A summary of the news for October.
The second EUNoM symposium will be organised by the Mercator Research Centre on 18-19 November in Ljouwert/Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. The theme of this conference is "Higher Education and Research on Multilingualism: Challenge or Opportunity?" More specifically, the focus will be on the multilingual university, the relation between the global and the regional level, and the contribution that universities in general and the EUNoM project in particular can make to European policy development. Speakers include Ildikó Vančo of the Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa v Nitre, Jochen Rehbein of the Research Centre on intercultural communication and Multilingualism, Ankara, Robert Dunbar of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, and Rita Temmerman of the Erasmushogeschool Brussel.
EUNoM is a network funded with the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union.
New government has to work on new language policy Frisian
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Photo press conference: fltr: Jelle Bangma, chairman EBLT, Corrie Hartholt, chairwoman 'Steatekomitee Frysk' of the 'Provinsjale Steaten fan Fryslân', Richt Sterk, EBLT member, Reinier Salverda, director Fryske Akademy |
In September 2010 the Dutch government was supposed to deliver their fourth state report, following the appointments made in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, in Strasbourg. This didn’t happen. Also the third report, in 2007, was too late. The Council of Europe was not pleased.
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages safeguards the rights of minority languages. The Netherlands is one of the first member states of the Council of Europe that signed and ratified the European Charter. At that time The Netherlands intended to intensify work on the policy regarding Frisian and Lower Saxon. But it seems now that the language policy has come to a complete standstill.
Frisian organisations connected to the Europeeske Buro foar Lytse Talen (EBLT) have made an overview of the latest situation regarding Frisian in the Netherlands and the province of Fryslân. In different domains the Netherlands doesn’t meet the obligations made in the European Charter. The Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe criticised even three times the compliance of the content. Their assessment went from thin to insufficient. The experts also made strong recommendations, three times as well, such as greater decentralisation and measures relating to education in Frisian and in the media, more consultation with the Frisian government and further encouragement of the use of Frisian in court.
The Frisian organisations are basically positive about the in the Coalition Agreement of the new Dutch government mentioned language law for equal rights for Frisian and Dutch in the province of Fryslân. The Council of Europe has been asked to assist with the realisation of the Frisian language law. The Frisian organisations also call upon the new government and minister Donner of the Interior and Kingdom Relations to take decisive action regarding the European Charter and the Frisian language policy.
The Steatekomitee Frysk (States committee Frisian) of the Provincial Council of Fryslân, in which every political party of the Council is represented, supports the letter of EBLT with an own letter and offers itself as an information source to the Council of Europe. More concretely, there is the wish for a special hearing of the Intergroup in the European Parliament with experts of the Council of Europe, regarding the position of Frisian. The named Intergroup of the European Parliament unites MEPs who speak a minority language or defend the rights of minority languages. About ten percent of the inhabitants of the European Union speaks one of the dozens minority languages at home, such as Basque, Breton, Frisian, Catalan, Friul, Gaelic, Occitan, Sámi, Sorbian, etceteras.
Frisian organisations that support the letter to the Council of Europe are: Afûk, Berie foar it Frysk, Cedin-Taalsintrum Frysk, Freonen fan Omrop Fryslân, Feriening Frysk Underwiis, Folkshegeskoalle Schylgeralân, Fryske Akademy, Fryske Rie, Jongereinferiening Frysk Ynternasjonaal Kontakt (FYK), NHL Hogeschool, Omrop Fryslân, Ried fan de Fryske Beweging, Sintrum Frysktalige Berne-opfang, Stichting Ons Bildt, Tresoar, Tryater en Vereniging Levende Talen, seksje Frysk.
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dr. Alex Riemersma |
On the occasion of the European Day of Languages, 26 September 2010, a range of events was organised across Europe: for example activities for and with children, television and radio programmes, language classes and conferences.
In collaboration with the Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning of the 'Fryske Akademy' and the 'Europeeske Buro foar Lytse Talen' (EBLT), the Frisian Historical and Literary Centre Tresoar organised a language market and an exhibition with the theme "Word of Value" in Leeuwarden.
Prior to the opening of the exhibition, dr. Alex Riemersma, lector Frisian and Multilingualism in Education and Upbringing, spoke about story telling and about European activities in the context of lesson promotion. Mr. Luc West, representing the European Commission in the Netherlands, provided an outline of the European policy on multilingualism and mr. Teake Oppewal from Tresoar spoke about the multilingualism project 'Bitterswiet'.
After the official part there was the opportunity to have a drink and to visit the photo exhibition and the language market. In the photo exhibition twenty-five representatives of language groups in Fryslân contributed to the enrichment of the Frisian vocabulary with a word or saying depicted in a photo. On the language market a number of organizations, including Mercator Research, presented information on the various aspects of multilingualism.
What is the European Day of Languages?
There are over 6000 languages spoken in the world. And behind each and every one of them lies a rich and diverse culture. That’s what the European Day of Languages (EDL) aims to celebrate - by showing people across Europe how important languages are, and what fun can be had learning them. At the initiative of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2001 on 26 September.
More than 100 people gathered for the NPLD conference "European cooperation and support for linguistic diversity" in Brussels, on October 27. Among them ministers, members of European, national and regional parliaments, language planners, and policy makers at various levels. They reflected on the first three years of the NPLD’s existence, and they looked ahead to the future of the Network itself as well as to the challenges the language communities throughout Europe are faced with.
The last decade has shown major changes in structures, power balances, and investments for regional and minority languages. A number of these smaller languages are not longer dependent on the voluntary sector only, but instead regional authorities have established professional boards for language planning and created structural funds and sustainable legislation. Nowadays, in the economic sector, multilingualism and well mastered language skills, including the knowledge and use of minority languages, are considered essential job requirements. This move to professionalism, however, has not been as yet reflected in the actual European language policies. On the one hand, the mainstreaming of European programmes has created more funding opportunites; on the other hand, however, the access to these funds is the harder for the smaller languages due to a lack of capacity – in particular those language communities who suffer most and need support most for their revitalisation.
The NPLD is working towards the implementation of the Barcelona agreement on the acquisition of two languages, alongside the mother tongue, of which one could be a smaller or lesser used language. The MELT project, which aims at a balanced bilingualism and the “well-informed choice” of parents for bilingual primary education for their children, as well as the Study Visit project and the Terminology & Place Names project, were presented at the conference as good examples of concrete projects carried out under the umbrella of the NPLD. Together with a further deepening of insight and understanding of the linguistic diversity in Europe, the NPLD will continue to prove the values of the smaller languages for the future of a balanced Europe.
Within Ireland and Great-Britain, eight community languages are spoken, apart from English: Irish-Gaelic and Scittish-Gaelige, Scots and Ulster-Scots, Cornish and the languages of the Isles of Guernsey, Jersey and Manx. The Minority and Lesser Used Languages Working Group of the British–Irish Council (BIC) organised a conference with representatives of these language communities in Belfast on October 19-20. The aim was the exchange of best practices and the development of a common approach for the future of these languages. On behalf of Mercator, Alex Riemersma presented a number of best practices of linguistic diversity both at the local level of language communities and at the European level of exchange, bringing together speakers, singers, composers, text writers, language planners for the experiencing of linguistic and cultural diversity.
Riemersma made reference to the nine criteria for Language Vitality of the Unesco Atlas of Endangered Languages (2009) and the eight steps of language shift & revitalisation defined by Joshua Fishman (1991). Given the good examples of recent strategic language plans for the next 20 years in Ireland and the Basque Country he proposed a common structure for such a plan for the revitalisation of the eight community languages concerned. Key words for a common approach are: coordination and continuity, the balance between informal voluntary activities and professionally conducted language planning projects.
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the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union.
