Moomin Language School’s Post

It’s International Mother Language Day! 🌍 We created an “International Idioms” activity for students to explore idioms from languages around the world. Students will also gain an understanding and appreciation for how people express themselves! 😃 https://lnkd.in/dnnwfmpK What's an idiom in your language that sounds funny in English? Let us know in the comments! #studentactivities #teachertips #idiomoftheday #languageteacher

Today, on International Mother Language Day, I was proud of our students and teachers sharing and delighting in each other’s languages. The vision below is one I aspire to at our school Windhoek International School: ‘Imagine if international schools were spaces in which all languages, accents, and dialects were respected, valued, and cared for. Imagine if our curriculum were intentionally designed to draw upon the various languages in the classrooms to broaden and deepen learning through diversifying perspectives. Imagine if pedagogical translanguaging was part of the regular practice of every teacher so all students were empowered to use their complete language repertoires for learning. Imagine if students were enabled to maintain and develop all the languages that are important to their identities. Imagine if we fostered every language with care to build belonging and deep, meaningful international mindedness. Imagine if multilingualism was only ever considered an asset and never a problem we needed to fix.’ Thank you for sharing your article Jacob (Jake) Huckle on International Mother Language Day. https://lnkd.in/dqf_-vdE

Verb conjugations are one of the most difficult things to learn for students of Indigenous languages. An Indigenous educator brought this challenge to us, and it sparked an 8-year (and counting!) collaboration on language revitalization technologies. We’ve now released Gramble: an open-source, intuitive and user-friendly framework for creating interactive grammars. It started as a basis for Mi'kmaq, Michif and Anishinaabemowin verb conjugators and has expanded from there. Gramble’s flexibility extends across very different language families, from Iroquoian to Algonquian and Coast Salishan. Dr. Patrick Littell and team believe that it could be adapted for other Indigenous languages in Canada and around the world. Join us in celebrating this milestone for Indigenous language learning! Discover more about this project: https://ow.ly/3V7M50SngNV Learn more about our other Indigenous collaborations: https://ow.ly/pLKu50SngNW #NRCDigitalTech #NIHM2024 #NIPD2024

“Growing up, one of my father’s rules was to speak our native language at home and only speak English at work or in school.” As we celebrate Macawa ni Vosa VakaViti, Fijian Language Week, lecturer Dr Patricia Loga reflects on this year’s theme of “Vakamareqeta na Vosa Vakaviti”, or “Nurture and sustain the Fijian language”, and how her parents have supported her in developing and nurturing a solid understanding of her heritage language. Learn more about how you can build your own knowledge of the Fijian language:

Qs: Survey on multilingualism in language classes: Within the PEP project (Promoting Plurilingual Education, see also https://lnkd.in/dgF3Nag4), 7 European partner universities created a survey on language use in language teaching at schools (secondary level) and universities in Europe. The survey is aimed at current and future language teachers (i.e. teachers of first languages, second languages or foreign languages) in schools and universities. We are now trying to reach as many language teachers and future langu

Congratulations to our colleague, Dr. Connie Makgabo, on her recent publication in the Journal for Language Teaching! Dr. Makgabo, a senior lecturer in the Department of Humanities Education and deputy chair of SAALT, served as the guest editor for this special issue and co-authored a paper in Sepedi with her Honours student, Keletso Makgobatlou. The paper, titled "Ditlhohlo tšeo di lebanego le barutwana ba Mphato wa Seswai dikolong tša go ikema tša Tshwane", explores the challenges faced by Grade 8 Sepedi learners in independent schools in Pretoria. Key findings include: - Learners speak multiple languages in Pretoria, and some parents speak different languages other than Sepedi. - Some teachers are not proficient in Sepedi, speaking other languages like Setswana, Sesotho, or IsiNdebele instead. - Independent schools often don't consider a teacher's language specialization when hiring. This research highlights the impact of language diversity on teaching and learning in multilingual contexts. Access the article here: https://lnkd.in/gGAc5vrE Well done, Dr. Makgabo! #LanguageTeaching #Multilingualism #Sepedi #EducationResearch

When I set out to learn a bit of Hokkien in Taiwan, my first step was finding language exchange partners. While native Hokkien speakers are plentiful, even in the Mandarin-dominated capital of Taipei, one thing caught me off guard: hardly anyone can write Hokkien, even phonetically. In Taiwan, current Hokkien teaching methods use the Latin alphabet for phonetics. While this might make it easier for the tiny number of foreign learners, it’s quite a hassle for Taiwanese students who are accustomed to Bopomofo, the phonetic alphabet used for Mandarin in Taiwan. Here’s the interesting part: there’s an extended version of Bopomofo that allows you to perfectly write Taiwanese Hokkien pronunciation, along with many other Sinitic languages. Designed by the ROC’s Ministry of Education in the 1940s, it follows the same logic as the Mandarin version, meaning anyone familiar with Bopomofo could learn it in minutes (at least, I did). Unfortunately, it seems almost no one in Taiwan knows about it 🤷♂️ Want to dive deeper into Taiwanese Hokkien? Check out my article for Glossika! 👉 https://lnkd.in/eJam6kCP #Taiwan #Hokkien #LanguageLearning

✅ Words Are Bridges, So Build the Same for Yours, through Learning a Foreign Language !! ➡️Learning a Foreign Language will not only help you to build connections, but also understand the diverse global perspectives by learning a new language.✌️ ➡️Join the Langma School of Languages Today and begin your journey to learn a new Foreign Language. ➡️Enroll Today : https://bit.ly/4bUrU9g 💯 . . #foreignlanguagecourse #foreignlanguage #foreignlanguagecourse #langmaschooloflanguages

Books: Early Foreign Language Learning and Teaching: Nikolov and Krevelj (eds.) (2024): Over the past six decades, the field of teaching modern foreign languages to young learners has come a long way, from the early surmises about the advantages of a young start to today’s widespread integration of foreign languages into curricula in public and private schools. The chapters in this book bring together internationally renowned researchers who have been vocal in establishing early language teaching and learning as an independent area of research and novice voices who represent a new

Do languages belong to us, or do we belong to them? In his show Who Owns Language? (12.20pm, Wednesday 21st August) Dr Thomas H. Bak (Reader in Psychology, School of PPLS) poignantly asks, are languages mere tools at our disposal, or do they play a deeper role in shaping who we are? For native speakers, language academies, culture ministries, and education boards, this question is more than academic—it's central to our mission. Languages are not just loyal servants of our will; they sculpt our brains, shape our thoughts, and influence our cultures. Whether you speak fluently or with effort, with an accent or without, each word you utter contributes to a living, evolving dialogue. If we recognize this mutual relationship, perhaps we should start treating languages not just as tools but as cherished family members, friends, or partners in our lifelong journey of communication. Let's celebrate and nurture this bond. Book tickets here: https://lnkd.in/e-C--Hj8 #LoveForLanguages #CulturalHeritage #LanguageLearning #Education #LinguisticDiversity #Fringe