The Linguist

@Linguist_CIOL Healing Words: Taiwan's tribes fight to save their disappearing languages, 9/6/21 President Tsai Ing-wen apologised for the "centuries of pain and mistreatment". In 2017 the parliament passed a law to promote and preserve Indigenous languages. It designated the 16 as national languages… Ting-chung Chen, assistant professor of linguistics at National Tsing Hua University, says the government has good intentions but the foundation, which is responsible for language preservation and educational measures, was understaffed and unable to meet the needs of the 42 dialects within the 16 languages. What the papers say… Jury Discharged in Joey Barton Assault Trial After 'Lost in Translation' Issues, 8/6/21 After more than hour of translation difficulties between Sheffield Crown Court and Germany, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told the jury: "It is just not right to struggle on." He told the panel: "Unfortunately this morning I became increasingly concerned that things are getting lost in translation." Judge Richardson said it was not anybody's fault that the trial had to be halted, but was a consequence of the extraordinary measures put in place due to the Covid pandemic. He said a new trial date would be fixed. How Keeping a Diary can Help Adults Learn a Foreign Language, 10/6/21 Students' learning diaries revealed how they used their analytic language ability. They identified common language errors that (mainly) English speakers make in Spanish. They described how the language worked in Spanish, as well as in English… It appeared that the diaries were used specifically as a simple tool for tightening the nuts and bolts of language learning. The latest from the languages world Speaking more languages can delay the onset of dementia, according to a new tool. Developed by a team at the University of Ottawa, the Dementia Population Risk Tool (DemPoRT) enables people aged 55 or over to assess their chances of developing the condition within five years. According to researchers, this helps them to reduce the risks by making lifestyle changes, such as eating more healthily, quitting smoking – and – learning a new language. Based on a survey of 75,000 people, the 'dementia calculator' is part of Project Big Life in Canada. The findings reflect other research in this area. cutt.ly/bmj_DemPoRT; www.projectbiglife.ca NEWS & EDITORIAL The University of Hull has announced plans to close its languages department, which would see recruitment to undergraduate Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish courses cease immediately. Research-based postgraduate provision in modern languages would also stop, with university-wide provision ending entirely by 2023, according to the University and College Union (UCU). The union was told that in future students would be directed to learn languages through an app – most likely Rosetta Stone. This – prompted UCU Regional Official Julie Kelley to say: "Hull University's claims to have an international outlook are beyond laughable whilst it plans to close an entire modern languages department, replacing some courses with an online app anyone can download to their phones for £10." Staff members vowed to fight the decision but did not vote in sufficient numbers to support strike action. Describing the plan as "a brazen act of vandalism" that would lead to 11 redundancies, the UCU said it would continue trying to negotiate a better deal for affected staff. The university declined to comment. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER Th T e Lin i g n u g is i t 5 Millions of children in England and Wales received no language education during the first lockdown, according to a British Council report. Teachers responding to the Language Trends 2021 survey reported that 40% of pupils in Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14) did not engage with language learning, while 53% of primaries suspended lessons. The situation improved during the 2021 school closures, with 98% of teachers better prepared for online teaching, but 20% of primary pupils still had no language provision. This has led to a further decline in take-up at GCSE, with only 53% of Year 10 pupils studying a language. cutt.ly/Trends2021 Fight to save languages at Hull Languages cut dementia risk MFL education: pupils miss out

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