Hilary A Smith, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University
New Zealand’s bilingual children often lose their mother tongue by the time they leave school. But there are fears that use of English-based decoding in structured literacy will hasten this decline.
Does being bilingual protect against Alzheimer’s? Can it help slow cognitive decline? There is clear evidence that it causes beneficial and long-lasting changes in the brain.
Young Latinos in the US often navigate a contradictory landscape: Their parents see them as not Latino enough, while teachers and peers view them as not American enough.
Sociolinguists suggest that within the next century, 90% of the world’s languages will disappear, due largely to colonial languages dominating economies, education and governance.
It came about through sustained contact with native Spanish speakers who directly translated phrases from Spanish into English, a form of linguistic borrowing called ‘calques.’
Language-learning research in the Netherlands has determined that using a foreign language rather than just memorizing its grammar can transform how students progress.
Signs in languages other than French could be seen as an outstretched hand in yet another episode of linguistic tensions, but also as an indicator that French is indeed losing ground.
Full Professor, Research Chair in Language Rights, Faculty of Law | Professeur titulaire, Chaire de recherche Droits et enjeux linguistiques, Faculté de droit., L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa