The Linguist

@CIOL_Linguists What the papers say… English is Picking up Brilliant New Words from Around the World – And That's a Gift, 12/12/22 In Oxford University Press's Gift of Words campaign this year, we have asked people who speak more than one language to 'gift' a word from their first to their second language, and vice versa… English is particularly notable for its ability to absorb elements from other languages… It is only when we share ownership of English, and embrace the language in all its diversity, that it can truly be a gift that everyone can benefit from. The British Sign Language Project Stretching Back 2,000 Years, 22/12/22 "I can read it, I can understand it, I can preach on it. But when I see the Bible in BSL it just hits me – emotionally, spiritually – in a way that reading never will. However good the interpreter, you're receiving the Bible once- removed," [Rev Hannah Lewis] told Radio 4… The project has involved about 20 people, from theological experts to BSL linguists, interpreters and presenters, at a cost of about £1,000 a day – all from sponsorship. The latest from the languages world Philip Harding-Esch reports on Unesco's new action plan to revitalise indigenous languages Unesco has launched the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL), a 10-year action plan to draw global attention to the critical loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalise and celebrate them. The agency warns that at least 40% of the world's 6,700 languages are at risk of extinction, with one dying every fortnight. UN General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi remarked that preserving indigenous languages is "not only important for them, but for all humanity", because when a language disappears, so too do cultural diversity and "centuries-old knowledge". Studies have shown that suppressing indigenous languages has negative mental health consequences for the communities involved. Climate change is accelerating language loss as rising sea levels engulf island nations and force coastal communities to migrate. Unesco's 193 member states are working on a Global Action Plan to increase the number of speakers of indigenous languages. One challenge is that less than 2% of languages have "any real online presence". Even Welsh, which "has long been a beacon of hope for minority languages across the world," according to Plaid Cymru's Delyth NEWS & EDITORIAL Jewell, is sidelined online. Research from Swansea University shows that almost 70% of Welsh speakers use English on social media. Reliable statistics are another issue. As translator Sion Williams MCIL points out, the 2021 UK Census showed a fall in the number of Welsh speakers, whereas the ONS's yearly figures show rising numbers. Addressing the problem can be controversial and complicated. Even though mother tongue-based education has been advocated by Unesco since 1951, it is still not implemented in many countries. Nigeria has just announced that it is abandoning English- medium education in primary schools in favour of mother tongue-based education. However, the BBC interviewed parents and teachers worried about how the policy will work in a country with more than 650 languages, where communities are often very mixed. A key outcome of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages, the IDIL aims to overcome many of these obstacles by supporting stakeholders in areas of policy development, and measures for the usage, preservation, revitalisation and promotion of indigenous languages around the world. https://idil2022-2032.org SPRING 2023 The Linguist 5 Rishi Rajpopat, Indian PhD Student at Cambridge, Cracks 2,500-year-old Father of Linguistics' Panini Code, 16/12/22 Leading Sanskrit experts have described Rajpopat's discovery as "revolutionary". The 2,500-year-old algorithm decoded by him makes it possible, for the first time, to accurately use Panini's so-called "language machine". Panini's grammar, known as the Astadhyayi, relied on a system that functioned like an algorithm… However, two or more of Panini's rules often apply simultaneously, resulting in conflicts. Decade of support © UNESCO/C.ALIX

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