture, and not race, nationality, religion or border (natural or political,determines one's identity. As one of the founding fathers of the Afrikaans language,Rev SJ du Toit, wrote in 1891: language is a portrait of the soul and life of a nation;and it mirrors the character and intellectual development of a people (my translation.Unfortunately language tends to divide, more particularly, a multilingual society. Lawis supposed to close the divide but more often than not widens it and is used todeepen divisions. This is because the ruler determines the law and, consequently,the language of the law, in the belief that the use of language can be enforced fromabove. Law and language, like oil and water, do not mix although the former isdependent on the latter.

  10. A First-Language-First Multilingual Model to Meet the Quality Imperative in Formal Basic Education in Three "Francophone" West African Countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikiema, Norbert

    2011-01-01

    This paper documents the new trend towards a first-language-first multilingual model in formal education in three former French colonies of West Africa, namely Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. It compares the sociolinguistic situations, the conditions of the development of multilingual education and the achievements of mother-tongue-medium education…

  11. Highlighting Entanglement of Cultures via Ranking of Multilingual Wikipedia Articles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eom, Young-Ho; Shepelyansky, Dima L.

    2013-01-01

    How different cultures evaluate a person? Is an important person in one culture is also important in the other culture? We address these questions via ranking of multilingual Wikipedia articles. With three ranking algorithms based on network structure of Wikipedia, we assign ranking to all articles in 9 multilingual editions of Wikipedia and investigate general ranking structure of PageRank, CheiRank and 2DRank. In particular, we focus on articles related to persons, identify top 30 persons for each rank among different editions and analyze distinctions of their distributions over activity fields such as politics, art, science, religion, sport for each edition. We find that local heroes are dominant but also global heroes exist and create an effective network representing entanglement of cultures. The Google matrix analysis of network of cultures shows signs of the Zipf law distribution. This approach allows to examine diversity and shared characteristics of knowledge organization between cultures. The developed computational, data driven approach highlights cultural interconnections in a new perspective. Dated: June 26, 2013 PMID:24098338

  12. Highlighting entanglement of cultures via ranking of multilingual Wikipedia articles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Ho Eom

    Full Text Available How different cultures evaluate a person? Is an important person in one culture is also important in the other culture? We address these questions via ranking of multilingual Wikipedia articles. With three ranking algorithms based on network structure of Wikipedia, we assign ranking to all articles in 9 multilingual editions of Wikipedia and investigate general ranking structure of PageRank, CheiRank and 2DRank. In particular, we focus on articles related to persons, identify top 30 persons for each rank among different editions and analyze distinctions of their distributions over activity fields such as politics, art, science, religion, sport for each edition. We find that local heroes are dominant but also global heroes exist and create an effective network representing entanglement of cultures. The Google matrix analysis of network of cultures shows signs of the Zipf law distribution. This approach allows to examine diversity and shared characteristics of knowledge organization between cultures. The developed computational, data driven approach highlights cultural interconnections in a new perspective. Dated: June 26, 2013.

  13. Facilitating Multilingual Tutorials at the University of the Free State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    du Buisson Theuns

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Conducting undergraduate studies in the English language, while only a small minority of students speak English at home, poses many problems to learning in the South African context. This article explores how restrictive language policies may influence proper learning and impact negatively on the self-understanding of students. It also explores how multilingualism could help to reduce the continued reliance on English, without doing away with English in its entirety. This is especially relevant in light of English and other colonial languages still being perceived as “languages of power” (Stroud & Kerfoot, 2013, p. 403. Therefore, attention is given to the link between language and power, especially in light of languages often being used to implement, display and preserve power. Language use in the classroom, especially with regard to codeswitching (also called translanguaging, is discussed. Finally, it explores the success that was achieved during multilingual tutorial sessions. In the tutorials, students were encouraged to explore the course work in their native languages, thereby internalising it and getting a better understanding thereof.

  14. ????--Implicit Learning and Imperceptible Influence: Syncretic Literacy of Multilingual Chinese Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao Lan

    2013-01-01

    This article reports on an ethnographic study involving the literacy practices of two multilingual Chinese children from two similar yet different cultural and linguistic contexts: Montreal and Singapore. Using syncretism as a theoretical tool, this inquiry examines how family environment and support facilitate children's process of becoming…

  15. Multilingual indexing and retrieval in bibliographic retrieval systems: The AGRIS experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonnichon, M.; Lebowitz, A.I.; Portegies Zwart, R.; Schmid, H.

    1990-05-01

    In the field of agriculture, experience with AGRIS has shown that the language barrier is among thr greatest obstacles to preparing input to the database as well as to using its output products. The implementation of the multilingual thesaurus AGROVOC in AGRIS is described in this paper

  16. Post-Monolingual Research Methodology: Multilingual Researchers Democratizing Theorizing and Doctoral Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Michael

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports on the ground-breaking research in the study of languages in doctoral education. It argues for democratizing the production and dissemination of original contributions to knowledge through activating and mobilizing multilingual Higher Degree Researchers' (HDRs) capabilities for theorizing through them using their full linguistic…

  17. Multilingual indexing and retrieval in bibliographic retrieval systems: The AGRIS experience

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonnichon, M; Lebowitz, A I; Portegies Zwart, R; Schmid, H

    1990-05-01

    In the field of agriculture, experience with AGRIS has shown that the language barrier is among thr greatest obstacles to preparing input to the database as well as to using its output products. The implementation of the multilingual thesaurus AGROVOC in AGRIS is described in this paper.

  18. Connecting Worlds: Interculturality, Identity and Multilingual Digital Stories in the Making

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Jim; Macleroy, Vicky

    2017-01-01

    Based on findings from a 5-year research project called "Critical Connections", this article sets out an integrated framework for language learning in the context of multilingual digital storytelling. Following an explanation of the theoretical approach, four vignettes are presented which illustrate the principles in practice.…

  19. Language Education in a Multilingual City: The Case of Limassol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolaou, Anna; Parmaxi, Antigoni; Papadima-Sophocleous, Salomi; Boglou, Dimitrios

    2016-01-01

    This paper aims to provide an overview of the current situation of multilingualism and language education in the city of Limassol, Cyprus. The multicultural character of Limassol is reflected in every aspect of city life, and is notably reflected in the sector of education.Therefore,there is a need to delve into the situation of language…

  20. Bilingual teaching for multilingual students? Innovative dual-medium models in Slovene-German schools in Austria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purkarthofer, Judith; Mossakowski, Jan

    2011-12-01

    Traditional bilingual education programmes in regional linguistic minority contexts face major challenges within the recent paradigm of linguistic diversity against a background of increasing migration, mobility and trans-locality. Based on three case studies, the authors of this paper focus on how particular dual-medium models are applied in Slovene-German schools in Carinthia, Austria. They examine not only how these schools provide for a balanced bilingual teaching and learning environment, but also how they deal with their students' multilingual realities and support their identification with bi- and multilingualism. The authors regard schools as institutional sites where linguistic dispositions are subject to discursive power relations and where language policies and educational goals are negotiated by teachers, parents and students alike. Drawing on speaker-centred and ethnographic approaches in sociolinguistic research, the authors seek to document experiences of all actors involved as well as spatial and discursive practices. Through this the authors show how these dual-medium schools achieve particular profiles in multilingual education which are potentially regarded as innovative examples of best-practice and as being of interest for students and families with heterogeneous linguistic backgrounds.

  1. Families, Pupils and Teachers Learning Together in a Multilingual British City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conteh, Jean

    2012-01-01

    This article focuses on multilingual primary-aged children and their families in a post-industrial city in England. Such pupils, sometimes identified in education policy as "underachieving," often have rich experiences of learning that are hidden from their mainstream teachers and unrecognised in national assessment regimes. The article…

  2. Multilingualism among Brussels-Based Civil Servants and Lobbyists: Perceptions and Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krizsán, Attila; Erkkilä, Tero

    2014-01-01

    This article explores the multilingual and multicultural aspects of community-building, networking and communication in the European Union's (EU) political and administrative system. We investigated the networking and communicative preferences of EU civil servants and lobbyists using survey data and thematic interviews. Our aim was to gain a…

  3. Conflicting Language Ideologies and Contradictory Language Practices in Singaporean Multilingual Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao Lan

    2016-01-01

    Informed by family language policy (FLP) as the theoretical framework, I illustrate in this paper how language ideologies can be incongruous and language policies can be conflicting through three multilingual families in Singapore representing three major ethnic groups--Chinese, Malay and Indian. By studying their family language audits, observing…

  4. INIS: multilingual thesaurus. Arabic-Chinese-English-French-German-Russian-Spanish

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-04-01

    This CD is based on the Joint Thesaurus Part I and II of the ETDE/INIS Joint Reference Series No. 1 (Rev. 2), October 2006. The translations of the terminology from the English version of the INIS Thesaurus into Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Russian and Spanish were performed by specialists from the INIS centres of the Syrian Arab Republic, China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation and Spain, respectively.The INIS Secretariat at the IAEA in Vienna was responsible for coordinating the translations and transferring the machine readable terminology files to the IAEA computer in Vienna, as well as merging and performing numerous tests to ensure correctness and completeness. In addition, the INIS Secretariat was responsible for developing the software necessary for maintaining, updating and printing the multilingual files. The INIS Multilingual Thesaurus is a major tool for describing nuclear information and knowledge in a structured form, which assists in multilingual and semantic searches. The Multilingual Dictionary is intended as a tool to assist indexers, retrievers and other users of the INIS system whose mother tongue is not English. It supports the preparation of input to the system and utilization of its output products. In addition, it also intends to serve those workers in the nuclear field who are not directly connected with INIS, as well as translators, interpreters, authors and others working in the areas of languages, semantics or terminological reference. The domain of knowledge covered by the Joint Thesaurus includes physics (in particular, plasma physics, atomic and molecular physics, and especially nuclear and high-energy physics), chemistry, materials science, earth sciences, radiation biology, radioisotope effects and kinetics, applied life sciences, radiology and nuclear medicine, isotope and radiation source technology, radiation protection, radiation applications, engineering, instrumentation, fossil fuels, synthetic fuels, renewable

  5. Students' Multilingual Resources and Policy-in-Action: An Australian Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Mei

    2016-01-01

    In the context of increasing linguistic and cultural diversity in Australian schools, it is important to consider the value of students' multilingual resources for learning. This paper reports on an ethnographic case study conducted in an Australian metropolitan secondary school where the student body represented more than 40 cultures and…

  6. Bilingual/Multilingual Learners' Willingness to Communicate in and Anxiety on Speaking Chinese and Their Associations with Self-Rated Proficiency in Chinese

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Meihua

    2018-01-01

    The present research explored bilingual/multilingual students' willingness to communicate in Chinese (WTCC) and foreign language anxiety (FLA) when speaking Chinese and their associations with self-rated proficiency in Chinese in a university in Beijing. The study recruited 167 bilingual and multilingual learners of Chinese to fill in a battery of…

  7. Tutorial: Speech Assessment for Multilingual Children Who Do Not Speak the Same Language(s) as the Speech-Language Pathologist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLeod, Sharynne; Verdon, Sarah

    2017-08-15

    The aim of this tutorial is to support speech-language pathologists (SLPs) undertaking assessments of multilingual children with suspected speech sound disorders, particularly children who speak languages that are not shared with their SLP. The tutorial was written by the International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children's Speech, which comprises 46 researchers (SLPs, linguists, phoneticians, and speech scientists) who have worked in 43 countries and used 27 languages in professional practice. Seventeen panel members met for a 1-day workshop to identify key points for inclusion in the tutorial, 26 panel members contributed to writing this tutorial, and 34 members contributed to revising this tutorial online (some members contributed to more than 1 task). This tutorial draws on international research evidence and professional expertise to provide a comprehensive overview of working with multilingual children with suspected speech sound disorders. This overview addresses referral, case history, assessment, analysis, diagnosis, and goal setting and the SLP's cultural competence and preparation for working with interpreters and multicultural support workers and dealing with organizational and government barriers to and facilitators of culturally competent practice. The issues raised in this tutorial are applied in a hypothetical case study of an English-speaking SLP's assessment of a multilingual Cantonese- and English-speaking 4-year-old boy. Resources are listed throughout the tutorial.

  8. Literacy for All? Using multilingual reading stories for literacy development in a Grade One classroom in the Western Cape

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prosper, Ancyfrida

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on a literacy pilot project which investigated the use of multilingual reading books and the pedagogical strategies that were employed by one bilingual teacher and her assistant to teach literacy in a linguistically diverse Grade 1 classroom in a primary school in the Western Cape, South Africa. Data were collected by means of classroom observations and semi-structured interviews to understand the teacher’s literacy instruction, reflecting her understanding of the multilingual pedagogical approach as a means of fostering learners’ biliteracy skills. Through the lens of the social constructivist theory and the notion of biliteracy, this paper argues that bilingual competence does not necessarily translate to biliteracy if the teaching approaches and learning materials are not systematically and adequately used to support learners’ listening, oral, reading and writing skills in different languages in an integrated and holistic manner in multilingual classrooms. It concludes that, despite the progressive South African Language-in-Education Policy which supports additive multilingualism, classroom practices continue to reinforce monolingualism in English, which deprives the majority of learners of meaningful access to literacy in different languages as they do not exploit the socio-cultural and cognitive capital embedded in the learners’ home languages for additive bilingual and biliteracy competence.

  9. Does multilingualism affect the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease?: A worldwide analysis by country

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raymond M. Klein

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available It has been suggested that the cognitive requirements associated with bi- and multilingual processing provide a form of mental exercise that, through increases in cognitive reserve and brain fitness, may delay the symptoms of cognitive failure associated with Alzheimer′s disease and other forms of dementia. We collected data on a country-by-country basis that might shed light on this suggestion. Using the best available evidence we could find, the somewhat mixed results we obtained provide tentative support for the protective benefits of multilingualism against cognitive decline. But more importantly, this study exposes a critical issue, which is the need for more comprehensive and more appropriate data on the subject. Keywords: Bilingualism, Alzheimer's disease, Dementia, Brain reserve

  10. Asymmetric inhibitory treatment effects in multilingual aphasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goral, Mira; Naghibolhosseini, Maryam; Conner, Peggy S

    2013-01-01

    Findings from recent psycholinguistic studies of bilingual processing support the hypothesis that both languages of a bilingual are always active and that bilinguals continually engage in processes of language selection. This view aligns with the convergence hypothesis of bilingual language representation. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that when bilinguals perform a task in one language they need to inhibit their other, nontarget language(s) and that stronger inhibition is required when the task is performed in the weaker language than in the stronger one. The study of multilingual individuals who acquire aphasia resulting from a focal brain lesion offers a unique opportunity to test the convergence hypothesis and the inhibition asymmetry. We report on a trilingual person with chronic nonfluent aphasia who at the time of testing demonstrated greater impairment in her first acquired language (Persian) than in her third, later learned language (English). She received treatment in English followed by treatment in Persian. An examination of her connected language production revealed improvement in her grammatical skills in each language following intervention in that language, but decreased grammatical accuracy in English following treatment in Persian. The increased error rate was evident in structures that are used differently in the two languages (e.g., auxiliary verbs). The results support the prediction that greater inhibition is applied to the stronger language than to the weaker language, regardless of their age of acquisition. We interpret the findings as consistent with convergence theories that posit overlapping neuronal representation and simultaneous activation of multiple languages and with proficiency-dependent asymmetric inhibition in multilinguals.

  11. Language learning experience in school context and metacognitive awareness of multilingual children

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Le Pichon Vorstman, E.; de Swart, H.; Ceginskas, V.; van den Bergh, H.

    2009-01-01

    What is the influence of a language learning experience (LLE) in a school context on the metacognitive development of children? To answer that question, we presented 54 multilingual preschoolers with two movie clips and examined their reactions to an exolingual situation of communication. These

  12. Tags and self-organisation: a metadata ecology for learning resources in a multilingual context

    OpenAIRE

    Vuorikari, Riina Hannuli

    2010-01-01

    Vuorikari, R. (2009). Tags and self-organisation: a metadata ecology for learning resources in a multilingual context. Doctoral thesis. November, 13, 2009, Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open University of the Netherlands, CELSTEC.

  13. Tags and self-organisation: a metadata ecology for learning resources in a multilingual context

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vuorikari, Riina

    2009-01-01

    Vuorikari, R. (2009). Tags and self-organisation: a metadata ecology for learning resources in a multilingual context. Doctoral thesis. November, 13, 2009, Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open University of the Netherlands, CELSTEC.

  14. Material culture of multilingualism and affectivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larissa Aronin

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Affectivity is an important dimension in humans’ social and individual lives. It is either a stimulating or hindering aspect of language learning. This article aims to draw attention to material culture as a powerful, but mostly neglected source of data on the use and acquisition of languages, and demonstrates the close and intricate links between affectivity and material culture. It is hoped that revealing these interrelationships will assist in understanding and managing language diversity. It will allow practitioners and teachers to carry out social and private encounters, events and language teaching with more care, understanding and expertise. Researchers will be encouraged to join the investigation of yet one more important facet of multilingualism – material culture.

  15. Book Review: Backhaus, Peter (2007: Linguistic Landscapes: A Comparative Study of Urban Multilingualism in Tokyo. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters; 158 Pages ISBN 9781853599460

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omar Alomoush

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Backhaus examines urban multilingualism in the linguistic landscape of Tokyo, the capital city of Japan. In this monograph, the linguistic landscape is seen as a sub-discipline of sociolinguistics. The significance of this monograph to linguistic landscape research is that it represents the first comprehensive approach tackling multilingualism in the linguistic landscape and overcoming a range of methodological problems facing former studies. In this sense, Backhaus’s approach in data collection and analysis may help linguistic landscapers and researchers to undertake research in multilingualism in the linguistic landscape. The current work comprises acknowledgements, a foreword by Bernard Spolsky, six chapters, an appendix, references, and an index. While the first three chapters represent an introduction and theoretical background, the fourth chapter in turn paves the way for the application of an empirical study in Tokyo’s linguistic landscape, applied in chapter five. That chapter one discusses the examination of written language in the public space of metropolises is the bulk of Backhaus’s work.  In this respect, the author (p.1 refers to previous studies such as Halliday (1972, who considers the city not only a place of talk, but also a place of writing and reading.  At the same time, this work focuses on ‘urban language contact in the written medium: the languages of the signs’. Backhaus (p.1 holds: Every urban environment is a myriad of written messages on public display: office and shop signs, billboards, and neon advertisements, traffic signs, topographic information and area maps, emergency guidance and political poster campaigns, stone inscriptions, and enigmatic graffiti discourse. The author maintains that these messages contribute to the making of the linguistic landscape of any given place. In chapter two, Semiotic Background and Terminology, Backhaus gives an introduction to the main features of language use on signs

  16. Understanding L2 motivation within a multilingual framework: A comparative analysis of Japanese language learners in Australia and South Korea

    OpenAIRE

    TOSHIYUKI NAKAMURA

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the motivational development of Japanese language learners in Australia and South Korea and their future self-images as bilingual or multilingual individuals. Initial motivation to study Japanese was generally linked to an interest in Japanese language and culture. However, visions of possible future careers became a more significant motivational factor as the students progressed in their studies. The study explores the impact of the students’ multilingual competencies, ...

  17. Multilingual education for European minority languages: The Basque Country and Friesland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorter, Durk; Cenoz, Jasone

    2011-12-01

    Over the last three decades, regional minority languages in Europe have regained increased recognition and support. Their revitalisation is partly due to their being taught in schools. Multilingualism has special characteristics for speakers of minority languages and it poses unique challenges for learning minority languages. This article looks at the cases of Basque and Frisian, comparing and contrasting their similarities and differences. The educational system in the Basque Autonomous Community underwent an important transformation, starting in 1979 from a situation where less than 5 per cent of all teachers were capable of teaching through Basque. Today this figure has changed to more than 80 per cent. An innovative approach was chosen for teaching the minority language, Basque, alongside the dominant language, Spanish, and the international language, English. The outcome is a substantial increase in the proficiency in the minority language among the younger age groups. The decline of the minority language has thus been successfully reversed and one of the major challenges now is to uphold a sustainable educational system. By contrast, the Frisian language has fared less well in the Netherlands, where developments over the last 30 years have been much slower and the results more modest. Here policy-making for education and for language is caught in a continuous debate between a weak provincial level and a powerful central state level. Overall, multilingualism as a resource for individuals is valued for "bigger" languages such as English, French and German, but not for a "small" language such as Frisian. Nevertheless, a few trilingual experiments have been carried out in some schools in Friesland in teaching Frisian, Dutch and English. These experiments may also be instructive for other cases of minority languages of a "moderate strength". In the cases of both Basque and Frisian multilingualism is generally perceived as an important resource.

  18. Multilingual Identities in Higher Education: Negotiating the "Mother Tongue", "Posh" and "Slang"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preece, Sian

    2010-01-01

    This paper examines linguistic diversity among minority ethnic undergraduate students categorised as from widening participation backgrounds in a new university in London. All students are British born and educated and from working-class families. The paper considers how the students negotiate multilingual and bidialectal identities within the…

  19. Exploring Uyghur University Students' Identities Constructed through Multilingual Practices in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Xiaoyan; Gu, Mingyue

    2018-01-01

    This article explores how a cohort of tertiary-level Uyghur students contested and negotiated their identities through multilingual practices in the receiving community. Drawing upon interview data from fieldwork, this study indicates that these students experienced essentialist understandings and negative views in the host society. Participants…

  20. Case Studies of Multilingual/Multicultural Asian Deaf Adults: Strategies for Success

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qiuying; Andrews, Jean; Liu, Hsiu Tan; Liu, Chun Jung

    2016-01-01

    Case studies of adult d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners (DMLs) are few, especially studies of DMLs who learn more than one sign language and read logographic and alphabetic scripts. To reduce this paucity, two descriptive case studies are presented. Written questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, and self-appraisals of language-use…

  1. Plagiarism and the Culture of Multilingual Students in Higher Education Abroad

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sowden, Colin

    2005-01-01

    The cultural values of multilingual students are sometimes at variance with Western academic practice, in matters such as plagiarism. In accepting this, however, it is important to avoid stereotyping. Instead we should respect and make use of the students' own traditions of study. It is also time to acknowledge that ideas and language are…

  2. Lexicon Reduction for Urdu/Arabic Script Based Character Recognition: A Multilingual OCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeeda Naz

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Arabic script character recognition is challenging task due to complexity of the script and huge number of ligatures. We present a method for the development of multilingual Arabic script OCR (Optical Character Recognition and lexicon reduction for Arabic Script and its derivative languages. The objective of the proposed method is to overcome the large dataset Urdu and similar scripts by using GCT (Ghost Character Theory concept. Arabic and its sibling script languages share the similar character dataset i.e. the character set are difference in diacritic and writing styles like Naskh or Nasta?liq. Based on the proposed method, the lexicon for Arabic and Arabic script based languages can be minimized approximately up to 20 times. The proposed multilingual Arabic script OCR approach have been evaluated for online Arabic and its derivative language like Urdu using BPNN. The result showed that proposed method helps to not only the reduction of lexicon but also helps to develop the Multilanguage character recognition system for Arabic Script.

  3. Feasibility of Using a Multilingual Web Survey in Studying the Health of Ethnic Minority Youth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malin, Maili; Raisamo, Susanna Ulrika; Lindfors, Pirjo Liisa; Pere, Lasse Antero; Rimpelä, Arja Hannele

    2015-01-01

    Background Monolingual Web survey is a common tool for studying adolescent health. However, national languages may cause difficulties for some immigrant-origin youths, which lower their participation rate. In national surveys, the number of ethnic minority groups is often too small to assess their well-being. Objective We studied the feasibility of a multilingual Web survey targeted at immigrant-origin youths by selection of response language, and compared participation in different language groups with a monolingual survey. Methods The Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey (AHLS), Finland, with national languages (Finnish/Swedish) was modified into a multilingual Web survey targeted at a representative sample of 14- and 16-year olds (N=639) whose registry-based mother tongue was other than the national languages. The survey was conducted in 2010 (16-year olds) and 2011 (14-year olds). The response rate of the multilingual survey in 2011 is compared with the AHLS of 2011. We also describe the translation process and the e-form modification. Results Of the respondents, 57.6% answered in Finnish, whereas the remaining 42.4% used their mother tongue (P=.002). A majority of youth speaking Somali, Middle Eastern, Albanian, and Southeast Asian languages chose Finnish. The overall response rate was 48.7% with some nonsignificant variation between the language groups. The response rate in the multilingual Web survey was higher (51.6%, 163/316) than the survey with national languages (46.5%, 40/86) in the same age group; however, the difference was not significant (P=.47). The adolescents who had lived in Finland for 5 years or less (58.0%, 102/176) had a higher response rate than those having lived in Finland for more than 5 years (45.1%, 209/463; P=.005). Respondents and nonrespondents did not differ according to place of birth (Finland/other) or residential area (capital city area/other). The difference in the response rates of girls and boys was nearly significant (P

  4. Multilingual home environment and specific language impairment: a case-control study in Chinese children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheuk, Daniel Ka Leung; Wong, Virginia; Leung, Gabriel Matthew

    2005-07-01

    Specific language impairment (SLI) is a common developmental disorder in young children. To investigate the association between multilingual home environment and SLI, we conducted a case-control study in Hong Kong Chinese children over a 4-year period in the Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital. Consecutive medical records of all new referrals below 5 years of age were reviewed and children diagnosed with SLI (case) were compared with those referred with other developmental and behavioural problems who had been assessed as having normal language and overall development (control) using the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale. SLI was defined as those with a language quotient more than one standard deviation below the mean and below the general developmental quotient in children with normal general developmental quotient, but without neurological or other organic diseases. We used binary and ordinal logistic regression to assess any association between SLI and multilingual exposure at home, adjusting for age and gender of subjects, parental age, education level and occupational status, number of siblings, family history of language delay and main caregiver at home. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the effect of covariates on the language comprehension and expression standard scores assessed by the Reynell Developmental Language Scale. A total of 326 cases and 304 controls were included. The mean ages of cases and controls were 2.56 and 2.89 years respectively. Boys predominated in both groups (cases, 75.2%; controls, 60.2%). The children were exposed to between one and four languages at home, the major ones being Cantonese Chinese followed by English. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of SLI was 2.94; [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.82, 4.74] for multilingual compared with monolingual exposure. A significant linear dose-response relationship was found (OR of SLI = 2.58 [1.72, 3.88] for each additional language to which the child was exposed). Male

  5. Conflicted Worlds of Multilingual Communities in Africa: Literacy Tangled in Words

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maganda, Dainess

    2016-01-01

    Drawing from a sociocultural perspective of literacy, with the goal to promote the use of African Native Languages (ANL) in schools, I conducted a Participatory Action Research in one multilingual primary school community in North West Tanzania. For three weeks, 19 teachers, 19 parents and 119 6th grade students collaborated with each other in a…

  6. Multilingual Dyslexia in University Students: Reading and Writing Patterns in Three Languages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindgren, Signe-Anita; Laine, Matti

    2011-01-01

    We investigated reading and writing in two domestic languages (Swedish and Finnish) and one foreign language (English) among multilingual university students with (n = 20) versus without dyslexia (n = 20). Our analyses encompassed overall speed and accuracy measures and an in-depth analysis of grapheme-phoneme-grapheme errors and inflectional…

  7. Invited Colloquium on Negotiating the Complexities of Multilingual Assessment, AAAL Conference 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menken, Kate; Shohamy, Elana

    2015-01-01

    The invited colloquium on New Directions in Language Assessment held at the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) annual meeting in Portland, Oregon on March 22, 2014 brought together an international panel of scholars to together explore the possibilities and challenges of translanguaging and bi/multilingual approaches in…

  8. Translanguaging Knowledge and Identity in Complementary Classrooms for Multilingual Minority Ethnic Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Li

    2014-01-01

    This article examines multilingual interactions in the complementary school classroom for ethnic Chinese children in the UK. Through a detailed analysis of classroom exchanges amongst the children and their teachers, the study aims to demonstrate how they alternate between different varieties of Chinese and English and different modes of…

  9. Multilingualism in a global village: What is the future of a local ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    South Africa is currently occupying a precarious position within a framework of globalization and internationalization where cultural and linguistic pluralism prevail. There is divergence between South Africa's multilingual language policy on the one hand, and its language practices on the other. Although South Africa is in its ...

  10. Business drivers and design choices for multilingual IVRs : A government service delivery case study

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Calteaux, K

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Multilingual emerging markets hold many opportunities for the application of spoken language technologies, such as interactive voice response (IVR) systems. Designing such systems requires an in-depth understanding of the business drivers...

  11. Mathematics and Multilingual Learners: Transformative Learning through In-Service Teacher Professional Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holdway, Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    In response to the increasing linguistic and cultural diversity in US schools, in-service teachers are faced with the significant challenge of addressing both the linguistic and instructional needs of their multilingual learners (MLLs). This study provides evidence of the linguistic obstacles faced in the academic mathematics classroom and how…

  12. Processing demands upon cognitive, linguistic, and articulatory functions promote grey matter plasticity in the adult multilingual brain: Insights from simultaneous interpreters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elmer, Stefan; Hänggi, Jürgen; Jäncke, Lutz

    2014-05-01

    Until now, considerable effort has been made to determine structural brain characteristics related to exceptional multilingual skills. However, at least one important question has not yet been satisfactorily addressed in the previous literature, namely whether and to which extent the processing demands upon cognitive, linguistic, and articulatory functions may promote grey matter plasticity in the adult multilingual brain. Based on the premise that simultaneous interpretation is a highly demanding linguistic task that places strong demands on executive and articulatory functions, here we compared grey matter volumes between professional simultaneous interpreters (SI) and multilingual control subjects. Thereby, we focused on a specific set of a-priori defined bilateral brain regions that have previously been shown to support neurocognitional aspects of language control and linguistic functions in the multilingual brain. These regions are the cingulate gyrus, caudate nucleus, frontal operculum (pars triangularis and opercularis), inferior parietal lobe (IPL) (supramarginal and angular gyrus), and the insula. As a main result, we found reduced grey matter volumes in professional SI, compared to multilingual controls, in the left middle-anterior cingulate gyrus, bilateral pars triangularis, left pars opercularis, bilateral middle part of the insula, and in the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG). Interestingly, grey matter volume in left pars triangularis, right pars opercularis, middle-anterior cingulate gyrus, and in the bilateral caudate nucleus was negatively correlated with the cumulative number of interpreting hours. Hence, we provide first evidence for an expertise-related grey matter architecture that may reflect a composite of brain characteristics that were still present before interpreting training and training-related changes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Mnohojazyčnost jako dílčí cíl výuky cizích jazyků a možnosti její podpory / Multilingualism as a particular goal of foreign language education and possibilities for its support

    OpenAIRE

    Miroslav Janík

    2014-01-01

    The study deals with the issue of multilingualism as a particular goal of language education. The author aims to offer an insight into the additional language teaching at primary/secondary schools in the context of multilingualism. The first part of the paper provides a definition of the concept of multilingualism, which forms the theoretical background of our study (i.e. multilingualism as a particular goal of language teaching). As we define multilingualism as pupils’ ability to speak three...

  14. Multilingual Language Policy and Mother Tongue Education in Timor-Leste: A Multiscalar Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caffery, Jo; Coronado, Gabriela; Hodge, Bob

    2016-01-01

    This article looks at multilingual, mother-tongue-based language policies influenced by colonial and postcolonial histories and globalization processes. We use multiscalar analysis to show these policies as creative responses to problems affected by national and international forces. Our study focuses on Timor-Leste, specifically a pilot…

  15. Teaching Mathematics in Multilingual Classrooms: Developing Intercultural Competence via a Study Abroad Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasmer, Lisa Anne; Billings, Esther

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated how a study abroad experience teaching mathematics in Tanzania, Africa impacted a group of secondary education pre-service teachers (PSTs) from the United States. In particular we discuss their ability to facilitate the learning of students in multilingual mathematics classrooms while personally developing intercultural…

  16. Multilingual natural language generation as part of a medical terminology server.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, J C; Solomon, W D; Michel, P A; Juge, C; Baud, R H; Rector, A L; Scherrer, J R

    1995-01-01

    Re-usable and sharable, and therefore language-independent concept models are of increasing importance in the medical domain. The GALEN project (Generalized Architecture for Languages Encyclopedias and Nomenclatures in Medicine) aims at developing language-independent concept representation systems as the foundations for the next generation of multilingual coding systems. For use within clinical applications, the content of the model has to be mapped to natural language. A so-called Multilingual Information Module (MM) establishes the link between the language-independent concept model and different natural languages. This text generation software must be versatile enough to cope at the same time with different languages and with different parts of a compositional model. It has to meet, on the one hand, the properties of the language as used in the medical domain and, on the other hand, the specific characteristics of the underlying model and its representation formalism. We propose a semantic-oriented approach to natural language generation that is based on linguistic annotations to a concept model. This approach is realized as an integral part of a Terminology Server, built around the concept model and offering different terminological services for clinical applications.

  17. Indigenous Languages: Nahuatl, Quechua, & Maya--A Study of Multilingual Immigrant Students & Their Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perez, Carlos

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated how immigrants from Latin America who speak indigenous languages perceive and respond to social, racial, linguistic, and cultural factors in the United States. It examined the multicultural and multilingual experiences of six participants, five of whom speak an indigenous language. There were three interviews conducted with…

  18. Unexpected Languages: Multilingualism and Contact in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century North America

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Lisa

    2011-01-01

    This exploration of the languages of contact in the North American British-US borderlands in the period between 1783 and 1860 provides insights into the types of extended contact that occurred in the areas north of 42[degrees] and south of 50[degrees]. Although multilingualism was the norm in the Old Northwest and the old Oregon Territory during…

  19. DO WE REALLY NEED FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN THE ROMANIAN TOURISM? SOME CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE LEGITIMACY OF MULTILINGUAL COMPETENCES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Constatin Felicia

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available At the confluence of philology and economy, foreign languages for business are a more and more interesting domain for the European economic agents, aware of the value of multilingual competences. Tourism is a priority domain of the economy, and within international tourism, foreign languages are a priority. This paper offers an interpretation of the Master Plan for National Tourism Development 2007-2026 from an applied linguistics point of view, aiming to synthesize the role of the foreign languages in the national strategy for the promotion of tourism. The extensive study developed by the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism, the beneficiary of a remarkable professional guidance, offers a realistic image of the Romanian tourism at the time of Romania's integration in the EU and it predicts its evolution over a span of 20 years. The recommendations from the Business Forum for Multilingualism and the ELAN study highlight the impact of foreign languages in business, the direct relation between linguistic competence, performance, profit and development. The research methodology consisted in identifying the accommodation units (hotels and guesthouses in Oradea, capital city of Bihor county, and Baile Felix, a famous resort situated at about 10 km from Oradea - both of them are situated in the border region with Hungary - and in analyzing their websites. Their on-line presentations are generally made in Romanian, but there is also a concern for the multilingual presentation. This paper intends to sum up the linguistic scene of these websites from the perspective of the orientation to international tourism. We have observed that, despite their indisputable potential to make profit, foreign languages are almost unanimously ignored by officials and by hotel and guesthouse owners alike. Although they are in the private sector, therefore directly interested in the prosperity of their business, they do not choose to apply a strategy of multilingual

  20. Defining "Native Speaker" in Multilingual Settings: English as a Native Language in Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen Edwards, Jette G.

    2017-01-01

    The current study examines how and why speakers of English from multilingual contexts in Asia are identifying as native speakers of English. Eighteen participants from different contexts in Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, India, Taiwan, and The Philippines, who self-identified as native speakers of English participated in hour-long interviews…

  1. Putting Multiliteracies into Practice: Digital Storytelling for Multilingual Adolescents in a Summer Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angay-Crowder, Tuba; Choi, Jayoung; Yi, Youngjoo

    2013-01-01

    In this article we demonstrate how we created a context in which digital storytelling was designed and implemented to teach multilingual middle school students in the summer program sponsored by a local nonprofit organization, the Latin American Association, in a city in the southeastern United States. While implementing the notion of…

  2. Multilingual and Cosmopolitan Encounters in the Transleithanian Part of the Habsburg Empire (1867-1918)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marácz, L.

    2014-01-01

    The Transleithanian part, i.e. the Hungarian kingdom of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy recognized a multilingual language regime in which fourteen language were used. The Law on the Equality of the Nationalities XLIV/1868 guaranteed that all the nationality languages had a formal status,

  3. Mnohojazyčnost jako dílčí cíl výuky cizích jazyků a možnosti její podpory / Multilingualism as a particular goal of foreign language education and possibilities for its support

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miroslav Janík

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The study deals with the issue of multilingualism as a particular goal of language education. The author aims to offer an insight into the additional language teaching at primary/secondary schools in the context of multilingualism. The first part of the paper provides a definition of the concept of multilingualism, which forms the theoretical background of our study (i.e. multilingualism as a particular goal of language teaching. As we define multilingualism as pupils’ ability to speak three or more languages, we propose a system for ordering and labelling these languages. The next part of the paper focuses on acquisition of additional (second, third etc. languages and its characteristics. The fourth part of the paper deals with the didactic approach to the concept of multilingualism and its possible implementation into additional language teaching. Finally yet importantly, we focus on teachers and the competencies that they should have in order to meaningfully support multilingualism in instruction.

  4. Towards a Dynamic Conceptual Framework for English-Medium Education in Multilingual University Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dafouz, Emma; Smit, Ute

    2016-01-01

    At a time of increasing internationalization in tertiary education, English-Medium Education in Multilingual University Settings (EMEMUS) has become a common practice. While there is already ample research describing this phenomenon at a local level (Smit and Dafouz 2012a), the theoretical side needs to be elaborated. This article thus aims to…

  5. Multilinguality, Multimodality, and Multicompetence: Code- and Modeswitching by Minority Ethnic Children in Complementary Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Li

    2011-01-01

    This article examines the multilingual and multimodal practices of British Chinese children in complementary school classes from a multicompetence perspective. Using classroom interaction data from a number of Chinese complementary schools in 3 different cities in England, the article argues that the multicompetence perspective enables a holistic…

  6. Shaping Tourist LL: Language Display and the Sociolinguistic Background of an International Multilingual Readership

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruyèl-Olmedo, Antonio; Juan-Garau, Maria

    2015-01-01

    Linguistic landscape studies increasingly focus on the variables that intertwine to generate the meaning of texts on display. International tourist resorts, largely multilingual, reveal how languages in signage combine and respond to the sociolinguistic profile of their readership. However, these settings have received scant attention in the…

  7. Languages+ Internationalisation and the multilingual university

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauridsen, Karen M.

    . With different language backgrounds come different ethnic, cultural and educational backgrounds that have wide implications for what happens in the learning space or classroom. Based on the outcomes of the IntlUni Erasmus Academic Network (Lauridsen & Lillemose 2015) and other sources, this keynote will address......Languages+ Internationalisation and the multilingual university The growth in English Medium Instruction (EMI) outside the English speaking countries (Wächter & Maiworm 2014) as well as the increase in non-L1 speakers in English-dominant settings is one of the very conspicuous outcomes of higher...... education internationalisation efforts today. Lecturers and students teach and learn through a language other than their own first language, which has led university leaders and other key actors to believe that issues arising from this situation are a question of language capabilities only. It is not...

  8. Multilingualism at Danish universities equal to English? The Implications for other foreign languages and linguistic poverty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cancino, Rita

    and revenue (Phillipson, 2010). This issue forms the background of the presentation, in which it will be discussed how the extended use of English at Danish Universities contributes to linguistic poverty and lack of other foreign languages. The presentation will be centered around the study of language......Language policy and the economics of the workplace, Language policy and globalization Keywords: Key words: Danish Universities, multilingualism, language policy, foreign languages, globalization, Multilingualism at Danish universities equal to English? The Implications for other foreign languages...... and linguistic poverty. Since 2003, with the new Danish University Act and the strengthening of internationalisation, Danish Universities have changed rapidly with a massive transition to English as language of instruction in many study programmes. Studies taught in English attract a large amount of both Danish...

  9. [Multilingualism and child psychiatry: on differential diagnoses of language disorder, specific learning disorder, and selective mutism].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamiya, Satoshi

    2014-01-01

    Multilingualism poses unique psychiatric problems, especially in the field of child psychiatry. The author discusses several linguistic and transcultural issues in relation to Language Disorder, Specific Learning Disorder and Selective Mutism. Linguistic characteristics of multiple language development, including so-called profile effects and code-switching, need to be understood for differential diagnosis. It is also emphasized that Language Disorder in a bilingual person is not different or worse than that in a monolingual person. Second language proficiency, cultural background and transfer from the first language all need to be considered in an evaluation for Specific Learning Disorder. Selective Mutism has to be differentiated from the silent period observed in the normal successive bilingual development. The author concludes the review by remarking on some caveats around methods of language evaluation in a multilingual person.

  10. Formation of Intercultural Identity in Children of Nothern People in a Multilingual Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanova, Alena V.; Filippova, Nina I.; Vinokourov?, Ekaterina I.

    2016-01-01

    The article is devoted to the formation of linguocultural identity among indigenous children in a multilingual context that is of particular relevance in connection with the linguistic and cultural problems of minority peoples of the North. The aim of this work is to reveal the contents of textbooks on the subjects "Culture of indigenous…

  11. The Isan Culture Maintenance and Revitalisation Programme's Multilingual Signage Attitude Survey: Phase II

    Science.gov (United States)

    Draper, John

    2016-01-01

    This article contextualises and presents to the academic community the full dataset of the Isan Culture Maintenance and Revitalisation Programme's (ICMRP) multilingual signage survey. The ICMRP is a four-year European Union co-sponsored project in Northeast Thailand. This article focuses on one aspect of the project, four surveys each of 1,500…

  12. Mi.L.A: Multilingual and Multifaceted Mobile Interactive Applications for Children with Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loizides, Fernando; Kartapanis, Iosif; Sella, Francesca; Papadima-Sophocleous, Salomi

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we present the initial stages of a project entitled Minority Language Applications (Mi.L.A) which aims to facilitate material for children with autism in a multilingual setting using interactive multimedia that increase both the awareness as well as the access to information for patients who need it. Pilot testing the applications…

  13. Language Learning Motivation and Language Attitudes in Multilingual Spain from an International Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lasagabaster, David

    2017-01-01

    In Spain, more than 40% of the population lives in officially bilingual regions in which the minority language is used as a means of instruction at school and university. In addition, the increasing importance attached to learning English has led to the proliferation of multilingual school programs in which different languages are used to teach…

  14. The Challenges of Spanish Language Teaching in Multilingual India: A Case Study of Delhi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rai, Dhiraj Kumar

    2017-01-01

    The multilingual surrounding of Spanish Language Teaching (SLT) in India has presented a unique linguistic principle. This principle relies upon the application of English language instructions (as FL1) to combine several methods for teaching-learning Spanish language (as FL2). However, the effectiveness and appropriateness of this linguistic…

  15. Hidden Bilingualism: Ideological Influences on the Language Practices of Multilingual Migrant Mothers in Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Janice

    2016-01-01

    This study examines the challenges of minority language transmission in exogamous families in a society where linguistic and cultural homogeneity still prevails. Specifically, it investigates the macro and micro ideological influences that lead multilingual migrant mothers in Japan to speak Japanese to their children. Interview data with six Thai…

  16. Race, Difference, Meritocracy, and English: Majoritarian Stories in the Education of Secondary Multilingual Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Kara

    2013-01-01

    In this study, empirical and conceptual scholarship (approximately 100 studies) regarding the education of secondary multilingual learners and their teachers are analyzed through the lens of critical race theory (CRT). Specifically, four common majoritarian stories are identified that are both challenged and endorsed in the research literature:…

  17. A potential protective effect in multilingual patients with semantic dementia: two case reports of patients speaking Taiwanese and Japanese.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yi-Chien; Yip, Ping-Keung; Fan, Yu-Ming; Meguro, Kenichi

    2012-03-01

    Several reports have suggested that multilingualism has a protective effect against semantic dementia. Here, we provide further evidence for this effect. The patient was a 75-year-old right-handed Taiwanese woman who had retired after working as a tailor. She was able to speak Taiwanese, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese fluently until 5 years ago. She gradually developed symptoms of profound anomia and difficulty with word-finding. Her mother tongue was Taiwanese and she had learned Japanese as her first symbolized language. She had used Mandarin Chinese for most of her life, but depended on Japanese to read and write (such as reading a newspaper and keeping accounts). However, she could now speak only very simple Taiwanese and Japanese, and could recognize only simple Japanese characters. SECOND: The patient was a 62-year-old right-handed man who had worked as an ironworker. He could speak Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese fluently until 5 years ago. His mother tongue was Taiwanese. After 5 years of language deterioration, he was unable to communicate with his family members or recognize any characters, including numbers. SPECT RESULTS: Brain perfusion ECD SPECT (Tc-99m-ethyl cysteinate dimer single-photon emission computed tomography) showed less perfusion in the multilingual patient (Case #1) than in the bilingual patient (Case #2). Neuropsychological tests also demonstrated a slower rate of degeneration in the multilingual patient. We speculate that reading and writing in Japanese had a greater impact on the semantic system in Case #1. Thus, this patient showed relatively less degeneration or functional inactivity, as shown by perfusion in the frontal lobe, and this might be due to the persistent activation involved in multilingualism.

  18. Assessment and d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners: Considerations and Promising Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pizzo, Lianna; Chilvers, Amanda

    2016-01-01

    The authors address considerations and promising practices relating to assessment of d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners. DMLs' unique culture(s), language(s), and learning needs must be considered when assessments of this population are being planned, conducted, and interpreted. The authors address theory and research on (a) general…

  19. Multilingualism, Perceived Positive Language Interaction (PPLI), and Learner Beliefs: What Do Turkish Students Believe?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Amy S.; Aslan, Erhan

    2015-01-01

    This study explores the interface between learner beliefs and multilingualism in the under-researched English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context of Turkey. The study investigates the underlying constructs of a modified Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) completed by 168 EFL learners in Turkey using an exploratory factor analysis…

  20. Exploring the Mental Lexicon of the Multilingual: Vocabulary Size, Cognate Recognition and Lexical Access in the L1, L2 and L3

    OpenAIRE

    Szabo, Cz.

    2016-01-01

    Recent empirical findings in the field of Multilingualism have shown that the mental lexicon of a language learner does not consist of separate entities, but rather of an intertwined system where languages can interact with each other (e.g. Cenoz, 2013; Szubko-Sitarek, 2015). Accordingly, multilingual language learners have been considered differently to second language learners in a growing number of studies, however studies on the variation in learners’ vocabulary size both in the L2 and L3...

  1. Kitchen talk – Exploring linguistic practices in liminal institutional interactions in a multilingual university setting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hazel, Spencer; Mortensen, Janus

    2013-01-01

    This chapter reports on a small-scale investigation of how linguistic diversity is managed and turned into a resource for social meaning making in an informal, multilingual setting at Danish university. Although firmly located within the institution of the university, the particular setting (know...

  2. Contesting Public Monolingualism and Diglossia: Rethinking Political Theory and Language Policy for a Multilingual World

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Stephen

    2014-01-01

    In many language policy and political theory discussions, there is an overt skepticism, and at times outright hostility, towards the ongoing maintenance of private and, especially, public multilingualism, particularly when these include/incorporate the languages of linguistic minorities. For linguistic minority individuals, ongoing multilingualism…

  3. Multilingual and Multicultural Task-Based Learning Scenarios: A Pilot Study from the MAGICC Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Álvarez, Inma; Pérez-Cavana, María Luisa

    2015-01-01

    In this article we report on the results of a pilot study on the use of task-based multilingual and multicultural professional scenarios for higher education teachers and learners at BA and MA level. The scenarios reflect new learning outcomes and assessment criteria for the presently under-conceptualised domain of communication in multilingual…

  4. Multilingual Literacies and Third Script Acquisition: Young Chinese Children in French Immersion in Vancouver, Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Daniele

    2010-01-01

    This contribution reports on a qualitative study conducted with 14 young Chinese children enrolled in French immersion in Canada, to explore their multilingual practices, and their simultaneous acquisition of three writing systems. Drawings and in-depth interviews constituted creative and age appropriate narratives to understand children's…

  5. The Effect of Multilingualism/Multiculturalism on Personality: No Gain without Pain for Third Culture Kids?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewaele, Jean-Marc; van Oudenhoven, Jan Pieter

    2009-01-01

    The present study investigates the link between multilingualism/multiculturalism, acculturation and the personality profile (as measured by the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire) of 79 young London teenagers, half of whom were born abroad and had settled down in London during their childhood "Third Culture Kids" (TCKs; Pollock…

  6. Advanced Encoding for Multilingual Access in a Terminological Data Base

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leroyer, Patrick; L'Homme, Marie-Claude; Robichaud, Benoît

    2010-01-01

    This paper describes new functionalities implemented in a terminological database (TDB) in order to allow efficient editing of and access to multilingual data. The functionalities are original in the sense that they allow users of the database to retrieve the equivalents not only of headwords...... between equivalents can be established automatically. Examples are taken from the fields of computing and the Internet and focus on English and French. However, the model can easily be extended to other fields and languages provided that the data is available and encoded properly....

  7. LA DIAGNOSI DELLE COMPETENZE LINGUISTICHE IN UN CONTESTO MULTILINGUE: UN PROCESSO CONTINUO CHE FAVORISCE L’INSEGNAMENTO E L’APPRENDIMENTO INDIVIDUALIZZATO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Drorit Lengyel

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Il presente studio affronta il problema della valutazione diagnostica delle competenze linguistiche in contesti educativi multilingui, con particolare attenzione ai bisogni dei bambini e degli adolescenti immigrati. Vengono brevemente esposti gli obiettivi, le funzioni e i principi della valutazione diagnostica e della valutazione formativa considerate parte integrante di una educazione linguistica continua che prevede un insegnamento-apprendimento individualizzato. Sul piano teorico le procedure della valutazione diagnostica delle competenze linguistiche in contesti multilingui fanno riferimento all’apprendimento delle lingue inteso come attività socio-culturale.     Language diagnostics in multilingual settings with respect to continuous procedures as accompaniment of individualized learning and teaching   This study provides an introduction to language diagnostics in multilingual educational settings, with particular reference to the needs of children and adolescents from migrant backgrounds. It summarises the objectives and functions of language diagnostics and the principles that govern diagnostics including formative assessment, considered to be an integral part of continuous language education that emphasises individualised teaching and learning. From a theoretical perspective, diagnostic procedures in multilingual settings treat language learning as a socio-cultural activity.  

  8. d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners: The Development of Communication and Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pizzo, Lianna

    2016-01-01

    The author examines the theory and research relevant to educating d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners (DMLs). There is minimal research on this population, yet a synthesis of related theory, research, and practice on spoken-language bilinguals can be used to add to the body of knowledge on these learners. Specifically, the author…

  9. Language Learning Motivation in the United States: An Examination of Language Choice and Multilingualism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Amy S.

    2017-01-01

    With the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) as a framework, this study is an investigation of the relationships among motivation, language choice, and multilingualism using data from 195 undergraduate learners of languages other than English (LOTEs) in the context of the United States. Motivation is operationalized by the three aspects of self…

  10. Introducing discussion into multilingual mathematics classrooms: An issue of code switching?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lyn Webb

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available The Department of Education in South Africa advocates collaborative and constructivist learning; however, observations indicate that little discussion occurs in most multilingual mathematics classes. In this paper we draw on a pilot study set in the Eastern Cape where teachers were introduced to the theory and practice of exploratory talk, and then tasked to perform an action research project on introducing discussion in their own multilingual mathematics classrooms. The results of the study suggest some successes in terms of teachers initiating exploratory talk and highlight the fact that these successes were only achieved where code switching between English and isiXhosa formed an integral part of the process.

  11. Bilingual Life in a Multilingual High School Classroom: Teaching and Learning in Cantonese and English.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Tara

    1997-01-01

    Explores how Cantonese-speaking math students and their teacher use different languages to achieve academic and social success in their multilingual classroom in Toronto. The article discusses inter-ethnic tensions related to the use of languages other than English and raises questions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of multilingual…

  12. Language Policy-Making in Multilingual Education: Mass Media and the Framing of Medium of Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tollefson, James W.

    2015-01-01

    In some settings, medium of instruction (MOI) policies in multilingual education break out into public debates in mass media involving politicians, business leaders, government officials, parents, and school children. These public discussions of MOI often index struggles over the distribution of political power and economic resources, and issues…

  13. Professionals' Guidance about Spoken Language Multilingualism and Spoken Language Choice for Children with Hearing Loss

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowe, Kathryn; McLeod, Sharynne

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to investigate factors that influence professionals' guidance of parents of children with hearing loss regarding spoken language multilingualism and spoken language choice. Sixteen professionals who provide services to children and young people with hearing loss completed an online survey, rating the importance of…

  14. Requests for Help in a Multilingual Professional Environment Testimonies and Actantial Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lejot Eve

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Professional multilingual environments using English as a lingua franca are prone to imbalances in communication, linguistic insecurity and rising tension. Non-native English speakers develop avoidance strategies in order to lessen their apprehension. To overcome these imbalances, this research aims to understand the relationships formed around languages focusing on the dynamics of integration and the requests for help. Guided by the actantial models of Greimas (1966, this qualitative study employs semiolinguistics and discourse analysis, including 19 narrative interviews with employees of Airbus and UNESCO in Hamburg, Germany in 2013. This methodology draws on actors connected through relationships of power and/or collaboration. The actantial models applied seek linguistic input through designational paradigms, shifters and modal occurrences. The actantial models illustrate how a good language competence provides a better understanding of one’s direct as well as passive environment. The learning process is shown to be a conduit to integration. The actantial model and discourse analysis shed light on the complex situation of multilingual communication settings by highlighting the influence of individuals’ linguistic skills. As a matter of fact, depending on the role of each individual in a given situation, lending a helping hand sometimes equates to upsetting the balance.

  15. Grammatical gender in the discourse of multilingual children's acquisition of German

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Montanari, Elke

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The acquisition of grammatical gender by multilingual pre-school children (aged six was investigated by observing their narration and discourse. It emerged that only three of the 17 children actually used gender to classify nouns. Grammatical agreement is acknowledged as a key feature of gender acquisition, and it reflects developmental steps. Children growing up with mostly bilingual German input at a low proficiency level had the greatest difficulties in acquiring gender and agreement in the group investigated.

  16. Age of second language acquisition in multilinguals has an impact on gray matter volume in language-associated brain areas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaiser, Anelis; Eppenberger, Leila S; Smieskova, Renata; Borgwardt, Stefan; Kuenzli, Esther; Radue, Ernst-Wilhelm; Nitsch, Cordula; Bendfeldt, Kerstin

    2015-01-01

    Numerous structural studies have established that experience shapes and reshapes the brain throughout a lifetime. The impact of early development, however, is still a matter of debate. Further clues may come from studying multilinguals who acquired their second language at different ages. We investigated adult multilinguals who spoke three languages fluently, where the third language was learned in classroom settings, not before the age of 9 years. Multilinguals exposed to two languages simultaneously from birth (SiM) were contrasted with multinguals who acquired their first two languages successively (SuM). Whole brain voxel based morphometry revealed that, relative to SuM, SiM have significantly lower gray matter volume in several language-associated cortical areas in both hemispheres: bilaterally in medial and inferior frontal gyrus, in the right medial temporal gyrus and inferior posterior parietal gyrus, as well as in the left inferior temporal gyrus. Thus, as shown by others, successive language learning increases the volume of language-associated cortical areas. In brains exposed early on and simultaneously to more than one language, however, learning of additional languages seems to have less impact. We conclude that - at least with respect to language acquisition - early developmental influences are maintained and have an effect on experience-dependent plasticity well into adulthood.

  17. Age of second language acquisition in multilinguals has an impact on grey matter volume in language-associated brain areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anelis eKaiser

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Numerous structural studies have established that experience shapes and reshapes the brain throughout a lifetime. The impact of early development, however, is still a matter of debate. Further clues may come from studying multilinguals who acquired their second language at different ages. We investigated adult multilinguals who spoke three languages fluently, where the third language was learned in classroom settings, not before the age of 9 years. Multilinguals exposed to 2 languages simultaneously from birth (SiM were contrasted with multinguals who acquired their first two languages successively (SuM. Whole brain voxel based morphometry revealed that, relative to SuM, SiM have significantly lower grey matter volume in several language-associated cortical areas in both hemispheres: bilaterally in medial and inferior frontal gyrus, in the right medial temporal gyrus and inferior posterior parietal gyrus, as well as in the left inferior frontal gyrus. Thus, as shown by others, successive language learning increases the volume of language-associated cortical areas. In brains exposed early on and simultaneously to more than one language, however, learning of additional languages seems to have less impact. We conclude that - at least with respect to language acquisition - early developmental influences are maintained and influence experience-dependent plasticity well into adulthood.

  18. Grammatical category dissociation in multilingual aphasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faroqi-Shah, Yasmeen; Waked, Arifi N

    2010-03-01

    Word retrieval deficits for specific grammatical categories, such as verbs versus nouns, occur as a consequence of brain damage. Such deficits are informative about the nature of lexical organization in the human brain. This study examined retrieval of grammatical categories across three languages in a trilingual person with aphasia who spoke Arabic, French, and English. In order to delineate the nature of word production difficulty, comprehension was tested, and a variety of concomitant lexical-semantic variables were analysed. The patient demonstrated a consistent noun-verb dissociation in picture naming and narrative speech, with severely impaired production of verbs across all three languages. The cross-linguistically similar noun-verb dissociation, coupled with little evidence of semantic impairment, suggests that (a) the patient has a true "nonsemantic" grammatical category specific deficit, and (b) lexical organization in multilingual speakers shares grammatical class information between languages. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the architecture of lexical organization in bilinguals.

  19. Multilingualism (but not always bilingualism) delays the onset of Alzheimer disease: evidence from a bilingual community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chertkow, Howard; Whitehead, Victor; Phillips, Natalie; Wolfson, Christina; Atherton, Julie; Bergman, Howard

    2010-01-01

    A recent paper by Bialystok et al in Neuropsychologia (vol. 45, pgs. 459 to 464) suggested that early bilingualism produced a statistically significant 4.1-year delay in onset of memory loss symptoms in older individuals with Alzheimer disease, possibly reflecting an increase in the cognitive reserve of these individuals. That study focused on multilingual elderly patients of whom 90% were immigrants. Our memory clinic, in Montreal Canada, has the advantage of having a large set of individuals who are either multilingual immigrants to Canada, or who are nonimmigrants but raised in both official languages of Canada--French and English. We thus attempted to replicate the above findings using a larger cohort in a different setting. We examined age at diagnosis of Alzheimer disease and age at symptom onset for all unilingual versus multilingual participants, and then for those who were nonimmigrant English/French bilinguals. Overall, we found a small but significant protective effect of more than 2 languages spoken, but we found no significant benefit in bilinguals overall in relation to age at diagnosis or age at symptom onset. However, in the immigrant group, the results mirrored those of Bialystok et al with 2 or more languages delaying the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease by almost 5 years. A trend toward the same effect was also seen in nonimmigrants whose first language was French. In contrast, in nonimmigrants whose first language was English, no such effect was found. These results are discussed in relation to the earlier findings and the theory of cognitive reserve.

  20. Literacy Practices and Linguistic Choices: A Sociocultural Study of a Multilingual Adult Literacy Student Group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, Stephen R.; Thorp, Kay

    The report describes a study of a multilingual group of six adult literacy students, five women and one man, enrolled in an English literacy class at an Australian college. Subjects' countries of origin include Afghanistan, Indonesia/China, Lebanon, Iran, and China. The study examined factors affecting subjects' daily literacy practices and…

  1. Khmer Rap Boys, X-Men, Asia's Fruits, and Dragonball Z: Creating Multilingual and Multimodal Classroom Contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGinnis, Theresa Ann

    2007-01-01

    In our rapidly changing global culture, students' social worlds are becoming increasingly multilingual and multimodal, yet school practices do not often reflect the complexities or diversity of students' literacy and language practices. Valuing students' experiences with language and culture is important in creating supportive learning…

  2. The State Language of Kazakhstan and Multilingualism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nazilyz M. Abduova

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with some actual problems of real bilingualism (polylingualism in modern Kazakhstan.One of the most important aspects of the Kazakhstani society of economic and social modernization is the policy in the field of language. In the modern world, multilingual and multicultural, the problem of language conjugation is more urgent than ever, the search for effective and viable programs in the field of languageson the consolidation of societies. Integration of Kazakhstan into the world community depends today on the realization and realization of a simple truth: the world is open to those who can master new knowledge through mastering the dominant languages. In Kazakhstan the notions of “bilingualism” and “polylingualism” mean the equality of languages.It is quite natural that bilingualism (polylingualism gains more and more importance in our republic.

  3. Multilingual children between real and imaginary worlds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Helle Pia; Kolstrup, Kirsten Lundgaard

    2017-01-01

    This article analyzes how a group of multilingual children in their early adolescence use various forms of language play and position themselves symbolically through involvement in signifying practices. By developing a conceptual framework that combines insights on language play (Cook 2000......) and the signifying self (Kramsch 2009), it demonstrates how the children as sign makers and symbolic subjects (re)signify their own learning space. The analysis reveals how, during a reading and joint text construction activity in Danish, they explore the symbolic possibilities of signs and subjectivities, while...... moving in and out of the text and back and forth between imagined and real worlds. These findings illustrate how the children’s interest both shapes their playful interaction and takes shape through it. It furthermore shows how language play contributes to paving the way for a resignification...

  4. Developments in the Multilingual and Multicultural Learning Space

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauridsen, Karen M.; Cozart, Stacey Marie; Kling, Joyce

    Uni project (2012-15) recommends that higher education institutions (HEI) provide ‘the necessary professional development and teacher training programmes that will allow HE teachers to appropriately develop (…) their professional and pedagogical knowledge, skills and competences and thereby empower them...... platform with resources targeted at EDs responsible for advancing faculty development in this area. In this session, the presenters will report on the first outcomes of EQUiiP. Participants will then be invited to interact and explore best practices in the multilingual and multicultural learning space......Internationalization of higher education, and the often accompanying shift from what previously were relatively homogenous national student populations, to more blended, culturally and linguistically heterogeneous group of students, impacts teaching and learning in a number of ways. The Intl...

  5. The effect of childhood bilectalism and multilingualism on executive control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antoniou, Kyriakos; Grohmann, Kleanthes K; Kambanaros, Maria; Katsos, Napoleon

    2016-04-01

    Several investigations report a positive effect of childhood bilingualism on executive control (EC). An issue that has remained largely unexamined is the role of the typological distance between the languages spoken by bilinguals. In the present study we focus on children who grow up with Cypriot Greek and Standard Modern Greek, two closely related varieties that differ from each other on all levels of language analysis (vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar). We compare the EC performance of such bilectal children to that of English-Greek multilingual children in Cyprus and Standard Modern Greek-speaking monolingual children in Greece. A principal component analysis on six indicators of EC revealed two distinct factors, which we interpreted as representing working memory and inhibition. Multilingual and bilectal children exhibited an advantage over monolinguals that was evident across EC factors and emerged only after statistically controlling for their lower language proficiency. These results demonstrate that similar EC advantages as previously reported for 'true' bilingual speakers can be found in bilectal children, which suggests that minimal typological distance between the varieties spoken by a child suffices to give rise to advantages in EC. They further indicate that the effect of speaking more than one language or dialect on EC performance is located across the EC system without a particular component being selectively affected. This has implications for models of the locus of the bilingual advantage in EC performance. Finally, they show that the emergence of EC advantages in bilinguals is moderated by the level of their language proficiency. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. The Relation between Multilingualism and Basic Human Values among Primary School Children in South Tyrol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, Barbara; Dewaele, Jean-Marc

    2018-01-01

    Cook argued that the learning of a new language leads to a state of multi-competence, with the learner's mind changing in ways that go beyond the linguistic realm. The present study follows Dewaele's suggestion that multilingualism is linked to both cognitive and psychological changes. It explores one particular under-researched relationship,…

  7. Brought-Along Identities and the Dynamics of Ideology: Accomplishing Bivalent Stances in a Multilingual Interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Ashley M.

    2008-01-01

    This paper examines how the interconnected aspects of the stance triangle (Du Bois 2007) allow speakers to tap into multiple ideological layers as they take a stance and reveal intra-ethnic group tensions. Using a detailed interaction analysis of a Chinese American family's multilingual interaction, the paper explores how such ideological dynamics…

  8. Linguicism in Hollywood Movies? Representations of, and Audience Reactions to Multilingualism in Mainstream Movie Dialogues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bleichenbacher, Lukas

    2012-01-01

    Hollywood movies have been a prime site for the representation of intercultural and multilingual encounters for decades. As such, they are not only of interest to everyday cinemagoers or home viewers, but have increasingly attracted the attention of scholars from various disciplines, including socio-linguistics. A main focus of much previous work,…

  9. Comparing Multilingual Children with SLI to Their Bilectal Peers: Evidence from Object and Action Picture Naming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kambanaros, Maria; Grohmann, Kleanthes K.; Michaelides, Michalis; Theodorou, Elena

    2013-01-01

    Against the background of the increasing number of multilingual children with atypical language development around the world, this study reports research results on grammatical word class processing involving children with specific language impairment (SLI). The study investigates lexical retrieval of verbs (through picture-naming actions) and…

  10. Multilingual Analysis of Twitter News in Support of Mass Emergency Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zielinski, A.; Bügel, U.; Middleton, L.; Middleton, S. E.; Tokarchuk, L.; Watson, K.; Chaves, F.

    2012-04-01

    Social media are increasingly becoming an additional source of information for event-based early warning systems in the sense that they can help to detect natural crises and support crisis management during or after disasters. Within the European FP7 TRIDEC project we study the problem of analyzing multilingual twitter feeds for emergency events. Specifically, we consider tsunami and earthquakes, as one possible originating cause of tsunami, and propose to analyze twitter messages for capturing testified information at affected points of interest in order to obtain a better picture of the actual situation. For tsunami, these could be the so called Forecast Points, i.e. agreed-upon points chosen by the Regional Tsunami Warning Centers (RTWC) and the potentially affected countries, which must be considered when calculating expected tsunami arrival times. Generally, local civil protection authorities and the population are likely to respond in their native languages. Therefore, the present work focuses on English as "lingua franca" and on under-resourced Mediterranean languages in endangered zones, particularly in Turkey, Greece, and Romania. We investigated ten earthquake events and defined four language-specific classifiers that can be used to detect natural crisis events by filtering out irrelevant messages that do not relate to the event. Preliminary results indicate that such a filter has the potential to support earthquake detection and could be integrated into seismographic sensor networks. One hindrance in our study is the lack of geo-located data for asserting the geographical origin of the tweets and thus to be able to observe correlations of events across languages. One way to overcome this deficit consists in identifying geographic names contained in tweets that correspond to or which are located in the vicinity of specific points-of-interest such as the forecast points of the tsunami scenario. We also intend to use twitter analysis for situation picture

  11. Speech, Sign, or Multilingualism for Children with Hearing Loss: Quantitative Insights into Caregivers' Decision Making

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowe, Kathryn; McLeod, Sharynne; McKinnon, David H.; Ching, Teresa Y. C.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: The authors sought to investigate the influence of a comprehensive range of factors on the decision making of caregivers of children with hearing loss regarding the use of speech, the use of sign, spoken language multilingualism, and spoken language choice. This is a companion article to the qualitative investigation described in Crowe,…

  12. The Benefits of Multilingualism to the Personal and Professional Development of Residents of the US

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kroll, Judith F.; Dussias, Paola E.

    2017-01-01

    In the past two decades, new research on multilingualism has changed our understanding of the consequences of learning and using two or more languages for cognition, for the brain, and for success and well-being across the entire lifespan. Far from the stereotype that exposure to multiple languages in infancy complicates language and cognitive…

  13. Language Choice and Identity Construction in Peer Interactions: Insights from a Multilingual University in Hong Kong

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Mingyue

    2011-01-01

    Informed by linguistic ecological theory and the notion of identity, this study investigates language uses and identity construction in interactions among students with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds in a multilingual university. Individual and focus-group interviews were conducted with two groups of students: Hong Kong (HK) and…

  14. Translanguaging on Facebook: Exploring Australian Aboriginal Multilingual Competence in Technology-Enhanced Environments and Its Pedagogical Implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliver, Rhonda; Nguyen, Bich

    2017-01-01

    In this study, we explore how Aboriginal multilingual speakers use technology-enhanced environments, specifically Facebook, for their translanguaging practices. Using data collected from Facebook posts written by seven Aboriginal youth over a period of 18 months, we investigate how the participants move between Aboriginal English (AE) and Standard…

  15. From Global Jobs to Safe Spaces: The Diverse Discourses That Sell Multilingual Schooling in the USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorner, Lisa M.

    2015-01-01

    While much research has demonstrated that English-only rhetoric negatively affects bilingual education for the children of US immigrants, few studies have examined the local negotiations and discourses that shape the development of multilingual programming for English-speaking students. Across the USA, educational leaders and policy-makers today…

  16. A geographical analysis of speech-language pathology services to support multilingual children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verdon, Sarah; McLeod, Sharynne; McDonald, Simon

    2014-06-01

    The speech-language pathology workforce strives to provide equitable, quality services to multilingual people. However, the extent to which this is being achieved is unknown. Participants in this study were 2849 members of Speech Pathology Australia and 4386 children in the Birth cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Statistical and geospatial analyses were undertaken to identify the linguistic diversity and geographical distribution of Australian speech-language pathology services and Australian children. One fifth of services offered by Speech Pathology Australia members (20.2%) were available in a language other than English. Services were most commonly offered in Australian Sign Language (Auslan) (4.3%), French (3.1%), Italian (2.2%), Greek (1.6%), and Cantonese (1.5%). Among 4-5-year-old children in the nationally representative LSAC, 15.3% regularly spoke and/or understood a language other than English. The most common languages spoken by the children were Arabic (1.5%), Italian (1.2%), Greek (0.9%), Spanish (0.9%), and Vietnamese (0.9%). There was a mismatch between the location of and languages in which multilingual services were offered, and the location of and languages spoken by children. These findings highlight the need for SLPs to be culturally competent in providing equitable services to all clients, regardless of the languages they speak.

  17. Lost in translation? A multilingual Query Builder improves the quality of PubMed queries: a randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuers, Matthieu; Joulakian, Mher; Kerdelhué, Gaetan; Segas, Léa; Grosjean, Julien; Darmoni, Stéfan J; Griffon, Nicolas

    2017-07-03

    MEDLINE is the most widely used medical bibliographic database in the world. Most of its citations are in English and this can be an obstacle for some researchers to access the information the database contains. We created a multilingual query builder to facilitate access to the PubMed subset using a language other than English. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of this multilingual query builder on the quality of PubMed queries for non-native English speaking physicians and medical researchers. A randomised controlled study was conducted among French speaking general practice residents. We designed a multi-lingual query builder to facilitate information retrieval, based on available MeSH translations and providing users with both an interface and a controlled vocabulary in their own language. Participating residents were randomly allocated either the French or the English version of the query builder. They were asked to translate 12 short medical questions into MeSH queries. The main outcome was the quality of the query. Two librarians blind to the arm independently evaluated each query, using a modified published classification that differentiated eight types of errors. Twenty residents used the French version of the query builder and 22 used the English version. 492 queries were analysed. There were significantly more perfect queries in the French group vs. the English group (respectively 37.9% vs. 17.9%; p PubMed queries in particular for researchers whose first language is not English.

  18. Modalities to Implement the Multilinguality in Web DYNPRO ABAP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Daniela CRISTEA

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available The integrated platform SAP Netweaver is a platform that offers support in realizing Web bussiness applications that use the Model View Controller (MVC concept. The Multilinguality being a property of this platform. The purpose of this article is to highlight the modality to internationalize a Web Dynpro ABAP project The techniquesused for the internationalization of a Web Dynpro ABAP application are: the OTR [Online Text Repository] translations, the implementation of the assistance class and the technique of information internationalization in a database. The case study has been performed on the trial “SAP Netweaver 7.0 Application Server ABAP” that offered the possibility to log-in in English and German languages.

  19. Problèmes linguistiques dans le système multilingues Linguistic Problems in Multilingual Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moureau M.

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available La communauté scientifique est internationale. L'industrie du pétrole est internationale. Des problèmes de communication, de langage, de langue y sont rencontrés chaque jour. C'est pourquoi, bien que tranchant assez vigoureusement sur les sujets habituels de la Revue de l'Institut Français du Pétrole, l'article de Magdeleine Moureau et Gerald Brace sur des problèmes de linguistique ne nous a pas paru trop étranger aux préoccupations de nos lecteurs pour leur être présenté. Cet article a pour but de traiter d'abord des impossibilités théoriques de la traduction, d'évoquer ensuite les modalités pratiques de sa réalisation quotidienne et de les appliquer à l'étude des problèmes inhérents à l'élaboration d'un langage documentaire multilinguisme. The aim of this paper is to discuss the theoretical impossibilities of translation, and then to describe the practical ways of actually translating, and to apply these ways to the task of studying problems inherent in elaborating a multilingual documentary language.

  20. Reading in Multilingual Learners of Urdu (L1), English (L2) and Arabic (L3)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirza, Amna; Gottardo, Alexandra; Chen, Xi

    2017-01-01

    The present study examined the language and literacy skills and their relations to each other in multilingual children, who have a broad range of oral and written language proficiency in each language that they "know". Reading and vocabulary skills were tested in 50 Canadian children (ages 6-10 years) who were Urdu-English speakers,…

  1. Exploring Reflexivity and Multilingualism in Three French Language Teacher Education Programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Byrd Clark

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract What does it mean to be and become a bi/multilingual and multicultural language teacher in today’s plurilingual times? This paper reports on the perspectives of multilingual student teachers as they pertain to the development of multilingual repertoires for the teacher candidates themselves and for these teacher candidates’ future French language learners. Globally, initiatives are often directed at language teachers to contribute to producing effective human capital (Byram, 2010; however, awareness in the field of French language pedagogy (FLP appears relatively unexplored beyond the local contexts. This paper illuminates the significance of developing reflexivity (Aull Davies, 2010; Byrd Clark & Dervin, 2014 for future language teachers and researchers through a multimodal, sociolinguistic approach incorporating new technologies by drawing upon data gathered through online, interactive discussion groups and semistructured interviews. The findings illustrate how certain representations of languages, identities, learning, and teaching are constructed and negotiated in these new spaces, and simultaneously challenge traditional (monolithic ways of teaching and researching in FLP. This work has implications for all those involved in language and multicultural education as it invites researchers to reflect upon their own engagements as well as how to create conditions for the inclusion of multilingual repertoires in Canadian classrooms and beyond. Résumé Qu’est-ce que cela veut dire d’être et de devenir un enseignant bi/plurilingue et pluriethnique dans ce monde marqué par le plurilinguisme ? Le travail présenté dans cet article porte sur les perspectives des enseignants-apprenants plurilingues en ce qui concerne le développement de répertoires linguistiques pour eux-mêmes ainsi que leurs futurs élèves. Cet article souligne aussi l’importance de développer ce que nous appelons la réflexivité (Aull Davies, 2010 ; Byrd

  2. Transient multilingual communities as a field of investigation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, Janus

    2017-01-01

    A key assumption in linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics has traditionally been that interaction within communities tends to proceed on the basis of some degree of shared understanding of social and linguistic norms. However, in transient multilingual communities, defined here as social...... configurations where people from diverse sociocultural and linguistic backgrounds come together (physically or otherwise) for a limited period of time around a shared activity, such shared assumptions cannot be assumed to be in place a priori. By examining the social and linguistic processes that characterize...... transient communities, researchers are invited to analyze and theorize meaning-making in ways that hold the potential to enrich current work at the interface between sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. The article aims to take a first step in this direction by offering a definition...

  3. [Implications of multilingualism in the manifestations of stuttering].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brejon Teitler, N

    Stuttering is a communication disorder affecting speech which is then considered disfluent. What happens when a person who stutters speaks several languages? There will be constant interactions between multilinguism and stuttering. The disorder will generally appear differently according to the spoken language. Linguistic factors have an impact on stutte­ring, with disfluencies appearing differently according to the speaker’s proficiency in using each language. Emotional factors related to the choice of the spoken language can exag­ge­rate the disorder, hence influencing the speaker’s choice of a language, even choices in life. These factors are to be taken into consideration when assessing stuttering, with a particular attention to cultural aspects. Finally, stuttering variability according to the spoken language will also have an impact on therapeutic decisions.

  4. Competition between Word Order and Case-Marking in Interpreting Grammatical Relations: A Case Study in Multilingual Acquisition

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Shannessy, Carmel

    2011-01-01

    The study examines strategies multilingual children use to interpret grammatical relations, focusing on their two primary languages, Lajamanu Warlpiri and Light Warlpiri. Both languages use mixed systems for indicating grammatical relations. In both languages ergative-absolutive case-marking indicates core arguments, but to different extents in…

  5. "And Then We Summarise in English for the Others": The Lived Experience of the Multilingual Workplace

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angouri, Jo; Miglbauer, Marlene

    2014-01-01

    In multinational corporate companies, multilingualism is often a daily reality for employees and the negotiation of language practices for work and social purposes, a routine. Despite the role of English as a lingua franca, the linguistic ecology of modern workplaces is dynamic, rich and diverse. While English is often used for communication…

  6. Epistemonikos: a free, relational, collaborative, multilingual database of health evidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rada, Gabriel; Pérez, Daniel; Capurro, Daniel

    2013-01-01

    Epistemonikos (www.epistemonikos.org) is a free, multilingual database of the best available health evidence. This paper describes the design, development and implementation of the Epistemonikos project. Using several web technologies to store systematic reviews, their included articles, overviews of reviews and structured summaries, Epistemonikos is able to provide a simple and powerful search tool to access health evidence for sound decision making. Currently, Epistemonikos stores more than 115,000 unique documents and more than 100,000 relationships between documents. In addition, since its database is translated into 9 different languages, Epistemonikos ensures that non-English speaking decision-makers can access the best available evidence without language barriers.

  7. One World, One Sky: Outreach in a Multicultural, Multilingual Metropolis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid, M.

    2015-03-01

    As cities around the world grow more and more diverse, we must take this diversity into account in developing outreach activities and materials. The International Year of Astronomy in 2009 brought a lot of attention to the needs of underserved communities and developing countries, emphasizing the ideal of widespread access to astronomy outreach. Increasingly, however, we find that some of the same challenges facing underserved communities and developing countries are also present in modern metropolises. Conveniently, the linguistic and cultural diversity of our cities is more and more accurately reflected among the astronomy community. The diversity of the astronomical community itself creates opportunities for effective multicultural, multilingual outreach.

  8. Literacy Instruction in Multilingual Classrooms: Engaging English Language Learners in Elementary School. Language & Literacy Series--Practitioners Bookshelf

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helman, Lori

    2012-01-01

    This hands-on guide shows elementary school teachers how to create multilingual classroom communities that support every learner's success in reading, writing, and general literacy development. The author provides a practical overview of key ideas and techniques and describes specific literacy activities that lead to vocabulary and oral English…

  9. #europehappinessmap: A Framework for Multi-Lingual Sentiment Analysis via Social Media Big Data (A Twitter Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mustafa Coşkun

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The growth and popularity of social media platforms have generated a new social interaction environment thus a new collaboration and communication network among individuals. These platforms own tremendous amount of data about users’ behaviors and sentiments since people create, share or exchange their information, ideas, pictures or video using them. One of these popular platforms is Twitter, which via its voluntary information sharing structure, provides researchers data potential of benefit for their studies. Based on Twitter data, in this study a multilingual sentiment detection framework is proposed to compute European Gross National Happiness (GNH. This framework consists of a novel data collection, filtering and sampling method, and a newly constructed multilingual sentiment detection algorithm for social media big data, and tested with nine European countries (United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Portugal, The Netherlands, Italy, France and Spain and their national languages over a six year period. The reliability of the data is checked with peak/troughs comparison for special days from Wikipedia news lists. The validity is checked with a group of correlation analyses with OECD Life Satisfaction survey reports’, Euro-Dollar and other currency exchanges, and national stock market time series data. After validity and reliability confirmations, the European GNH map is drawn for six years. The main problem addressed is to propose a novel multilingual social media sentiment analysis framework for calculating GNH for countries and change the way of OECD type organizations’ survey and interview methodology. Also, it is believed that this framework can serve more detailed results (e.g., daily or hourly sentiments of society in different languages.

  10. Multi-Lingual and Multi-Cultural Aspects of Post-Disaster Emergency Communication

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Selsøe Sørensen, Henrik

    2014-01-01

    recent technological advances and the upcoming of social media as well as intelligent and instant big-data analyses since the reported research was carried out, it is suggested that the original ideas be revisited and re-engineered in view of improving efficiency in cross-frontier post-disaster emergency......LinguaNet® is a system for fast multi-lingual communications between police forces co-operating across frontiers. It has been in operation for more than two decades and proved its worth. From 1995 to 1998, CBS developed a number of add-ons to the system in the framework of an EU project in order...

  11. Strategies and Problems Encountered by Teachers in Implementing Mother Tongue-Based Instruction in a Multilingual Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lartec, Jane K.; Belisario, Anastacia M.; Bendanillo, Jamaica P.; Binas-o, Hanni K.; Bucang, Novefirst O.; Cammagay, Jan Lorie W.

    2014-01-01

    The use of mother tongue in teaching in a multilingual setting affects the way pupils learn. A melting pot and the educational center of the North, Baguio City, Philippines demands teaching strategies that not only adapt to the interplay of the different cultures and languages but give importance to them, too. Specifically, this paper analyzed the…

  12. Space, Scale and Languages: Identity Construction of Cross-Boundary Students in a Multilingual University in Hong Kong

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Mingyue Michelle; Tong, Ho Kin

    2012-01-01

    Drawing on the notions of scale and space, this paper investigates identity construction among a group of mainland Chinese cross-boundary students by analysing their language choices and linguistic practices in a multilingual university in Hong Kong. The research illustrates how movement across spaces by these students produces varying index…

  13. Spelling Improvement through Letter-Sound and Whole-Word Training in Two Multilingual Greek- and English-Speaking Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niolaki, Georgia Z.; Masterson, Jackie; Terzopoulos, Aris R.

    2014-01-01

    Case studies of two children with spelling difficulty are reported. LK was multilingual and ED bilingual. A training programme that targeted phonic decoding (or sublexical) spelling processes was conducted with both children. Immediate and delayed post-training assessments showed improvement in spelling nonwords for LK but not for ED. Training…

  14. Tests over time: Evaluating the currency of normative data in a complex multilingual environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brebner, Chris; Chandler Yeo, Helen; Goh, Magdeline Meilin; Kam, Karryn Wanlin; Yeo, Wendy Su Fen

    2015-04-23

    Assessment of oral language skills is challenging in multilingual environments. With language policies promoting increased use of English and reduction of dialectal varieties of languages, rapid changes in language further confound assessment. This study explores the currency of normative data on an expressive language screening tool in English for English-Mandarin bilingual Singaporean children. Spoken language samples in English from 101 pre-school children were compared with those from 481 children in the original data collection in 2002. Scores for expressive vocabulary and morphosyntax were compared for the two main language groups. Results indicate that the normative data for English-dominant children are still current. The data for younger Mandarin-dominant children showed improved test scores, indicating improvement in expressive morphosyntax in English. English language competency has changed over time for Mandarin-dominant children in Singapore, likely due to the influence of language policy on language use. This is a particular challenge in multilingual environments. Current literature emphasizes the need to develop language assessments specific to populations and language groups for standardized assessments to be valid and reliable. These results demonstrate the need to monitor normative data and characteristics of language over time and to update standardized language assessments accordingly.

  15. The Challenges of Spanish Language Teaching in Multilingual India: A Case Study of Delhi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dhiraj Kumar Rai

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The multilingual surrounding of Spanish Language Teaching (SLT in India has presented a unique linguistic principle. This principle relies upon the application of English language instructions (as FL1 to combine several methods for teaching-learning Spanish language (as FL2. However, the effectiveness and appropriateness of this linguistic principle, whereby English language instructions are used for SLT, remain undiagnosed. In fact, the technique of SLT in India needs to take into account the local linguistic or dialectical make-up of the actual or potential learners. As such, the process of Spanish Language acquisition in India as inspired by an exposure to local languages/dialects needs to be creatively explored. Furthermore, the recently increasing entries of specific Spanish words/terms in the Indian ‘popular language usage’, and their implications for SLT in India require to be sufficiently investigated. This article aims at filling in the above-mentioned lacunae by conducting a case study of the status of Spanish Language Teaching in Delhi. It draws the conclusion that the maximum flexibility in the process of eclectically mixing various pedagogical methods of SLT could go a long way in motivating and benefitting both the teachers as well as the students, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of SLT in multilingual India.

  16. Speech-language pathologists' assessment and intervention practices with multilingual children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Corinne J; McLeod, Sharynne

    2012-06-01

    Within predominantly English-speaking countries such as the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, there are a significant number of people who speak languages other than English. This study aimed to examine Australian speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) perspectives and experiences of multilingualism, including their assessment and intervention practices, and service delivery methods when working with children who speak languages other than English. A questionnaire was completed by 128 SLPs who attended an SLP seminar about cultural and linguistic diversity. Approximately one half of the SLPs (48.4%) reported that they had at least minimal competence in a language(s) other than English; but only 12 (9.4%) reported that they were proficient in another language. The SLPs spoke a total of 28 languages other than English, the most common being French, Italian, German, Spanish, Mandarin, and Auslan (Australian sign language). Participants reported that they had, in the past 12 months, worked with a mean of 59.2 (range 1-100) children from multilingual backgrounds. These children were reported to speak between two and five languages each; the most common being: Vietnamese, Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Australian Indigenous languages, Tagalog, Greek, and other Chinese languages. There was limited overlap between the languages spoken by the SLPs and the children on the SLPs' caseloads. Many of the SLPs assessed children's speech (50.5%) and/or language (34.2%) without assistance from others (including interpreters). English was the primary language used during assessments and intervention. The majority of SLPs always used informal speech (76.7%) and language (78.2%) assessments and, if standardized tests were used, typically they were in English. The SLPs sought additional information about the children's languages and cultural backgrounds, but indicated that they had limited resources to discriminate between speech and language difference vs disorder.

  17. Cross-Linguistic Transfer Effects after Phonologically Based Cognate Therapy in a Case of Multilingual Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kambanaros, Maria; Michaelides, Michalis; Grohmann, Kleanthes K.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Clinicians globally recognize as exceptionally challenging the development of effective intervention practices for bi- or multilingual children with specific language impairment (SLI). Therapy in both or all of an impaired child's languages is rarely possible. An alternative is to develop treatment protocols that facilitate the…

  18. Age of language acquisition and cortical language organization in multilingual patients undergoing awake brain mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-Coello, Alejandro; Havas, Viktória; Juncadella, Montserrat; Sierpowska, Joanna; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; Gabarrós, Andreu

    2017-06-01

    OBJECTIVE Most knowledge regarding the anatomical organization of multilingualism is based on aphasiology and functional imaging studies. However, the results have still to be validated by the gold standard approach, namely electrical stimulation mapping (ESM) during awake neurosurgical procedures. In this ESM study the authors describe language representation in a highly specific group of 13 multilingual individuals, focusing on how age of acquisition may influence the cortical organization of language. METHODS Thirteen patients who had a high degree of proficiency in multiple languages and were harboring lesions within the dominant, left hemisphere underwent ESM while being operated on under awake conditions. Demographic and language data were recorded in relation to age of language acquisition (for native languages and early- and late-acquired languages), neuropsychological pre- and postoperative language testing, the number and location of language sites, and overlapping distribution in terms of language acquisition time. Lesion growth patterns and histopathological characteristics, location, and size were also recorded. The distribution of language sites was analyzed with respect to age of acquisition and overlap. RESULTS The functional language-related sites were distributed in the frontal (55%), temporal (29%), and parietal lobes (16%). The total number of native language sites was 47. Early-acquired languages (including native languages) were represented in 97 sites (55 overlapped) and late-acquired languages in 70 sites (45 overlapped). The overlapping distribution was 20% for early-early, 71% for early-late, and 9% for late-late. The average lesion size (maximum diameter) was 3.3 cm. There were 5 fast-growing and 7 slow-growing lesions. CONCLUSIONS Cortical language distribution in multilingual patients is not homogeneous, and it is influenced by age of acquisition. Early-acquired languages have a greater cortical representation than languages acquired

  19. Double threshold in bi- and multilingual contexts: preconditions for higher academic attainment in English as an additional language.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lechner, Simone; Siemund, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Bi- and multilingualism has been shown to have positive effects on the attainment of third and additional languages. These effects, however, depend on the type of bi- and multilingualism and the status of the languages involved (Cenoz, 2003; Jessner, 2006). In this exploratory trend study, we revisit Cummins' Threshold Hypothesis (1979), claiming that bilingual children must reach certain levels of attainment in order to (a) avoid academic deficits and (b) allow bilingualism to have a positive effect on their cognitive development and academic attainment. To this end, we examine the attainment of English as an academic language of 16-years-old school children from Hamburg (n = 52). Our findings support the existence of thresholds for literacy attainment. We argue that language external factors may override positive effects of bilingualism. In addition, these factors may compensate negative effects attributable to low literacy attainment in German and the heritage languages. We also show that low attainment levels in migrant children's heritage languages preempt high literacy attainment in additional languages.

  20. Receptive Multilingualism as a Strategy for Sharing Mutual Linguistic Resources in the Workplace in a Swiss Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lüdi, Georges

    2013-01-01

    The growing mobility of populations in important parts of the world has led, and is continuing to lead, to a lasting change from monolingual to multilingual teams of people working together, and the need for techniques for communication between people of different languages. A frequent stereotype envisages the most convenient solution as the…

  1. Umberto Eco, l'esperanto, et le plurilinguisme de l'avenir (Umbert Eco, Esperanto, and the Multilingualism of the Future).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ertl, Istvan; Lo Jacomo, Francois

    1994-01-01

    An interview with Umberto Eco, novelist and linguist, addresses issues in international communication of the future, and particularly the role of Esperanto in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse world society. Topics discussed include translation, native language and multilingualism, and politics of language. (MSE)

  2. THE DILEMMA OF MULTILINGUALISM IN IRAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Kalantari

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Iran is a multilingual country with linguistic and cultural diversity. Minority languages such as Turkish, Kurdish, Baluchi and Arabic are spoken in Iran which constitutes part of the culture and ethnic identity. Iranian community is dominantly a bilingual community. Persian as an official language used as linguistic and cultural homogenization while minority languages are not used in education system. The controversy bilingual education and programs to serve language minority students is complex and puzzling for education authorities. On the other hand one of the challenges Iranian faces is how to reconcile conflicting perspectives of bilingual education regarding globalizing of English. Currently, most of parents prefer their children to learn English as it is the language of business, aviation and scientific research. In contrast according to Iran’s comprehensive scientific plan, Persian should be scientific language of the world in the near future. In this research, challenges, perspectives and solutions of bilingual education in Iran were analyzed. The results indicate that conflicting of minority, majority and international language is an important challenge and developing, promotion and expansion of Persian is a future outlook. Furthermore some suggestions and solutions to reconcile bilingual education were made.

  3. Snapshots of the Universe: A Multilingual Astronomy Book

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beaton, R. L.; Sokal, K. R.; Liss, S. E.; Johnson, K. E.

    2015-11-01

    Dark Skies, Bright Kids! (DSBK) is an outreach organization at the University of Virginia, focused on enhancing elementary level science education in under-served communities. Early in the program, DSBK volunteers encountered difficulties connecting with English as a second language (ESL) students. To meet that challenge, DSBK volunteers created story-book style art with short descriptions of astronomical objects in both Spanish and English to help communicate basic astronomy concepts to these students. Building on this initial success, our simple project has evolved into a full multilingual children's book targeted at 2nd-5th grade students. Though originally in Spanish and English, a partnership with the University of Alberta (Canada) has produced a French translation of the text, broadening the outreach potential of the book. In this contribution, we describe Snapshots of the Universe (Instantáneas del Universo) and reflect upon the process of creating this unique resource.

  4. Understanding Different Levels of Group Functionality: Activity Systems Analysis of an Intercultural Telecollaborative Multilingual Digital Storytelling Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Priego, Sabrina; Liaw, Meei-Ling

    2017-01-01

    An Activity Theory framework has been increasingly applied for understanding the tension or contradictions in telecollaboration. However, to date, few researchers have applied it to the analysis of digital stories, and none of them, to our knowledge, have used it to analyze the co-creation of multilingual digital stories. In this study, we explore…

  5. Preferences for (In)Formal Language: Correlations with Attitudes toward Linguistic Variation, Multilingualism, Tolerance of Ambiguity, and Residence Abroad

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Compernolle, Rémi A.

    2017-01-01

    Drawing on data collected via a web-based survey, the study investigates the relationship between preferences for (in)formal language and attitudes toward linguistic variation among a large group of monolingual and multilingual adults (n = 379). Also explored are the links between preferences for (in)formal language and several secondary…

  6. Conceptualising Multilingual Capabilities in Anglophone Higher Degree Research Education: Challenges and Possibilities for Reconfiguring Language Practices and Policies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wei

    2016-01-01

    In a context of the internationalisation of Higher Education (HE) driven by the high mobility of international Higher Degree Research candidates (HDRs), it is important to consider the value of HDRs' multilingual capabilities for their learning and making of original contributions to knowledge. This article reports on a literature study regarding…

  7. From Picturebook to Multilingual Collage: Bringing Learners’ First Language and Culture into the Pre-school Classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emma McGilp

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses a project with a small group of children learning English as an a language (EAL at a pre-school in Scotland. The project however could be replicated across the globe, in any classroom with a diverse range of learners, with particular benefit to minority and newly arrived migrant children. At the project’s core was the aim to bring the children’s first language and culture into the classroom, drawing in particular on Cummin’s (1984 Common Underlying Proficiency model, which asserts that knowledge of one language can assist learners in their acquisition of another. The project used multicultural picturebooks to validate the learner’s experiences and culture, and then called on parents’ funds of knowledge to make the children’s first language visible in the classroom. This joint working between the children, parents and the pre-school culminated in the production of a multilingual collage – a prominent display that recognises the value of the children’s first language in the classroom, builds bridges between home and school and is reflective, and proud, of an increasingly multilingual Scotland.

  8. Automatic creation of specialised multilingual dictionaries in new subject areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joaquim Moré

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available This article presents a tool to automatically generate specialised dictionaries of multilingual equivalents in new subject areas. The tool uses resources that are available on the web to search for equivalents and verify their reliability. These resources are, on the one hand, the Wikipedias, which can be freely downloaded and processed, and, on the other, the materials that terminological institutions of reference make available. This tool is of use to teachers producing teaching materials and researchers preparing theses, articles or reference manuals. It is also of use to translators and terminologists working on terminological standardisation in a new subject area in a given language, as it helps them in their work to pinpoint concepts that have yet to receive a standardised denomination.

  9. Multilingual Immigrants' French and English Acquisition in Grade 6 French Immersion: Evidence as Means to Improve Access

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mady, Callie

    2018-01-01

    This study seeks to examine the success of voluntary immigrants in Grade 6 French immersion with a double comparison to Canadian-born (a) Anglophones and (b) multilingual students (children of voluntary immigrants). The findings, that show the immigrant students to outperform the other two groups in French and English, are explored through a…

  10. Language Use in a Multilingual Class: a Study of the Relation Between Bilingual Students' Languages and Their Meaning-Making in Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ünsal, Zeynep; Jakobson, Britt; Molander, Bengt-Olov; Wickman, Per-Olof

    2017-04-01

    In this study, we examine how bilingual students in elementary school use their languages and what this means for their meaning-making in science. The class was multilingual with students bilingual in different minority languages and the teacher monolingual in Swedish. The analysis is based on a pragmatic approach and the theory of translanguaging. The science content was electricity, and the teaching involved class instruction and hands-on activities in small groups. The findings of the study are divided into two categories, students' conversations with the teacher and student's conversations with each other. Since the class was multilingual, the class instruction was carried out in Swedish. Generally, when the conversations were characterised by an initiation, response and evaluation pattern, the students made meaning of the activities without any language limitations. However, when the students, during whole class instruction, were engaged in conversations where they had to argue, discuss and explain their ideas, their language repertoire in Swedish limited their possibilities to express themselves. During hands-on activities, students with the same minority language worked together and used both of their languages as resources. In some situations, the activities proceeded without any visible language limitations. In other situations, students' language repertoire limited their possibilities to make meaning of the activities despite being able to use both their languages. What the results mean for designing and conducting science lessons in a multilingual class is discussed.

  11. The Role of Mother Tongue Literacy in Language Learning and Mathematical Learning: Is There a Multilingual Benefit for Both?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahm, Rebecca; De Angelis, Gessica

    2018-01-01

    The present study examines the multilingual benefit in relation to language learning and mathematical learning. The objective is to assess whether speakers of three or more languages, depending on language profile and personal histories, show significant advantages in language learning and/or mathematical learning, and whether mother tongue…

  12. Double Threshold in bi- and multilingual contexts: Preconditions for positive language influence in English as an additional language

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simone eLechner

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Bi- and multilingualism has been shown to have positive effects on the attainment of third and additional lan-guages. These effects, however, depend on the type of bi- and multilingualism and the status of the languages involved (Cenoz 2003; Jessner 2006. In this explorative trend study, we revisit Cummins’ Threshold Hypothesis (1979, claiming that bilingual children must reach certain levels of attainment in order to a avoid academic deficits and b allow bilingualism to have a positive effect on their cognitive development and academic attain-ment. To this end, we examine the attainment of English as an academic language of 16-year-old school children from Hamburg (n=52. Our findings support the existence of thresholds for literacy attainment. We argue that language external factors may override positive effects of bilingualism. In addition, these factors may compensate negative effects attributable to low literacy attainment in German and the heritage languages. We also show that low attainment levels in migrant children’s heritage languages preempt high literacy attainment in additional languages.

  13. Language and Development in Multilingual Settings: A Case Study of Knowledge Exchange and Teacher Education in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rassool, Naz; Edwards, Viv; Bloch, Carole

    2006-12-01

    The quality of a country's human-resource base can be said to determine its level of success in social and economic development. This study focuses on some␣of the major human-resource development issues that surround the implementation of South Africa's policy of multilingualism in education. It begins by discussing the relationship between knowledge, language, and human-resource, social and economic development within the global cultural economy. It then considers the situation in South Africa and, in particular, the implications of that country's colonial and neo-colonial past for attempts to implement the new policy. Drawing on the linguistic-diversity-in-education debate in the United Kingdom of the past three decades, it assesses the first phase of an in-service teacher-education programme that was carried out at the Project for Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) based at the University of Cape Town. The authors identify key short- and long-term issues related to knowledge exchange in education in multilingual societies, especially concerning the use of African languages as mediums for teaching and learning.

  14. The Development of Language and Reading Skills in the Second and Third Languages of Multilingual Children in French Immersion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berube, Daniel; Marinova-Todd, Stefka H.

    2012-01-01

    The relationship between first language (L1) typology, defined as the classification of languages according to their structural characteristics (e.g. phonological systems and writing systems), and the development of second (L2) and third (L3) language skills and literacy proficiency in multilingual children was investigated in this study. The…

  15. Learning through the Medium of English in Multilingual South Africa: Enabling or Disabling Learners from Low Income Contexts?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desai, Zubeida

    2016-01-01

    Increasingly, there is a growing move towards using global languages such as English as media of instruction. Does one swim against this growing tide or does one look at strategies to accommodate English in multilingual contexts such as prevail in South Africa? In this article I examine the debates in South Africa about the role of English in…

  16. Intraoperative language localization in multilingual patients with gliomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bello, Lorenzo; Acerbi, Francesco; Giussani, Carlo; Baratta, Pietro; Taccone, Paolo; Songa, Valeria; Fava, Marica; Stocchetti, Nino; Papagno, Costanza; Gaini, Sergio M

    2006-07-01

    Intraoperative localization of speech is problematic in patients who are fluent in different languages. Previous studies have generated various results depending on the series of patients studied, the type of language, and the sensitivity of the tasks applied. It is not clear whether languages are mediated by multiple and separate cortical areas or shared by common areas. Globally considered, previous studies recommended performing a multiple intraoperative mapping for all the languages in which the patient is fluent. The aim of this work was to study the feasibility of performing an intraoperative multiple language mapping in a group of multilingual patients with a glioma undergoing awake craniotomy for tumor removal and to describe the intraoperative cortical and subcortical findings in the area of craniotomy, with the final goal to maximally preserve patients' functional language. Seven late, highly proficient multilingual patients with a left frontal glioma were submitted preoperatively to a battery of tests to evaluate oral language production, comprehension, and repetition. Each language was tested serially starting from the first acquired language. Items that were correctly named during these tests were used to build personalized blocks to be used intraoperatively. Language mapping was undertaken during awake craniotomies by the use of an Ojemann cortical stimulator during counting and oral naming tasks. Subcortical stimulation by using the same current threshold was applied during tumor resection, in a back and forth fashion, and the same tests. Cortical sites essential for oral naming were found in 87.5% of patients, those for the first acquired language in one to four sites, those for the other languages in one to three sites. Sites for each language were distinct and separate. Number and location of sites were not predictable, being randomly and widely distributed in the cortex around or less frequently over the tumor area. Subcortical stimulations found

  17. LE TOURISME ROUMAIN - STRATEGIQUEMENT OUVERT VERS L’INTERNATIONAL. L’EST-IL AUSSI VERS LA COMMUNICATION MULTILINGUE? (II

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    CONSTANTIN Felicia

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available One of the recommendations of the ELAN study (2007, which developed a pertinent analysis of the impact of linguistic incompetence on the economic performance, was to devote more extensive research on the impact of the language skills on other sectors of economy. We chose tourism, which is, according to the World Tourism Organization, one of the most important and dynamic sectors in the world, an engine for development, prosperity and welfare. Romanian tourism should follow the general tendency of Tourism Towards 2030; this perspective projects that the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide will increase by 3.3% per year between 2010 and 2030, reaching 1.8 milliards in 2030. Our study is structured in two parts, developed in two distinct articles. In the first part (I, a careful reading of the official documents that note the strategic directions in Romanian tourism for periods between 5 and 20 years confirm the openness of the Romanian tourism towards the international. However, we were surprised to notice the fact that, in these reference documents, the issue of foreign languages, vehicles for international communication, is ignored, if not completely obscure. Despite its strategic role, multilingual communication is mentioned only sporadically and is not granted a focused attention at any level - national, regional or local; it is not included in a detailed strategic program that could generate an added value indisputable in promoting tourism. In the second part of our study (II, we tried to capture the effects of this inconsistency on the practical aspects of tourism, specifically the virtual multilingual presentations of the hotels in Oradea, a municipality located close to the border with Hungary and therefore a multilingual and multicultural space par excellence. The comparison with a similar survey conducted in 2011 confirmed the same lack of interest for a simple, quick, sustainable and very profitable decision: that of

  18. Multilingual Terminology Work in Theory – and in Practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Erdman Thomsen, Hanne; Madsen, Bodil Nistrup; Lassen, Tine

    2016-01-01

    In theory, multilingual terminology work is done by creating concept diagrams in each of the languages and comparing them to establish equivalences between concepts in the two languages. In practice, however, various terminology management systems (TMS) are used, end these systems hardly ever...... support the ideal working method. First of all, only very few integrate adequate tools for modelling concept systems. Second, the data structure and the user interface do not support the process of linking entries in two languages. Concerning the data structure, the understanding of “concept oriented......” plays a major role. In many cases the concept is perceived as a unit at the interlingual level, and in the data structure an entry corresponds to one concept with terms from several languages connected. In other cases, the concept is seen as language-specific, and in the data structure an entry contains...

  19. Learning Concepts, Language, and Literacy in Hybrid Linguistic Codes: The Multilingual Maze of Urban Grade 1 Classrooms in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henning, Elizabeth

    2012-01-01

    From the field of developmental psycholinguistics and from conceptual development theory there is evidence that excessive linguistic "code-switching" in early school education may pose some hazards for the learning of young multilingual children. In this article the author addresses the issue, invoking post-Piagetian and neo-Vygotskian…

  20. Chatting, Chatten or Chattare: Using a Multilingual Workspace for Language and Culture Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ursula Stickler

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper will describe the results of analyses carried out on multilingual chat sessions that took place in the context of LITERALIA, a 24-months long project funded by the European Union’s Grundtvig initiative to support: “Learning In Tandem to Encourage Reciprocal Autonomous Learning In Adults - LITERALIA”. An online workspace was created for the project that allowed learners to communicate with others in four different countries and to enhance their linguistic and cultural competence in four European languages: English, German, Italian, and Polish. Participation in the chat was voluntary and took place in an integrated Moodle workspace.

  1. Parents' Expression and Discussion of Emotion in the Multilingual Family: Does Language Matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Stephen H; Kennedy, Morgan; Zhou, Qing

    2012-07-01

    Parents regularly use words to express and discuss emotion with their children, but does it matter which language they use to do so? In this article, we examine this question in the multilingual family context by integrating findings from both psychological and linguistic research. We propose that parents' use of different languages for emotional expression or discussion holds significant implications for children's emotional experience, understanding, and regulation. Finally, we suggest that an understanding of the implications of emotion-related language shifts is critical, particularly in adapting interventions within a rapidly diversifying society. © The Author(s) 2012.

  2. FOCALIZZARE LA FORMA: SVILUPPO DELLA COMPETENZA LINGUISTICA NELLA CLASSE MULTILINGUE DELLA SCUOLA PRIMARIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Whittle

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available L’obiettivo di questo contributo è la descrizione di modelli di didattica della grammatica all’interno di un approccio comunicativo all'insegnamento della L2. L’etichetta focus on form raccoglie alcune strategie di interazione che promuovono l’accuratezza linguistica all'interno di un dispositivo che non perde di vista l’aggancio con la dimensione del significato. Per delineare i tratti di questo approccio sono stati proposti degli esempi, tratti da trascrizioni di interventi in classe, che illustrano opzioni diverse di insegnamento della grammatica nella classe multilingue: da un modello deduttivo e decontestualizzato (focus on forms, ad un intervento di riflessione sulla lingua utile a notare delle regolarità linguistiche e una focalizzazione sulla forma basata sul feedback correttivo (focus on form. Per chiarire il ruolo che la focalizzazione sulla forma può avere in un task comunicativo sono state messe a confronto due sequenze di insegnamento, una di L1 e l'altra di L2 nella stessa classe di scuola primaria frequentata dal 50% di bambini non italofoni di cui 5 di livello basico. I due approcci sono stati ricondotti alla distinzione fra focus on meaning (didattica della L1 e focus on form (didattica della L2. Tutti gli esempi sono tratti da tre classi seconde della stessa scuola coinvolte in un esperimento didattico sull’acquisizione di tre forme del presente indicativo italiano. Focusing on the form: the development of expertise in multilingual primary school classesThe paper describes communicative grammar teaching models in L2 teaching. The label “focus on form” collects some interaction strategies that promote linguistic accuracy without losing sight of the link with the dimension of meaning. Examples taken from transcripts of speeches in class outline the features of this approach, showing different options for teaching grammar in the multilingual classroom: from a deductive and decontextualized model (focus on forms

  3. Globalization and language policies of multilingual societies: some case studies of south east Asia Globalização e políticas linguísticas em sociedades multilíngues: estudos de caso do sudeste da Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Navin Kumar Singh

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Over the past few decades, significant economic and political changes have taken place around the world. These changes also have put a significant mark on language teaching and learning practices across the globe. There is a clear movement towards multilingual practices in the world, which is also evident in the title of UNESCO 2003 education position paper, "Education in a multilingual world." Given the long-standing history of multilingual contexts of the Himalayan region and the emergence of the two major global economic power centers of 21st century, China and India, language policies and practices of the region have become a great matter of interests for linguists and policy makers around the world. This paper uses case studies to investigate how globalization influences language education policies and practices in multilingual countries. The case studies that we have drawn from the four nations of South East Asia - Afghanistan, China, India, and Nepal offer insights for other multilingual nations of the world, as they portray the influences of globalization on language policies and practices of multilingual countries. This paper suggests more research on comparative studies of multilingual education across multilingual nations in the world.Nas últimas décadas, transformações econoômicas e políticas significativas transcorreram no mundo. Essas mudanças deixaram sua marca também nas práticas de ensino e aprendizagem de línguas em todo o globo. Há um claro movimento em prol de práticas multilíngues, o que fica evidente no título do artigo de posição da UNESCO sobre a educação de 2003, "Education in a multilingual world". Frente à longa história de contextos multilíngues na região do Himalaia e à emergência de duas potências mundiais no século 21, a Índia e a China, as práticas e políticas linguísticas da região tornaram-se assunto de grande interesse para linguistas e legisladores de todo o mundo. Este artigo

  4. Intelligent virtual agents as language trainers facilitate multilingualism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macedonia, Manuela; Groher, Iris; Roithmayr, Friedrich

    2014-01-01

    intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) with human appearance and the capability to teach foreign language vocabulary. We report results from studies that we have conducted with Billie, an IVA employed as a vocabulary trainer, as well as research findings on the acceptance of the agent as a trainer by adults and children. The results show that Billie can train humans as well as a human teacher can and that both adults and children accept the IVA as a trainer. The advantages of IVAs are multiple. First, their teaching methods can be based on neuropsychological research findings concerning memory and learning practice. Second, virtual teachers can provide individualized training. Third, they coach users during training, are always supportive, and motivate learners to train. Fourth, agents will reside in the user's mobile devices and thus be at the user's disposal everywhere and anytime. Agents in apps will make foreign language training accessible to anybody at low cost. This will enable people around the world, including physically, financially, and geographically disadvantaged persons, to learn a foreign language and help to facilitate multilingualism.

  5. Executive and language control in the multilingual brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Anthony Pak-Hin; Abutalebi, Jubin; Lam, Karen Sze-Yan; Weekes, Brendan

    2014-01-01

    Neuroimaging studies suggest that the neural network involved in language control may not be specific to bi-/multilingualism but is part of a domain-general executive control system. We report a trilingual case of a Cantonese (L1), English (L2), and Mandarin (L3) speaker, Dr. T, who sustained a brain injury at the age of 77 causing lesions in the left frontal lobe and in the left temporo-parietal areas resulting in fluent aphasia. Dr. T's executive functions were impaired according to a modified version of the Stroop color-word test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance was characterized by frequent perseveration errors. Dr. T demonstrated pathological language switching and mixing across her three languages. Code switching in Cantonese was more prominent in discourse production than confrontation naming. Our case suggests that voluntary control of spoken word production in trilingual speakers shares neural substrata in the frontobasal ganglia system with domain-general executive control mechanisms. One prediction is that lesions to such a system would give rise to both pathological switching and impairments of executive functions in trilingual speakers.

  6. Multilingualism and healthcare in Nigeria: a management perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antia, Bassey E; Bertin, Fankep D A

    2004-01-01

    Nigeria has a healthcare system that has been described as defective even by its managers. A year 2000 study by the World Health Organization (WHO) of health systems in 191 member countries ranked Nigeria 187th. These several evaluations consistently point to inadequate managerial skills. Regrettably, very little is known of the import of language and communication as management issues in healthcare delivery in this country of 400 languages. This article therefore proposes a language-driven audit of health management in Borno State (northeast Nigeria) as a means of sensitizing policy makers and implementers. Based largely on data from questionnaires completed by 129 health professionals belonging to various professional categories (physicians, nurses, pharmacy staff, laboratory staff, and medical and health workers) and drawn from four hospitals, the study explores the relationship between multilingualism and the following: (a) patients' rights; (b) staff recruitment, deployment and commitment; (c) human asset accounting; (d) physician-population ratio. This language-driven audit reveals a number of points, including: ethically questionable practices; distributional imbalance in personnel; commendable cases of employee commitment; and inequity in renumeration.

  7. International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology (ICRA) recommendations for the construction of multilingual speech tests. ICRA Working Group on Multilingual Speech Tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akeroyd, Michael A; Arlinger, Stig; Bentler, Ruth A; Boothroyd, Arthur; Dillier, Norbert; Dreschler, Wouter A; Gagné, Jean-Pierre; Lutman, Mark; Wouters, Jan; Wong, Lena; Kollmeier, Birger

    2015-01-01

    To provide guidelines for the development of two types of closed-set speech-perception tests that can be applied and interpreted in the same way across languages. The guidelines cover the digit triplet and the matrix sentence tests that are most commonly used to test speech recognition in noise. They were developed by a working group on Multilingual Speech Tests of the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology (ICRA). The recommendations are based on reviews of existing evaluations of the digit triplet and matrix tests as well as on the research experience of members of the ICRA Working Group. They represent the results of a consensus process. The resulting recommendations deal with: Test design and word selection; Talker characteristics; Audio recording and stimulus preparation; Masking noise; Test administration; and Test validation. By following these guidelines for the development of any new test of this kind, clinicians and researchers working in any language will be able to perform tests whose results can be compared and combined in cross-language studies.

  8. THE LEXICOGRAFIC PRINCIPLES OF WORD MEANINGS IN THE MULTILINGUAL SYNONYMIC DICTIONARIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siddikova, I.A.

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This article is dedicated to study of principles of description of the meaning of words in the multilingual synonymic dictionaries. The dictionary of synonyms must have full enough and absolutely explicit description of their semantic similarity and distinctions. The description can be full if it includes all existing features of the words, adequately denote every meaning and help the language learners and speakers in choosing possible meanings of synonyms owing to situation. The synonymic dictionary must include all synonyms, their meanings, lexico-semantic combination, distribution, grammatical constructions and stylistic features showing their usage in certain contexts and situations. In some cases according to their contextual meanings synonyms may be substituted depending on situation. The article is based on examples of English, Uzbek and Russian languages.

  9. Teacher perspectives on science literacy in multilingual classrooms –multidisciplinary explorations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hajer, Maaike; Nielsen, Birgitte Lund; Tytler, Russell

    using Clarke & Hollingworth (2002) (referred to as C&H) model for analyzing teacher development as connections between teachers personal domain of knowledge and beliefs, practice domain of experimenting in the classroom, domain of consequence including salient student outcomes and the external domain...... that requires multidisciplinary cooperation. The Swedish Science and Literacy Teaching (SALT)project focuses on the questions How do science teachers address literacy skills in classes with secondary students in a multilingual classroom? and How can an explicit focus on literacy development become an integrated...... part of science teachers’ practice and thinking? The multidisciplinary team includes expertise in applied linguistics (text analysis, second language teaching), science pedagogy and teacher professional development. Having gathered the SALT data, the challenge in this phase is in the analysis. How can...

  10. Multi-Paradigm and Multi-Lingual Information Extraction as Support for Medical Web Labelling Authorities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Labsky

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Until recently, quality labelling of medical web content has been a pre-dominantly manual activity. However, the advances in automated text processing opened the way to computerised support of this activity. The core enabling technology is information extraction (IE. However, the heterogeneity of websites offering medical content imposes particular requirements on the IE techniques to be applied. In the paper we discuss these requirements and describe a multi-paradigm approach to IE addressing them. Experiments on multi-lingual data are reported. The research has been carried out within the EU MedIEQ project.

  11. IFLA General Conference, 1986. Pre-Conference Seminar on Automated Systems for Access to Multilingual and Multiscript Library materials: Problems and Solutions. Papers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, The Hague (Netherlands).

    A seminar which considered problems and solutions regarding automated systems for access to multilingual and multiscript library materials was held as a pre-session before the IFLA general conference in 1986. Papers presented include: (1) "Romanized and Transliterated Databases of Asian Language Materials--History, Problems, and…

  12. Acquisition of German pluralization rules in monolingual and multilingual children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eugen Zaretsky

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Existing studies on plural acquisition in German have relied on small samples and thus hardly deliver generalizable and differentiated results. Here, overgeneralizations of certain plural allomorphs and other tendencies in the acquisition of German plural markers are described on the basis of test data from 7,394 3- to 5-yearold monolingual German and bi/multilingual immigrant children tested with a modified, validated version of the Marburger Sprachscreening (MSS language test and 476 children tested with the SETK 3-5 language test. Classified correct and wrong answers to MSS and SETK 3-5 plural items were compared. The acquisition patterns of immigrants corresponded to those of younger German children. Both monolingual German and immigrant children demonstrated generally the same universal frequency and phonetically/phonologically based error patterns, irrespective of their linguistic background, but with different tendencies such as overgeneralization of -s by German children only.

  13. Cognitive-linguistic performances of multilingual university students suspected of dyslexia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindgrén, Signe-Anita; Laine, Matti

    2011-05-01

    High-performing adults with compensated dyslexia pose particular challenges to dyslexia diagnostics. We compared the performance of 20 multilingual Finnish university students with suspected dyslexia with 20 age-matched and education-matched controls on an extensive test battery. The battery tapped various aspects of reading, writing, word retrieval, phonological processing and other cognitive functions relevant for dyslexia. Reading and writing were examined in the two domestic languages, Swedish and Finnish. The most prominent group differences in reading and writing emerged on accuracy measures in both languages (reading text aloud, proofreading, writing to dictation, free writing). The dyslexia group also performed less well on speeded segmentation of written input, complex speeded naming and complex phoneme manipulation. The pattern of results fits the phonological deficit hypothesis of dyslexia and indicates the presence of pervasive underlying defects in compensated dyslexia. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Multilingualism in Action: A Conversation Analytic View on How Children Are Re-Voicing a Story in a French Second Language Learning Lesson

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arend, Béatrice; Sunnen, Patrick

    2017-01-01

    Our paper provides an empirically based perspective on the contribution of Conversation Analysis (CA) to our understanding of children's second language learning practices in a multilingual classroom setting. While exploring the interactional configuration of a French second language learning activity, we focus our analytic lens on how five…

  15. Executive and Language Control in the Multilingual Brain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthony Pak-Hin Kong

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Neuroimaging studies suggest that the neural network involved in language control may not be specific to bi-/multilingualism but is part of a domain-general executive control system. We report a trilingual case of a Cantonese (L1, English (L2, and Mandarin (L3 speaker, Dr. T, who sustained a brain injury at the age of 77 causing lesions in the left frontal lobe and in the left temporo-parietal areas resulting in fluent aphasia. Dr. T’s executive functions were impaired according to a modified version of the Stroop color-word test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance was characterized by frequent perseveration errors. Dr. T demonstrated pathological language switching and mixing across her three languages. Code switching in Cantonese was more prominent in discourse production than confrontation naming. Our case suggests that voluntary control of spoken word production in trilingual speakers shares neural substrata in the frontobasal ganglia system with domain-general executive control mechanisms. One prediction is that lesions to such a system would give rise to both pathological switching and impairments of executive functions in trilingual speakers.

  16. Multilingualism in indigenous mathematics education: an epistemic matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parra, Aldo; Trinick, Tony

    2017-12-01

    An investigation into an aspect of indigenous education provides the opportunity to forefront an epistemological discussion about mathematical knowledge. This paper analyses indigenous peoples' educational experiences in Colombia and Aotearoa/New Zealand of mathematics education, focusing on, among other things, sociolinguistic issues such as language planning. In these experiences, researchers, teachers and local communities, working together, elaborated their respective languages to create a corpus of lexicon that has enabled the teaching of Western mathematics. An analysis using decolonial theory is made, showing how this corpus development works to enable the teaching of [Western] mathematics resulted in investigations into culture, language and mathematics that revealed an interplay among knowledge and power. Such analysis raises issues about the epistemology of mathematics and the politics of knowledge, analogous with current discussions on multilingualism in mathematics education and in ethnomathematics. The paper concludes that mathematics educators can explore and take advantage of the sociolinguistic and epistemological issues that arise when an indigenous language is elaborated in a short period of time in comparison to other languages which have been developed incrementally over hundreds of years and thus much more difficult to critique.

  17. Intelligent Virtual Agents as Language Trainers Facilitate Multilingualism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuela eMacedonia

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we introduce a new generation of language trainers: intelligent virtual agents (IVAs with human appearance and the capability to teach foreign language vocabulary. We report results from studies that we have conducted with Billie, an IVA employed as a vocabulary trainer, as well as research findings on the acceptance of the agent as a trainer by adults and children. The results show that Billie can train humans as well as a human teacher can and that both adults and children accept the IVA as a trainer. The advantages of IVAs are multiple. First, their teaching methods can be based on neuropsychological research findings concerning memory and learning practice. Second, virtual teachers can provide individualized training. Third, they coach users during training, are always supportive, and motivate learners to train. Fourth, agents will reside in the user’s mobile devices and thus be at the user’s disposal everywhere and anytime. Agents in apps will make foreign language training accessible to anybody at low cost. This will enable people around the world, including physically, financially and geographically disadvantaged persons, to learn a foreign language and help to facilitate multilingualism.

  18. ‘I can’t really think in English’: Translation as literacy mediation in multilingual/multicultural learning contexts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Banda, Felix

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available The article explores some aspects of a study which investigates translation as academic literacy mediation in South Africa’s multilingual/multicultural contexts. The focus is on learners’ translations of academic texts between the L2 and L1, and vice-versa, as a strategy to cope with ESL academic tasks. Using reflection discourse from one-on-one and focus group interviews as well as study group discussion texts, the study uses the New Literacy Studies model of literacy as social practice and aspects of critical discourse analysis to identify some pedagogical implications. One of the conclusions is that although learners are able to ‘translate’ in the sense of swapping labels between the L2 and L1 for the same concept, they are unable to successfully ‘translate’ in the sense of transfer of knowledge/cognitive skills between the L2 and L1, and the reverse. The need for functional use of the L1 and L2, critical cross-cultural awareness and language socialisation, as well as for trained bilingual teachers and literacy mediators, is explored as a way to promote positive difference, and help learners develop strategies to achieve transform/recontextualise knowledge/cognitive skills between the L2 and L1, and vice-versa, in multilingual/multicul-tural contexts.

  19. Collaborative and Multilingual Approach to Learn Database Topics Using Concept Maps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvo, Iñaki

    2014-01-01

    Authors report on a study using the concept mapping technique in computer engineering education for learning theoretical introductory database topics. In addition, the learning of multilingual technical terminology by means of the collaborative drawing of a concept map is also pursued in this experiment. The main characteristics of a study carried out in the database subject at the University of the Basque Country during the 2011/2012 course are described. This study contributes to the field of concept mapping as these kinds of cognitive tools have proved to be valid to support learning in computer engineering education. It contributes to the field of computer engineering education, providing a technique that can be incorporated with several educational purposes within the discipline. Results reveal the potential that a collaborative concept map editor offers to fulfil the above mentioned objectives. PMID:25538957

  20. From the Problems of Dictionaries and Multi-lingual Corpora

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Violetta Koseska-Toszewa

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available From the Problems of Dictionaries and Multi-lingual Corpora The article describes the work on a number of dictionaries being developed by the Corpus Linguistics and Semantics Group of the Institute of Slavic PAS. They include “Contemporary Bulgarian-Polish Dictionary”, “Bulgarian-Polish Online Dictionary” and “Russian-Bulgarian-Polish Dictionary”. The dictionaries differ in the numbers of entries, as well as in the different degrees of their connection with parallel corpora being elaborated under the “Clarin” project. All the discussed dictionaries are similar with respect to their use of traditional, syntactic classifiers and of semantic classifiers, introduced for the first time in the existing lexicographical practice. Thanks to the “Polish-Bulgarian-Russian Corpus”, the Group has managed to verify the results of contrasting Polish and Bulgarian in the light of scope-based logical quantification. Thanks to the Russian material added to the trilingual corpus, the researchers have managed to confirm the fact that from the viewpoint of “incomplete quantification” Russian and Polish (synthetic languages behave similarly, and are opposed to the analytic Bulgarian.

  1. Internationalisation of information services for publishers' open access policies: the DINI multilingual integration layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scholze, Frank

    2008-01-01

    It is essential for the strategy of open access self-archiving that scientific authors are given comprehensive information on publisher copyright policies. DINI, the German Initiative for Networked Information, has developed a German (and potentially multilingual) interface to the English SHERPA/RoMEO service to provide additional information on German publishers' open access policies. As a next step, this interface was enhanced to an integration layer combining different sources on publisher copyright policies. This integration layer can be used in many different contexts. Together with the SHERPA/RoMEO team, DINI aims to build an international support structure for open access information. PMID:18662383

  2. Multilingualism and Dictionaries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wojciech Paweł Sosnowski

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Multilingualism and Dictionaries The Russian-Bulgarian-Polish dictionary that we (Wojciech Sosnowski, Violetta Koseska-Toszewa and Anna Kisiel are currently developing has no precedent as far as its theoretical foundations and its structure are concerned. The dictionary offers a unique combination of three Slavic languages that belong to three different groups: a West Slavic language (Polish, a South Slavic language (Bulgarian and an East Slavic language (Russian. The dictionary describes semantic and syntactic equivalents of words between the languages. When completed, the dictionary will contain around 30,000 entries. The principle we build the dictionary on is that every language should be given equal status. Many of our data come from the Parallel Polish-Bulgarian-Russian corpus developed by us as part of the CLARIN-PL initiative. In the print version, the entries come in the order of the Cyrillic alphabet and they are not numbered (except for homonyms, which are disambiguated with Roman numbers. We selected the lemmas for the dictionary on the basis of their frequency in the corpus. Our dictionary is the first dictionary to include forms of address and most recent neologisms in the three languages. Faithful to the recent developments in contrastive linguistics, we begin with a form from the dictionary’s primary language and we define it in Polish. Subsequently, based on this definition, we try to find an equivalent in the second and the third language. Therefore, the meaning comes first and only then we look for the form (i.e. the equivalent that corresponds to this meaning. This principle, outlined in Gramatyka konfrontatywna języków polskiego i bułgarskiego (GKBP, allows us to treat data from multiple languages as equal. In the dictionary, we draw attention to the correct choice of equivalents in translation; we also provide categorisers that indicate the meaning of verbal tenses and aspects. The definitions of states, events and

  3. Case Studies of Multilingual/Multicultural Asian Deaf Adults: Strategies for Success.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qiuying; Andrews, Jean; Liu, Hsiu Tan; Liu, Chun Jung

    2016-01-01

    Case studies of adult d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners (DMLs) are few, especially studies of DMLs who learn more than one sign language and read logographic and alphabetic scripts. To reduce this paucity, two descriptive case studies are presented. Written questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, and self-appraisals of language-use rubrics were used to explore (a) the language and literacy histories of two adult Asian DMLs who had learned multiple languages: Chinese (spoken/written), English (written), Chinese Sign Language, and American Sign Language; and (b) how each language was used in different cultural communities with diverse conversational partners. Home literacy environment, family support, visual access to languages, peer and sibling support, role models, encouragement, perseverance, and Deaf identity all played vital roles in the participants' academic success. The findings provide insights into the acquisition of multiple languages and bi-literacy through social communication and academic content.

  4. The Effect of Academic Controversy Technique on Turkish Teachers Candidates' Success to Effective Speaking Skills and Its Relation with Some Variables (Gender, Multilingualism)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karda, Mehmet Nuri

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine the effect of Academic controversy as a technique of collaborative learning on Turkish Teachers candidates' success to effective speaking skills and its relationship with variables like gender and multilingualism. Therefore the experimental design based on the pre-test and post-test measurement with control…

  5. iSentenizer-μ: multilingual sentence boundary detection model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Derek F; Chao, Lidia S; Zeng, Xiaodong

    2014-01-01

    Sentence boundary detection (SBD) system is normally quite sensitive to genres of data that the system is trained on. The genres of data are often referred to the shifts of text topics and new languages domains. Although new detection models can be retrained for different languages or new text genres, previous model has to be thrown away and the creation process has to be restarted from scratch. In this paper, we present a multilingual sentence boundary detection system (iSentenizer-μ) for Danish, German, English, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Finnish, and Swedish languages. The proposed system is able to detect the sentence boundaries of a mixture of different text genres and languages with high accuracy. We employ i (+)Learning algorithm, an incremental tree learning architecture, for constructing the system. iSentenizer-μ, under the incremental learning framework, is adaptable to text of different topics and Roman-alphabet languages, by merging new data into existing model to learn the new knowledge incrementally by revision instead of retraining. The system has been extensively evaluated on different languages and text genres and has been compared against two state-of-the-art SBD systems, Punkt and MaxEnt. The experimental results show that the proposed system outperforms the other systems on all datasets.

  6. iSentenizer-μ: Multilingual Sentence Boundary Detection Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Derek F. Wong

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Sentence boundary detection (SBD system is normally quite sensitive to genres of data that the system is trained on. The genres of data are often referred to the shifts of text topics and new languages domains. Although new detection models can be retrained for different languages or new text genres, previous model has to be thrown away and the creation process has to be restarted from scratch. In this paper, we present a multilingual sentence boundary detection system (iSentenizer-μ for Danish, German, English, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Finnish, and Swedish languages. The proposed system is able to detect the sentence boundaries of a mixture of different text genres and languages with high accuracy. We employ i+Learning algorithm, an incremental tree learning architecture, for constructing the system. iSentenizer-μ, under the incremental learning framework, is adaptable to text of different topics and Roman-alphabet languages, by merging new data into existing model to learn the new knowledge incrementally by revision instead of retraining. The system has been extensively evaluated on different languages and text genres and has been compared against two state-of-the-art SBD systems, Punkt and MaxEnt. The experimental results show that the proposed system outperforms the other systems on all datasets.

  7. DDC in DSpace: Integration of Multi-lingual Subject Access System in Institutional Digital Repositories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bijan Kumar Roy

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper discusses the nature of Knowledge Organization Systems (KOSs and shows how these can support digital library users. It demonstrates processes related to integration of KOS like the Dewey Decimal Classification, 22nd edition (DDC22 in DSpace software (http://www.dspace.org/ for organizing and retrieving (browsing and searching scholarly objects. An attempt has been made to use the DDC22 available in Bengali language and highlights the required mechanisms for system-level integration. It may help repository administrator to build IDR (Institutional Digital Repository integrated with SKOS-enabled multilingual subject access systems for supporting subject descriptors based indexing (DC.Subject metadata element, structured navigation (browsing and efficient searching.

  8. Listening to the consumer voice: developing multilingual cancer information resources for people affected by liver cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robotin, Monica C; Porwal, Mamta; Hopwood, Max; Nguyen, Debbie; Sze, Minglo; Treloar, Carla; George, Jacob

    2017-02-01

    In Australia, liver cancer incidence is rising, particularly among people born in hepatitis B-endemic countries. We sought to build an understanding of the information needs of people affected by liver cancer, to inform the design of in-language consumer information resources. We searched the World Wide Web for available in-language consumer information and conducted a literature search on consumers' information needs and their preferred means of accessing it. Qualitative data collection involved bilingual researchers conducting focus group discussions (26 participants) and in-depth interviews (22 participants) with people affected by liver cancer in English, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Mandarin. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated and thematically analysed. The key themes and salient findings informed the development of in-language multimedia information resources. Many consumer resources did not cater for people with low literacy levels. The participants wanted more information on cancer diagnostic and treatment options, nutrition and Chinese Medicine and experienced communication challenges speaking to health professionals. While Vietnamese speakers relied entirely on information provided by their doctors, other participants actively searched for additional treatment information and commonly used the Internet to source it. We developed multilingual, multimedia consumer information resources addressing identified consumer information needs through an iterative process, in collaboration with our multilingual consumer panel. These resources are available in four languages, as separate modules accessible online and in DVD format. This process enabled the development of user-friendly patient resources, which complement health-care provider information and supports informed patient decision making. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Multilingual Sentiment Analysis: State of the Art and Independent Comparison of Techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dashtipour, Kia; Poria, Soujanya; Hussain, Amir; Cambria, Erik; Hawalah, Ahmad Y A; Gelbukh, Alexander; Zhou, Qiang

    With the advent of Internet, people actively express their opinions about products, services, events, political parties, etc., in social media, blogs, and website comments. The amount of research work on sentiment analysis is growing explosively. However, the majority of research efforts are devoted to English-language data, while a great share of information is available in other languages. We present a state-of-the-art review on multilingual sentiment analysis. More importantly, we compare our own implementation of existing approaches on common data. Precision observed in our experiments is typically lower than the one reported by the original authors, which we attribute to the lack of detail in the original presentation of those approaches. Thus, we compare the existing works by what they really offer to the reader, including whether they allow for accurate implementation and for reliable reproduction of the reported results.

  10. Language and learning in transformative learning spaces – multilingual learner’s stories

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maslo, Elina

    : Practice to theory, theory to practice. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences. Elsevier. Van Manen, M. (1997). Researching Lived Experience. The Althouse Press.  Intent of the Publication:This publication intends to provide a more nuanced understanding of human learning processes, not least......Proposal information:The necessity of knowing languages, many languages in fact, is emphasised in many different contexts in Europe, often in connection with globalisation. Languages are referred to as a key that opens a door – or many doors. Language is “a key to education”, ”a key to employment...... to success – language and learning in transformative learning spaces” is a study of multilingual people’s experiences of their (language) learning processes. It is aimed to improve our understanding of human learning processes, not least the subjective dimensions of these processes. Despite rapid development...

  11. Assessment and d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners: Considerations and Promising Practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pizzo, Lianna; Chilvers, Amanda

    2016-01-01

    The authors address considerations and promising practices relating to assessment of d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners. DMLs' unique culture(s), language(s), and learning needs must be considered when assessments of this population are being planned, conducted, and interpreted. The authors address theory and research on (a) general considerations for the overarching assessment process, (b) specific assessment approaches used to assess DMLs, and (c) assessment of language proficiency for diverse language learners. In addition, basic recommendations for the assessment of DMLs are made, including increased availability of assessments in various languages, use of multiple sources of individual and family data, assessment of all languages, and incorporation of a strong assessment component (that includes nondiscrimination practices) into teacher preparation programs.

  12. Towards a well-being focussed language pedagogy: enabling arts-based, multilingual learning spaces for young people with refugee backgrounds

    OpenAIRE

    Frimberger, K

    2016-01-01

    The following article explores the conceptual background and pedagogical realities of establishing a well-being focussed language pedagogy in the context of an informal educational event called ‘Language Fest’. The event was organised as part of the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded large grant project ‘Researching Multilingually at the Borders of Language, the Body, Law and the State’ – for the UK’s ‘Being Human Festival’ 2014. The event aimed to celebrate the multiple languages...

  13. A multilingual and multimodal approach to literacy teaching and learning in urban education: a collaborative inquiry project in an inner city elementary school.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ntelioglou, Burcu Yaman; Fannin, Jennifer; Montanera, Mike; Cummins, Jim

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents findings from a collaborative inquiry project that explored teaching approaches that highlight the significance of multilingualism, multimodality, and multiliteracies in classrooms with high numbers of English language learners (ELLs). The research took place in an inner city elementary school with a large population of recently arrived and Canadian-born linguistically and culturally diverse students from Gambian, Indian, Mexican, Sri Lankan, Tibetan and Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as a recent wave of Roma students from Hungary. A high number of these students were from families with low-SES. The collaboration between two Grade 3 teachers and university-based researchers sought to create instructional approaches that would support students' academic engagement and literacy learning. In this paper, we described one of the projects that took place in this class, exploring how a descriptive writing unit could be implemented in a way that connected with students' lives and enabled them to use their home languages, through the creation of multiple texts, using creative writing, digital technologies, and drama pedagogy. This kind of multilingual and multimodal classroom practice changed the classroom dynamics and allowed the students access to identity positions of expertise, increasing their literacy investment, literacy engagement and learning.

  14. Assessment of communication abilities in multilingual children: Language rights or human rights?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruz-Ferreira, Madalena

    2018-02-01

    Communication involves a sender, a receiver and a shared code operating through shared rules. Breach of communication results from disruption to any of these basic components of a communicative chain, although assessment of communication abilities typically focuses on senders/receivers, on two assumptions: first, that their command of features and rules of the language in question (the code), such as sounds, words or word order, as described in linguists' theorisations, represents the full scope of linguistic competence; and second, that languages are stable, homogeneous entities, unaffected by their users' communicative needs. Bypassing the role of the code in successful communication assigns decisive rights to abstract languages rather than to real-life language users, routinely leading to suspected or diagnosed speech-language disorder in academic and clinical assessment of multilingual children's communicative skills. This commentary reflects on whether code-driven assessment practices comply with the spirit of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

  15. d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners: The Development of Communication and Language.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pizzo, Lianna

    2016-01-01

    The author examines the theory and research relevant to educating d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners (DMLs). There is minimal research on this population, yet a synthesis of related theory, research, and practice on spoken-language bilinguals can be used to add to the body of knowledge on these learners. Specifically, the author reports on three major areas: (a) population characteristics of DMLs, (b) theories relevant to understanding the language development of DMLs, and (c) considerations for programs in designing and implementing educational services for DMLs. In the interest of ensuring that children receive the foundation for linguistic success, aspects of linguistically responsive teaching (Lucas & Villegas, 2013) are addressed, with a focus on adopting an asset-based perspective on educating DMLs that honors all of a child's language, identity, and cultural memberships.

  16. English-only work rules: balancing fair employment considerations in a multicultural and multilingual healthcare workforce.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fink, R L; Robinson, R K; Wyld, D C

    1996-01-01

    Most healthcare organizations are currently or will shortly be composed of a multicultural and multilingual workforce. In attempting to manage such diverse workforces. English-only work rules may be necessary to ensure effective communication among workers. However, care must be taken to insure that the employees' rights to free speech and a harassment-free workplace are not infringed by utilizing English-only work rules. This article attempts to assist the healthcare manager in dealing with the legal aspects of English-only work rules. Specifically, an examination of two legal cases is provided to illustrate the various legal aspects of such work rules. Also, suggestions are offered as to how and when, or when not, to implement English-only work rule in order to avoid possible liability.

  17. “They do not know much, but then, you have to cover the syllabus”: The quality imperative – a dilemma for teachers’ in early grade multilingual classrooms in Kenyan primary schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan Nyaga

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The centrality of language in any education system cannot be overemphasised. Wolff (2006: 50 sums this up by stating that “language is not everything in education, but without language everything is nothing in education”. As such, language mediates knowledge acquisition even when the content of education is not language. The question then arises as to which language is best to use in education. There are no straight answers to this, as education in most countries of the world takes place in multilingual contexts. In Kenya, the language-in-education policy supports the use of the learner’s first language as the language of instruction in the first three years of school. The policy, however, remains largely unimplemented for various reasons, among them the multiplicity of first languages that may be represented in one classroom. This article reports on some outcomes of a recently completed doctoral study that investigated teachers’ attitudes, skills and strategies in their management of linguistic diversity in multilingual classrooms. Specifically, the article reports on what informs teachers’ language choices and prioritisations beyond the policy rhetoric. The study disclosed that the language of examinations and textbooks, the pressure to cover the syllabus, and individual teachers’ language repertoires primarily determine which languages are prioritised and how they are used. The findings suggest that quality education for all may remain elusive in multilingual contexts until the language question has been adequately addressed.

  18. Enhancing multilingual latent semantic analysis with term alignment information.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chew, Peter A.; Bader, Brett William

    2008-08-01

    Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) is based on the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of a term-by-document matrix for identifying relationships among terms and documents from co-occurrence patterns. Among the multiple ways of computing the SVD of a rectangular matrix X, one approach is to compute the eigenvalue decomposition (EVD) of a square 2 x 2 composite matrix consisting of four blocks with X and XT in the off-diagonal blocks and zero matrices in the diagonal blocks. We point out that significant value can be added to LSA by filling in some of the values in the diagonal blocks (corresponding to explicit term-to-term or document-to-document associations) and computing a term-by-concept matrix from the EVD. For the case of multilingual LSA, we incorporate information on cross-language term alignments of the same sort used in Statistical Machine Translation (SMT). Since all elements of the proposed EVD-based approach can rely entirely on lexical statistics, hardly any price is paid for the improved empirical results. In particular, the approach, like LSA or SMT, can still be generalized to virtually any language(s); computation of the EVD takes similar resources to that of the SVD since all the blocks are sparse; and the results of EVD are just as economical as those of SVD.

  19. IntlUni - The Challenges of the Multilingual and Multicultural Learning Space in the International University

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauridsen, Karen M.

    learning space, and to develop recommendations for how higher education institutions may implement and ensure the sustainability of quality teaching and learning in this space. IntlUni is a three-year Erasmus Academic Network (2012-2015) and has received financial support from the European Commission......IntlUni: The challenges of the multilingual and multicultural learning space in the international university The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the internationalisation of higher education. This means that more people in higher education than ever before are teaching...... and learning through the medium of a language other than their own first languages. What are the implication of this for lecturers and students? And what are the implications for this for the quality of European higher education programmes? Taking it for granted that the internationalisation of higher...

  20. A multilingual and multimodal approach to literacy teaching and learning in urban education: a collaborative inquiry project in an urban inner city elementary school

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burcu eYaman Ntelioglou

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents findings from a collaborative inquiry project that explored teaching approaches that highlight the significance of multilingualism, multimodality and multiliteracies in classrooms with high numbers of English language learners (ELLs. The research took place in an inner city elementary school with a large population of recently arrived and Canadian-born linguistically and culturally diverse students from Gambian, Indian, Mexican, Sri Lankan, Tibetan and Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as a recent wave of Roma students from Hungary. A high number of these students were from families with low-SES. The collaboration between two Grade 3 teachers and university-based researchers sought to create instructional approaches that would support students’ academic engagement and literacy learning. In this paper, we described one of the projects that took place in this class, exploring how a descriptive writing unit could be implemented in a way that connected with students’ lives and enabled them to use their home languages, through the creation of multiple texts, using creative writing, digital technologies and drama pedagogy. This kind of multilingual and multimodal classroom practice changed the classroom dynamics and allowed the students access to identity positions of expertise, increasing their literacy investment, literacy engagement and learning.

  1. Early Intervention: A Multicultural Perspective on d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandy, K Bowen

    2016-01-01

    Today's pluralistic society is characterized by families from many linguistic and cultural backgrounds, including families with infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing (d/Dhh). Taking a multicultural perspective, the author examines family-centered early intervention (FCEI) and the transition to school services for children who are d/Dhh. Working with d/Dhh Multilingual Learners (DMLs) and their families presents a unique challenge to early intervention professionals: ensuring that families have adequate information and resources to make informed choices, particularly regarding communication. The author presents information and research related to (a) family and professional partnerships, (b) cultural contexts for early intervention, (c) family communication decisions and linguistic diversity, (d) emerging research on DMLs, (e) considerations for early intervention providers and interpreters who work with culturally and linguistically diverse d/Dhh infants and toddlers, and (f) cultural reflections on ensuring smooth transitions from early intervention into preschool programs.

  2. The ICNP-BaT--a multilingual web-based tool to support the collaborative translation of the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schrader, Ulrich; Tackenberg, Peter; Widmer, Rudolf; Portenier, Lucien; König, Peter

    2007-01-01

    To ease and speed up the translation of the ICNP version 1 into the German language a web service was developed to support the collaborative work of all Austrian, Swiss, and German translators and subsequently of the evaluators of the resultant translation. The web service does help to support a modified Delphi technique. Since the web service is multilingual by design it can facilitate the translation of the ICNP into other languages as well. The process chosen can be adopted by other projects involved in translating terminologies.

  3. The Compilation of Multilingual Concept Literacy Glossaries at the University of Cape Town: A Lexicographical Function Theoretical Approach Die samestelling van veeltaligekonsep-geletterheidswoordelyste by die Universiteit van Kaapstad: 'n Leksikografiesefunksieteoretiese benadering.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dion Nkomo

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available

    This article proposes a lexicographical approach to the compilation of multilingual concept literacy glossaries which may play a very important role in supporting students at institutions of higher education. In order to support concept literacy, especially for students for whom English is not the native language, a number of universities in South Africa are compiling multilingual glossaries through which the use of languages other than English may be employed as auxiliary media. Terminologies in languages other than English are developed by translating English terms or coining new terms in these languages to exploit the native language competence of most students. The glossary project at the University of Cape Town (UCT which was conceived under the auspices of the Multilingualism Education Project (MEP is discussed. It is shown that the UCT glossaries are compiled using methods consistent with those employed in modern lexicography or proffered in lexicographical theory. The lexicographical function theory is specifically used to account for the glossaries and their production. It is suggested that modern lexicography can provide useful guidance for the production of glossaries, given that the earliest glossaries constitute the humble beginnings of lexicography.

    Hierdie artikel stel 'n leksikografiese benadering tot die samestelling van meertaligekonsep-geletterheidswoordelyste voor wat 'n baie belangrike rol kan speel by die ondersteuning van studente by instellings vir hoër onderwys. Om konsepgeletterdheid te ondersteun, veral vir studente vir wie Engels nie die moedertaal is nie, stel 'n aantal universiteite in Suid-Afrika meertalige woordelyste saam waardeur die gebruik van ander tale as Engels as hulpmedia aangewend kan word. Terminologieë in ander tale as Engels word ontwikkel deur Engelse terme te vertaal of nuwe terme in hierdie tale te skep om die moedertaalvaardigheid van die meeste

  4. Communication intervention in children with severe disabilities and multilingual backgrounds: perceptions of pedagogues and parents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickl, Gonda

    2011-12-01

    Increasing global population movement has resulted in a corresponding increase of children with severe and multiple disabilities and complex communication needs who at home are exposed to languages different from the language used at school. The aim of this study was to highlight facilitating as well as limiting factors for effective communication intervention for these children both in school and within the family. Based on observations, qualitative research interviews and analysis in the tradition of grounded theory the results indicate that the quality of parent-teacher-interaction is central to effective communication intervention and culturally sensitive use of communication aids. Challenges for teachers as well as parents to achieve a mutually satisfying interaction are addressed, and issues regarding the language use with children with severe disabilities and a multilingual and multicultural background and the inclusion of their parents in school based activities are discussed.

  5. The Benefits of Multilingualism to the Personal and Professional Development of Residents of The US.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kroll, Judith F; Dussias, Paola E

    2017-01-01

    In the past two decades, new research on multilingualism has changed our understanding of the consequences of learning and using two or more languages for cognition, for the brain, and for success and well-being across the entire lifespan. Far from the stereotype that exposure to multiple languages in infancy complicates language and cognitive development, the new findings suggest that individuals benefit from that exposure, with greater openness to other languages and to new learning itself. At the other end of the lifespan, in old age, the active use of two or more languages appears to provide protection against cognitive decline. That protection is seen in healthy aging and most dramatically in compensating for the symptoms of pathology in those who develop dementia or are recovering from stroke. In this article we briefly review the most exciting of these new research developments and consider their implications.

  6. Using language as a transparent resource in the teaching and learning of mathematics in a Grade 11 multilingual classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mamokgethi Setati

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we draw on a study conducted in Grade 11 classrooms to explore how the learners’ home languages can be used for teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms in South Africa. This report is part of a wider study that is still in progress. Based on an analysis of data collected through lesson observations in a Grade 11 class and learner interviews we argue for the deliberate, proactive and strategic use of the learners’ home languages as a transparent resource in the teaching and learning of mathematics in multilingual classrooms. Such use of the languages will ensure that learners gain access to mathematical knowledge without losing access to English, which many parents, teachers and learners presently see as a necessary condition for gaining access to social goods such as higher education and employment.

  7. The importance of the role of language in fostering multilingualism in educational contexts in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.M. Baker

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available In a multilingual society such as ours, all teachers play an integral part in the language acquisition of the learners from pre-school level right up to matric. Teaching content subjects in the mother tongue of the learner is of great importance in his/her acquisition of other languages, especially majority or high-status languages. In the wider society, there is a need for language workers, particularly in urban areas where there is a great diversity of languages. The implication is that changes will have to take place in the curricula of schools and tertiary education institutions. The starting point, however, should be the early years of schooling. More people should be enabled to speak indigenous languages and all people should be able to pursue education in their Ll. Teachers who are currently employed could do in-service training to cope with new demands and to enable them to understand the importance of multilingualism. Parallel medium schools and language centres, such as Australia is using, would go a long way towards giving all language groups equal opportunities.In 'n veeltalige samelewing soos ons s'n speel alle onderwysers 'n integrale deel in leerders se taalverwerwing, van die voorskoolse vlak tot by matriek Die onderrig van inhoudsvakke in die leerder se moedertaal is van groot belang in sylhaar aanleer van ander tale, vera/ die hooftale of tale met 'n hoe status. Daar bestaan 'n behoefte aan taalwerkers in die breer samelewing, vera/ in stedelike gebiede waar groot taaldiversiteit bestaan. Die implikasie is dat daar veranderinge in die kurrikula van skole en inrigtings vir tersiere opvoeding moet kom. Die beginpunt moet egter die vroee skooljare wees. Meer mense moet in staat gestel word om inheemse tale te praat, en alle mense moet daartoe in staat wees om hulle opvoeding in hul moedertaal voort te sit. Opvoeders wat tans in diens is, kan indiens-opleiding ontvang ten einde die nuwe eise die hoof te bied en om hulle in staat te

  8. Urban Multilingualism and the Civic University: A Dynamic, Non-Linear Model of Participatory Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaron Matras

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Drawing on the example of Multilingual Manchester, we show how a university research unit can support work toward a more inclusive society by raising awareness of language diversity and thereby helping to facilitate access to services, raise confidence among disadvantaged groups, sensitise young people to the challenges of diversity, and remove barriers. The setting (Manchester, UK is one in which globalisation and increased mobility have created a diverse civic community; where austerity measures in the wake of the financial crisis a decade ago continue to put pressure on public services affecting the most vulnerable population sectors; and where higher education is embracing a neo-liberal agenda with growing emphasis on the economisation of research, commodification of teaching, and a need to demonstrate a ‘return on investment’ to clients and sponsors. Unexpectedly, perhaps, this environment creates favourable conditions for a model of participatory research that involves co-production with students and local stakeholders and seeks to shape public discourses around language diversity as a way of promoting values and strategies of inclusion.

  9. Why Context Matters: Social Inclusion and Multilingualism in an Austrian School Setting

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    Ulrike Jessner

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This article draws attention to language choice and language use of Austrian bi- and multilingual school children. We explore some implications of their linguistic practices with regard to social inclusion in an Austrian educational school setting. Pursuing a Dynamic Systems and Complexity Theory approach, we hypothesise that before language users actually use a language within a certain context, they have to evaluate the respective communicative situation by taking multiple contextual factors into consideration, meaning language users choose to use, or not to use, a language based on the socio-contextual information at hand. We consider these contextual factors to be most relevant as they provide the basis on which speakers can actually make use of a certain language within a given context. By drawing on examples of empirical data obtained through a language background survey, we examine some of the complex and dynamic interactions of contextual parameters influencing language choice and language use in the formal educational setting of classroom instruction. Based on the results of this study, we display a selection of the dynamic and complex interactions of pupils’ language use in one specific context as well as their language preferences and how these relate to social inclusion.

  10. Multilingualism and fMRI: Longitudinal Study of Second Language Acquisition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Edna; Frigau, Luca; Voyvodic-Casabo, Clara; Voyvodic, James; Wright, John

    2013-01-01

    BOLD fMRI is often used for the study of human language. However, there are still very few attempts to conduct longitudinal fMRI studies in the study of language acquisition by measuring auditory comprehension and reading. The following paper is the first in a series concerning a unique longitudinal study devoted to the analysis of bi- and multilingual subjects who are: (1) already proficient in at least two languages; or (2) are acquiring Russian as a second/third language. The focus of the current analysis is to present data from the auditory sections of a set of three scans acquired from April, 2011 through April, 2012 on a five-person subject pool who are learning Russian during the study. All subjects were scanned using the same protocol for auditory comprehension on the same General Electric LX 3T Signa scanner in Duke University Hospital. Using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) for statistical analysis, proficiency measurements are shown to correlate significantly with scan results in the Russian conditions over time. The importance of both the left and right hemispheres in language processing is discussed. Special attention is devoted to the importance of contextualizing imaging data with corresponding behavioral and empirical testing data using a multivariate analysis of variance. This is the only study to date that includes: (1) longitudinal fMRI data with subject-based proficiency and behavioral data acquired in the same time frame; and (2) statistical modeling that demonstrates the importance of covariate language proficiency data for understanding imaging results of language acquisition. PMID:24961428

  11. Multilingualism and fMRI: Longitudinal Study of Second Language Acquisition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Wright

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available BOLD fMRI is often used for the study of human language. However, there are still very few attempts to conduct longitudinal fMRI studies in the study of language acquisition by measuring auditory comprehension and reading. The following paper is the first in a series concerning a unique longitudinal study devoted to the analysis of bi- and multilingual subjects who are: (1 already proficient in at least two languages; or (2 are acquiring Russian as a second/third language. The focus of the current analysis is to present data from the auditory sections of a set of three scans acquired from April, 2011 through April, 2012 on a five-person subject pool who are learning Russian during the study. All subjects were scanned using the same protocol for auditory comprehension on the same General Electric LX 3T Signa scanner in Duke University Hospital. Using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA for statistical analysis, proficiency measurements are shown to correlate significantly with scan results in the Russian conditions over time. The importance of both the left and right hemispheres in language processing is discussed. Special attention is devoted to the importance of contextualizing imaging data with corresponding behavioral and empirical testing data using a multivariate analysis of variance. This is the only study to date that includes: (1 longitudinal fMRI data with subject-based proficiency and behavioral data acquired in the same time frame; and (2 statistical modeling that demonstrates the importance of covariate language proficiency data for understanding imaging results of language acquisition.

  12. Multilingualism and fMRI: Longitudinal Study of Second Language Acquisition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Edna; Frigau, Luca; Voyvodic-Casabo, Clara; Voyvodic, James; Wright, John

    2013-05-28

    BOLD fMRI is often used for the study of human language. However, there are still very few attempts to conduct longitudinal fMRI studies in the study of language acquisition by measuring auditory comprehension and reading. The following paper is the first in a series concerning a unique longitudinal study devoted to the analysis of bi- and multilingual subjects who are: (1) already proficient in at least two languages; or (2) are acquiring Russian as a second/third language. The focus of the current analysis is to present data from the auditory sections of a set of three scans acquired from April, 2011 through April, 2012 on a five-person subject pool who are learning Russian during the study. All subjects were scanned using the same protocol for auditory comprehension on the same General Electric LX 3T Signa scanner in Duke University Hospital. Using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) for statistical analysis, proficiency measurements are shown to correlate significantly with scan results in the Russian conditions over time. The importance of both the left and right hemispheres in language processing is discussed. Special attention is devoted to the importance of contextualizing imaging data with corresponding behavioral and empirical testing data using a multivariate analysis of variance. This is the only study to date that includes: (1) longitudinal fMRI data with subject-based proficiency and behavioral data acquired in the same time frame; and (2) statistical modeling that demonstrates the importance of covariate language proficiency data for understanding imaging results of language acquisition.

  13. IAA Space Terminological Multilingual Data Bank Towards an On- Line Dictionary with Definitions in French and in English

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bensaid, R.

    2002-01-01

    It has been emphasized in previous papers that the bilingual "basic list" of the IAA multilingual terminological data bank (MTDB) needed improvement before beginning works on definitions. In this communication, in a first part, we report, on the works (corrections and additions) done to improve the scope of the "basic list" . These works have yet to be done by coordinators for the others twelve languages concerned by the IAA MTBD. In a second part, according to the decision of the IAA MTDB committee to complete the MTDB with definitions in French and in English, we describe the methodology adopted and the problems encountered to elaborate a mock-up of a space dictionary, including in a first step definitions in English and in French, of the English terms and expressions beginning by the letter "A" in the basic list.

  14. Subjective wellbeing and its relationship with academic achievement and multilinguality among Lebanese university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayyash-Abdo, Huda; Sánchez-Ruiz, María-José

    2012-01-01

    The study investigated three subjective wellbeing (SWB) components, namely positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and life satisfaction (LS), along with optimism and self-esteem and their association with academic achievement and multilinguality in a sample of 1401 Lebanese university students. As predicted, optimism and self-esteem correlated positively with LS and PA, and negatively with NA. Optimism, self-esteem and each of the SWB components jointly predicted academic achievement (GPA), with PA being an individually significant positive predictor. There were differences in the five key variables across language groups, specifically between Arabic-only speakers and some other groups: Compared Arabic-only speakers, bilingual speakers of Arabic and either English or French scored higher on self-esteem, PA and optimism, and lower on NA, while trilingual speakers of Arabic, English, and French scored higher on self-esteem, PA and LS. Language grouping was a significant predictor of the SWB components, optimism, and self-esteem even when controlling for GPA, socioeconomic status (SES), and religion. Lastly, the relevance of SES and religion for the prediction of SWB is discussed, and implications and future research questions are advanced.

  15. The place of polish in the multilingual space of the European Union

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. I. Neprytska

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The article studies the position of the Polish language in the multilingual space of the European Union and determines the key factors which facilitate its gaining popularity and spreading in Europe. A large territory and population determine the significant presence of Polish in the European Union. Intense economic development facilitates popularization of learning and using Polish in the business medium, however, English was and still remains the dominating language of business. Active work of the state on improving the reputation of the country abroad, civilizational (value­based unity with other nations of the EU, favorable geographical position, common Indo­European roots of Germanic, Romanic and Slavonic  languages as well as usage of the Latin type create favorable conditions for the development and popularization of Polish on the territory of the EU. The article also mentions a number of concerns, which are rooted in the historical past of a dependent or semi­dependent existence of the Polish people, namely, the existence of the Polish and culture in the shade of German and Russian culture space, the negative international image of modern Poland, which was formed at the beginning of the 1990­s, the low level of Europeans’ familiarization with the Polish culture, absence of popularity and economic necessity of learning Polish abroad.

  16. Low literacy self-care management patient education for a multi-lingual heart failure population: Results of a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickson, Victoria Vaughan; Chyun, Deborah; Caridi, Cristina; Gregory, Jill K; Katz, Stuart

    2016-02-01

    The purpose of this pilot study was to test the impact of language-free, low literacy self-care management patient education materials in an ethnically diverse multilingual heart failure (HF) population. A one group pre-test-post-test design measured changes in self-care, knowledge and health-related quality of life (HRQL) after a 1 month intervention using language-free, low literacy self-care management patient education materials and delivered by a health educator. The ethnically diverse sample (n=21) was predominately male (72%), 48% Black, 42% Hispanic, and 28% marginal/inadequate literacy. There were significant improvements in self-care and knowledge but not HRQL. Language-free, low literacy self-care patient education may facilitate improved self-care and knowledge in diverse populations who are at risk for poor HF outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Considerations on global access to rights: anlysis of multilingual search tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ginevra Peruginelli

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available In una società globalizzata come quella odierna vi è una forte necessità, nell’accademia, nella professione legale, nel mondo degli affari ed in quello dei servizi della pubblica amministrazione, di una comune comprensione dei concetti giuridici dei diversi ordinamenti. Allo stesso tempo si assiste ad una forte pressione verso la conservazione del loro senso e valore. È difficile soddisfare entrambi i requisiti a causa della complessità del linguaggio giuridico e delle diverse modalità utilizzate per esprimere il diritto nei vari sistemi giuridici. A differenza di altre discipline, in cui esiste una corrispondenza tra i concetti espressi nelle varie lingue, nel diritto insorgono serie difficoltà di interpretazione dovute alla natura della terminologia giuridica, intimamente legata al sistema giuridico di riferimento. L'articolo offre alcuni spunti di riflessione sui requisiti dei sistemi di ricerca multilingue dell'informazione giuridica, esaminando gli aspetti linguistici e concettuali che devono essere presi in considerazione nello sviluppo di tali sistemi e soffermandosi sulle problematiche della traduzione giuridica, del diritto comparato e delle tecniche di elaborazione del linguaggio naturale ai fini dell’accesso e recupero dell'informazione in un contesto distribuito. Le raccomandazioni riguardano da un lato le metodologie per stabilire equivalenze funzionali fra concetti giuridici, dall'altro possibili forme di cooperazione fra istituzioni responsabili dell'indicizzazione e distribuzione di informazioni giuridiche. Tutto ciò per garantire ad ogni cittadino di accedere all’informazione nella molteplicità di lingue in cui si manifesta e allo stesso tempo di ricercarla nella lingua preferita.

  18. Metaphores et representations du cerveau plurilingue: conceptions naives ou construction du savior? Exemples dans le contexte d'enseignement andorran (Metaphors and Representations of the Multilingual Brain: Naive Conceptions or Knowledge Construction? Examples in the Context of Andorran Education).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larruy, Martine Marquillo

    2000-01-01

    This article concentrates on the use of metaphors characterizing a multilingual brain in a corpus of oral interactions drawn from the Andorran part of an international research study. First, the situation and the status of metaphors in fields connected to the elaboration of knowledge is questioned. Next, the most important metaphors associated to…

  19. A multilingual gold-standard corpus for biomedical concept recognition: the Mantra GSC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kors, Jan A; Clematide, Simon; Akhondi, Saber A; van Mulligen, Erik M; Rebholz-Schuhmann, Dietrich

    2015-09-01

    To create a multilingual gold-standard corpus for biomedical concept recognition. We selected text units from different parallel corpora (Medline abstract titles, drug labels, biomedical patent claims) in English, French, German, Spanish, and Dutch. Three annotators per language independently annotated the biomedical concepts, based on a subset of the Unified Medical Language System and covering a wide range of semantic groups. To reduce the annotation workload, automatically generated preannotations were provided. Individual annotations were automatically harmonized and then adjudicated, and cross-language consistency checks were carried out to arrive at the final annotations. The number of final annotations was 5530. Inter-annotator agreement scores indicate good agreement (median F-score 0.79), and are similar to those between individual annotators and the gold standard. The automatically generated harmonized annotation set for each language performed equally well as the best annotator for that language. The use of automatic preannotations, harmonized annotations, and parallel corpora helped to keep the manual annotation efforts manageable. The inter-annotator agreement scores provide a reference standard for gauging the performance of automatic annotation techniques. To our knowledge, this is the first gold-standard corpus for biomedical concept recognition in languages other than English. Other distinguishing features are the wide variety of semantic groups that are being covered, and the diversity of text genres that were annotated. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association.

  20. THE CONTEMPORARY PORTUGUESE CHARACTER IN THE UNIVERSE OF A MULTILINGUAL SUBJECT WITH FRAGILE X SYNDROME

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabela Barbosa do Rêgo Barros

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Associated often in autism by virtue of the similarity of symptoms (SCHWARTZMAN et al., 1995; DIAMENT; CYPEL, 1996, Fragile X Syndrome (FXS is characterized mainly by cognitive impairment accompanied by behavioral changes and sensorimotor, learning disability, physical impairment and language. This is marked by delay in its acquisition, omissions, substitutions and phonetic distortion, echolalia, holophrase, short sentences, pauses and hesitations, interjections and frequent monologues. This article aims to discuss the contemporary character of the Portuguese language and the identification process in the language in a multilingual context as key to the appropriation of a language by a subject diagnosed with FXS. We base our discussions on Enunciation theory of Emile Benveniste (2005, 2006 and studies of Silva (2009 which analyzes for a stated perspective regarding the language, language and subject. We realized that the Portuguese language was used on specific occasions, marking unique productions in Portuguese, classical German and German dialect Schwäbisch as effects of the operations of subject, indicating that education and ownership of a language is established in an identification relationship to the subject that makes use of it.

  1. Coupling ontology driven semantic representation with multilingual natural language generation for tuning international terminologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rassinoux, Anne-Marie; Baud, Robert H; Rodrigues, Jean-Marie; Lovis, Christian; Geissbühler, Antoine

    2007-01-01

    The importance of clinical communication between providers, consumers and others, as well as the requisite for computer interoperability, strengthens the need for sharing common accepted terminologies. Under the directives of the World Health Organization (WHO), an approach is currently being conducted in Australia to adopt a standardized terminology for medical procedures that is intended to become an international reference. In order to achieve such a standard, a collaborative approach is adopted, in line with the successful experiment conducted for the development of the new French coding system CCAM. Different coding centres are involved in setting up a semantic representation of each term using a formal ontological structure expressed through a logic-based representation language. From this language-independent representation, multilingual natural language generation (NLG) is performed to produce noun phrases in various languages that are further compared for consistency with the original terms. Outcomes are presented for the assessment of the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) and its translation into Portuguese. The initial results clearly emphasize the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the proposed method for handling both a different classification and an additional language. NLG tools, based on ontology driven semantic representation, facilitate the discovery of ambiguous and inconsistent terms, and, as such, should be promoted for establishing coherent international terminologies.

  2. Sexual orientation and treatment-seeking for depression in a multilingual worldwide sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rutter, Tara M; Flentje, Annesa; Dilley, James W; Barakat, Suzanne; Liu, Nancy H; Gross, Margaret S; Muñoz, Ricardo F; Leykin, Yan

    2016-12-01

    Prior research has found higher rates of mental health problems among sexual minority individuals. We examine treatment-seeking for depression, as well as its relationship with sexual orientation, in a large, multilingual, international sample. Participants in an automated, quintilingual internet-based depression screening tool were screened for depression, and completed several background measures, including sexual orientation (with an option to decline to state) and past and current depression treatment seeking. 3695 participants screened positive for current or past depression and responded to the sexual orientation question. Those who declined to state their sexual orientation were far less likely to seek any treatment than individuals endorsing any orientation; they were especially unlikely to seek psychotherapy. Individuals identifying as bisexual sought both psychotherapy and alternative treatments at a higher rate than other groups. An interaction was observed between sexual orientation and gender, such that lesbian women were especially likely to have used psychotherapy. Other variables that emerged as significant predictors of treatment-seeking for depression included age and participant's language. Limitations include possible misinterpretation of translated terms due to regional differences, and possible limits to generalizability due to this study being conducted on the internet. Our results suggest that individuals who decline to state their sexual orientation may be more likely to forgo effective treatments for depression. Further studies of depression service utilization should focus on developing treatment modalities that could better engage sexual minority individuals, especially those who are reluctant to disclose their orientation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. IAEA safety glossary. Terminology used in nuclear safety and radiation protection, multilingual 2007 edition, including the IAEA safety fundamentals [no. SF-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-10-01

    The IAEA Safety Glossary defines and explains technical terms used in the IAEA Safety Standards and other safety related IAEA publications, and provides information on their usage.The publication is multilingual and covers the six official IAEA languages,, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. It has been in use since April 2000. The 2007 Edition is a revised and updated version. The primary purpose of the publication is to harmonize terminology and usage in the IAEA Safety Standards. It is a source of information for users of the IAEA Safety Standards and other safety related IAEA publications and provides guidance for the drafters and reviewers of publications, including IAEA technical officers and consultants, and members of technical committees, advisory groups, working groups and bodies for the endorsement of safety standards

  4. Beyond the Nation-State? The Ideology of the Esperanto Movement between Neutralism and Multilingualism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federico Gobbo

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Since its launch, Esperanto has attracted people involved in language politics. For them Esperanto provides an equitable solution when international problems are discussed, overcoming the barrier posed by the use of national languages and identities. However, its relation with the nation-state is far from being straightforward. Although a significant majority of the Movement claims Esperanto to be a neŭtrala lingvo, a neutral language, this has been fiercely contested by Esperanto activists committed to advancing particular programs for changing the world. From a sociolinguistic point of view, all Esperanto speakers are at least bilingual and quite often multilingual, without exception, so they always belong at least to one speech community in some way connected with a nation-state. This article illustrates the different facets of the Esperanto Movement from its beginning in 1887. Particular attention is paid to the concept of neutralism and how it has evolved in time. From the belle époque, Esperanto has been forced to re-define its position according to changes in sociopolitical contexts. In the current era of ‘glocalization’, where the spread of English worldwide is counterbalanced with old and new forms of local identities often linked with minority languages, Esperanto represents an alternative to the idea that global English leads to more social inclusion.

  5. ENN-ICS - quality assurance and online evaluation of a multilingual learning management system for sleep medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Knobl, Brigitte

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available With the development and implementation of a multilingual interactive communication system the e-health project ENN-ICS, funded by the European Union, aims at the improvement of health care in Europe. The field of application is sleep physiology and sleep medicine. ENN-ICS Centre offers direct access to medical information for multiple users, i.e. health authorities, health care professionals, patients and citizen. Using XML technologies the new web based network integrates advanced e-learning and e-publishing methods for the training of healthcare professionals. Editorial and distributive processes are supported by customized central editorial, content management and learning management systems (CMS, LMS. ENN-ICS e-health services are evaluated by selected user groups in North, Middle and Southern Europe using reliable and scientifically accepted validation instruments. The compliance with essential quality requirements and criteria is tested and verified by using adapted online questionnaires based on the DISCERN questionnaire for evaluating patient information, on the HON principles for evaluating health-related websites and on the GMDS catalogue of quality criteria for electronic publications in medicine. The system architecture and its exemplary applications can be used as a model for future e-health services dealing with neurological and other medical topics.

  6. `Opening up' a science task: an exploration of shifting embodied participation of a multilingual primary student

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez Fernández, Roberto; Siry, Christina

    2018-05-01

    Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students have different home languages and cultures from many of their peers, In our context, these students suffer from higher school drop-out rates than their peers and are far behind their peers in sciences. This study investigates the interactions of a nine-year-old child whose home language is Portuguese and who learns science in this specific case in a diglossic environment in the Luxembourgish school system, in which his teacher used German for written tasks and Luxembourgish for oral communication. We examine, moment-by-moment, the interactions around a task regarding environmental protection. The role of this Lusoburguês (Luxembourgish and Portuguese identities and nationalities combined) student and his embodiment and participation changes when his group is confronted with an activity that requires an increased amount of manipulation. His identity evolves in interaction, as he becomes the leader in his group, and through a playful stance, manages to open the task so that his peers can further explore. Implications include the value of including more open-ended investigations in the teaching and learning of science as well as implications for further study concerning practice-based approaches in science classrooms with CLD students, particularly in increasingly multilingual/cultural and/or diglossic or heteroglossic school contexts.

  7. Predictors of Successful Learning in Multilingual Older Adults Acquiring a Majority Language

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henrike K. Blumenfeld

    2017-12-01

    possible interaction between cognitive skills and transfer of knowledge from previous languages in multilingual older learners.

  8. Multilingvismus u dětí předškolního a mladšího školního věku

    OpenAIRE

    Šaumanová, Kristina

    2016-01-01

    This thesis focuses on bilingualism and multilingualism in children of preschool and primary school age and is intended as a source of information on multilingual education of young children. This thesis comprises of theoretical research into the technical aspects of bilingualism and multilingualism, based on academic literature, the approach to multilingual education and the linguistic aspects connected to multilingual education. The practical part contains the reflections of families who ha...

  9. Every teacher a language teacher? Developing awareness of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    We conclude by highlighting the value of such courses as well as the awareness of multilingualism that it raised with students who were preparing to teach in these linguistically diverse contexts. Keywords: Bi/Multilingualism, teacher education, bi/multilingual language awareness, bi/multilingual materials design ...

  10. Sociocultural and Academic Considerations for School-Age d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multilingual Learners: A Case Study of a Deaf Latina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Sharon; Scott, Jessica

    2016-01-01

    For decades , research has focused on American Sign Language/English bilingual education for d/Deaf and hard of hearing students whose families used English or ASL. However, a growing population of d/Dhh children come from households where languages other than English (e.g., Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese) are used. In a longitudinal case study, the authors document the K-12 educational pathway of a deaf Latina student. Anecdotal records, semistructured interviews, assessment data, and document reviews of the participant's school and clinical records are used to develop the case study. The findings provide the basis for recommendations for future research and for critical factors to consider to improve the education of d/Dhh Multilingual Learners (DMLs). These include ensuring appropriate educational placements, addressing early communication and language needs, determining effective instructional techniques and assessments, strengthening the L1 to support L2 learning, and providing students with opportunities to learn their heritage language.

  11. Speech, sign, or multilingualism for children with hearing loss: quantitative insights into caregivers' decision making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowe, Kathryn; McLeod, Sharynne; McKinnon, David H; Ching, Teresa Y C

    2014-07-01

    The authors sought to investigate the influence of a comprehensive range of factors on the decision making of caregivers of children with hearing loss regarding the use of speech, the use of sign, spoken language multilingualism, and spoken language choice. This is a companion article to the qualitative investigation described in Crowe, Fordham, McLeod, and Ching (2014). Through a questionnaire, 177 caregivers of 157 Australian children with hearing loss (ages 3;5 to 9;4 [years;months], Mage = 6;6) rated the importance of a range of potential influences on their decision making regarding their children's communication. The majority of children were reported to use speech (96.6%) as part or all of their communication system, with fewer children reported to use sign (20.9%). Few children used more than one spoken language (8.3%). Proportional analyses and exploratory factor analyses were conducted. Overall, caregivers' decisions were influenced by their children's audiological and intervention characteristics, communication with those around them, community participation, access to intervention and education services in English, and concerns about their children's future lives. The advice of speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and specialist teachers was more important to caregivers than advice from medical practitioners and nonprofessionals. Caregivers' decision making regarding communication mode and language use is influenced by factors that are not equally weighted and that relate to child, family, community, and advice from others. Knowledge of these factors can assist professionals in supporting caregivers making choices regarding communication.

  12. Keeleliste elulugude uurimisvõimalusi: Dagmar Normeti mitmekeelne lapsepõlv Eestis. Possibilities of Research on Linguistic Biographies: Dagmar Normet, a Multilingual Childhood in Estonia

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    Anna Verschik

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Recently the investigation of linguistic biographies has become popular among linguists for several reasons. Instead of studying formally-oriented, traditional approaches to second language acquisition and language learning, such research focuses on an individual’s conceptualisation of languages, language acquisition and living with and among multiple languages. Linguistic biographies can be either oral or written narratives, elicited by a researcher or produced by individuals. This includes language-learning memoirs as well. As some studies have demonstrated, a closer look at a linguistic history of a particular individual helps to discover new aspects that generally remain unnoticed in formally-oriented studies, such as the speaker’s personal attitudes, emotions attached to his/ her languages, self-expression in different languages, and instances of multilingual speech (for example, cross-linguistic influence, code-switching, etc.. However, a multilingual person’s narratives, either in written or oral form, should be treated with caution. It has been demonstrated in recent studies that grounded theory approach (i.e., coding and establishing emergent categories and content analysis alone cannot present a full picture of a linguistic biography. As Pavlenko (2007 argues, at least three kinds of reality should be considered: subject reality (how the narrator sees his/her life with multiple languages, text reality (that is, how the text of narration is structured, in what order events are presented and life reality (biographical facts. As in fieldwork in general, a researcher should be prepared to face discrepancies between the picture presented by the informant and other types of reality. From a methodological point of view, an informant should be interviewed several times in his/her different languages or, at the very least; a researcher should be familiar with the languages. In this sense, the European tradition of linguistic biographies

  13. LinguaKit: uma ferramenta multilingue para a análise linguística e a extração de informação

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    Pablo Gamallo

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Este artigo apresenta LinguaKit, uma suite multilingue de ferramentas de análise, extração, anotação e correção linguísticas. LinguaKit permite realizar tarefas tão diversas como a lematização, a etiquetagem morfossintática ou a análise sintática (entre outras, incluindo também aplicações para a análise de sentimentos (ou minaria de opiniões, a extração de termos multipalavra, ou a anotação concetual e ligação a recursos enciclopédicos tais como a DBpedia. A maior parte dos módulos funcionam para quatro variedades linguísticas: português, espanhol, inglês e galego. A linguagem de programação de LinguaKit é Perl, e o código está disponível sob a licença livre GPLv3.

  14. Multilingual children with hearing loss: Factors contributing to language use at home and in early education

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    Crowe, Kathryn; McKinnon, David H; McLeod, Sharynne; Ching, Teresa YC

    2013-01-01

    Understanding the relationship between children’s cultural and linguistic diversity and child, caregiver, and environmental characteristics is important to ensure appropriate educational expectations and provisions. As part of the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment (LOCHI) study, children’s caregivers and educators completed questionnaires on demographic characteristics, including the communication mode (oral, manual, or mixed) and languages used in home and early educational environments. This article reports an exploratory analysis to examine factors associated with language use and communication mode of children at 3 years of age. A Chi Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analysis was performed on data from 406 children to examine factors influencing communication mode and oral language use. The factor that most influenced children’s communication mode at home was the communication mode used by their female caregiver. Children’s communication mode in their early education environment was most related to the communication mode they used at home, and then related to the presence of additional needs in the children, female caregivers’ level of education and the male caregivers’ use of languages other than English (LOTEs). A second exploratory CHAID analysis of data for children from multilingual families (n = 106) indicated that female caregivers’ use of English at home significantly influenced whether children used a LOTE at home. Finally, the use of a LOTE at home was associated with the use of a LOTE in the early education environment. These findings serve as an initial description of the factors that were associated with the communication mode and language use of children with hearing loss. PMID:23519446

  15. Using Google AdWords for international multilingual recruitment to health research websites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, Margaret S; Liu, Nancy H; Contreras, Omar; Muñoz, Ricardo F; Leykin, Yan

    2014-01-20

    Google AdWords, the placement of sponsored links in Google search results, is a potent method of recruitment to Internet-based health studies and interventions. However, the performance of Google AdWords varies considerably depending on the language and the location of the target audience. Our goal was to describe differences in AdWords performance when recruiting participants to the same study conducted in four languages and to determine whether AdWords campaigns can be optimized in order to increase recruitment while decreasing costs. Google AdWords were used to recruit participants to the Mood Screener, a multilingual online depression screening tool available in English, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese. Two distinct recruitment periods are described: (1) "Unmanaged", a 6-month period in which ads were allowed to run using only the AdWords tool itself, with no human intervention, and (2) "Managed", a separate 7-week period during which we systematically sought to optimize our recruitment campaigns. During 6 months of unmanaged recruitment, our ads were shown over 1.3 million times, resulting in over 60,000 site visits. The average click-through rate (ratio of ads clicked to ads displayed) varied from 1.86% for Chinese ads to 8.48% for Russian ads, as did the average cost-per-click (from US $0.20 for Chinese ads to US $0.50 for English ads). Although Chinese speakers' click-through rate was lowest, their rate of consenting to participate was the highest, at 3.62%, with English speakers exhibiting the lowest consent rate (0.97%). The conversion cost (cost to recruit a consenting participant) varied from US $10.80 for Russian speakers to US $51.88 for English speakers. During the 7 weeks of "managed" recruitment, we attempted to improve AdWords' performance in regards to the consent rate and cost by systematically deleting underperforming ads and adjusting keywords. We were able to increase the number of people who consent after coming to the site by 91.8% while also

  16. DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS’ INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE TOLERANCE IN THE UNIVERSITY MULTILINGUAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

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    A. P. Beketova

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Higher education involves a complex process for the development of cognitive, social, emotional and cultural characteristics of the individual of future specialists; including forming special behavior patterns that in the future will provide competitiveness and success of employment of the university graduates. Intercultural communicative tolerance is considered to be one of the individual’s significant social and professional qualities which are in demand of the modern society. The importance of intercultural communicative tolerance formation is caused not only by the processes of globalization of professional mobility in the modern world, but also the need to create comfortable coexistence of students in the university multilingual educational environment, to reduce conflicts and to prevent the clash of cultures – bearers of various systems of values and standards.The aim of the research is to reveal the role of intercultural communicative tolerance in the formation of the individual as well as to present a specially designed technology as part of “Foreign Language” learning. The relevance of this research highlights the necessity to shift the emphasis in the foreign language learning process towards practical-oriented learning targeting the development of personal qualities.Methodology and research methods. Methodological framework of the publication is based on the key conceptions of communication-oriented learning. In the process of designing and application of the authors’ technology, experimental methods and the method of comparative analysis were used.Results and scientific novelty.The authors’ definition to intercultural communicative tolerance is given. The urgency of formation of values and semantic attitudes towards improvement of communicative skills and corresponding world outlook objectives among students is proved. The authors described own technology of development of intercultural communicative

  17. Do Interlocutors or Conversation Topics Affect Migrants' Sense of Feeling Different When Switching Languages?

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    Panicacci, Alessandra; Dewaele, Jean-Marc

    2018-01-01

    A majority of multilinguals report feeling different when switching languages [Dewaele, J.-M. (2016). "Why do So Many Bi- and Multilinguals Feel Different When Switching Languages?" "International Journal of Multilingualism" 13 (1): 92-105; Panicacci, A., and J.-M. Dewaele. (2017). "'A Voice from Elsewhere': Acculturation,…

  18. Une approche plurilingue pour faciliter l'inclusion scolaire : engagement et dynamique pédagogique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ribierre-Dubile, Nathalie

    2017-08-01

    A multilingual approach to facilitating inclusion: Educational commitment and dynamics - In the school context, the first steps in the process of learning a foreign language require commitment and motivation on the part of the learner, as well as a commitment from the teacher to include all students. This raises questions about the inclusiveness of education and the educational achievement of multilingual and/or immigrant students in predominantly monolingual classes. The author draws on a corpus of research to explore a number of parameters involved in the implementation of a multilingual and inclusive approach. She links the foundations of a multilingual approach to the institutional framework and the positions of the actors in the didactic relationship, as well as in their relationship to languages. The article then gives an overview of the characteristics of the metacognitive strategies employed by multilingual learners and, in conclusion, proposes some innovative methods to go beyond the monolingual principles in learning and foster exchanges that are both multicultural and multilingual.

  19. Online Comic in Mandarin Chinese’s Vocabulary Learning: A Case Study of Budi Utama Multilingual School in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

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    Nuning Catur Sri Wilujeng

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This study was aimed to investigate 1 the improvement of CFL elementary-school students’ skill in learning Mandarin Chinese (hereafter referred to as Mandarin vocabulary through creating comic without online resources, creating online comics individually and collaboratively, 2 the CFL elementary-school students’ attitude towards the application of comics in learning Mandarin vocabulary, and 3 the CFL elementary-school students’ attitude towards the application of collaborative activities in learning Mandarin vocabulary. The research design was based on a quasi-experiment using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Three classes participated in this study: one class was the control group using text-based instruction without online resources; the other two classes were the experimental groups 1 and 2. In the experimental group 1, students worked individually on online comic whereas in the experimental group 2, students worked collaboratively on online comic. All participants were Grade 5 students of Budi Utama Multilingual School in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The collected and analyzed data included performances on Mandarin vocabulary, in-class observation, questionnaires, and interview. In Mandarin vocabulary performances, the experimental group 2 outperformed the other two groups and the experimental group 1 performed better than the control group. In the students’ attitude, the experimental group 2 behaved more positively than the two other groups, and the control group behaved more positively than the experimental group 1.

  20. Fostering Social Inclusion through Multilingual Habitus in Estonia: A Case Study of the Open School of Kalamaja and the Sakala Private School

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    Svetlana L’nyavskiy-Ekelund

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available After the restoration of independence in 1991, Estonia continued with a parallel school system with separate public schools operating for Russian- and Estonian-speaking children. Seen as a developmental ‘growing pains’ of a transitional state, during the last 27 years the separate school system has contributed to infrastructural difficulties, educational injustice, and societal segregation. This article investigates the role of private schools in addressing this injustice from the analytical angle of new institutionalism, structuration and intergroup contact theories. How do these institutions challenge and aim at changing the state language regime or path dependency in the language of education? Two case studies are presented in this article: The Open School, established in 2017 for children with different home language backgrounds and targeting trilingual competences; The Sakala Private School, established in 2009, offering trilingual education with Russian as a medium of instruction. During this period of nation-state rebuilding and globalization, we investigate whether developing a multilingual habitus is a way to address the issue of social cohesion in the Estonian society in. So far, no other studies of private initiatives in Estonian language acquisition planning have been done.