Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

Beirut celebrates Arabic language with ‘letters marathon’

By Eliana Maakaroun. Monday, June 28, 2010

BEIRUT: A first-ever festival to promote the Arabic language was held this weekend in Beirut, focusing on art, music and theater to encourage a national and regional effort to get young people enthusiastic about the language.

Hamra Street was filled with children running around, with Arabic letters attached to their shirts, marking the opening of the 2 kilometer “letter marathon.” The race was of symbolic value as it pointed out that language isn’t a distant goal; with only a bit of effort, anyone can reach it.

Suzanne Talhouk, president of Feil Amer (Imperative), the host organization, explains, “people think that Arabic is outdated, that it is too old. What we’re doing is putting the language in the right concept, we are relating it to contemporary art, so that people can relate to it as well.”

The Feil Amer initiative was launched in January 2010, and its main purpose is to build a cultural landscape and social background to help the development of language awareness, since the latter is directly related to national identity.

The organization stresses the UN’s “right of people to preserve their mother tongue,” as its members consider this to be a primary human right.
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Ojibwe Language Immersion Camp open to all

Published June 21 2010

The 2nd Annual Nagaajiwanaang (Fond du Lac) Ojibwe Language Immersion Camp is set for June 24 – 27 in Sawyer, MN at the Kiwenz Campground (formerly Molstad’s Campground). The campground is off of Magney Drive / Co.Rd 112.

There will be 7 fluent Ojibwemowan speakers at the camp and several traditional activities that you and your family can participate in. Fluent speakers include Dan Jones, Gordy Jourdain, Rick Gresczyk, Nancy Jones, Dorothy Sam, Brenda Moose and Sonny Greensky. Traditional activities include birch bark basket making, traditional flute making, hand drums, manoomin poles and knockers, pottery and so much more.

The camp is free and so is the campground. If you plan on camping, bring your camping gear and tents. Tent placement is on a first come, first serve basis. Please also bring your own non-disposable dishware for the daily meals.

Source: http://www.pinejournal.com/event/article/id/20628/group/News/

Festejo mundial en el “Día del Español”

Domingo 20 de junio de 2010

Con festejos en Alemania, Japón, Australia, Egipto, Bélgica y otros países, ayer se conmemoróa el “Día del Español” en ciudades de todo el mundo.

Compartir el español aumenta un 290% el comercio bilateral entre los países que hablan esta lengua, destacó el Instituto Cervantes al celebrar este fiesta por segundo año consecutivo.

Este sábado en los más de 70 centros que posee el Cervantes en 42 países de los cinco continentes, tuvo lugar una jornada con más de 300 actividades culturales. En plazas se realizaron conciertos, cuentacuentos, talleres infantiles, recitales de poesía y catas gastronómicas.

En Madrid, las embajadas de Colombia, México, Perú, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador y República Dominicana se sumaron a la celebración en la Plaza de Vázquez de Mella.

Fuera de España, más de 30 millones de ciudadanos europeos hablan español, una lengua cuyo uso en la Red ha experimentado un crecimiento del 650 por ciento entre 2000 y 2009. Se estima que en 2030, el 7.5 por ciento de la población mundial será hispanohablante.

Según datos de la segunda edición del informe “El español, una lengua viva”, que se hizo público este sábado, éste es un idioma que es oficial en 21 países y que hoy hablan más de 450 millones de personas.

Es la segunda lengua materna del mundo por número de hablantes, el segundo idioma de comunicación internacional y el tercero más utilizado en la Red.
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Inscrições para Olimpíada Brasileira de Língua Portuguesa são prorrogadas

(31/05/2010 17:47)

Foram prorrogadas até o dia 7 de junho as inscrições para a Olimpíada Brasileira de Língua Portuguesa, que tem como tema “Escrevendo um futuro melhor”. As inscrições podem ser feitas nos portais www.fundacaoitausocial.org.br; www.cenpec.org.br ; http://www.escrevendoofuturo.org.br e http://www.mec.gov.br.

O objetivo é melhorar o ensino, a leitura e a escrita visando estimular o aluno a ler mais e a escrever melhor. No início do mês de maio, os professores da rede municipal conheceram o regulamento do concurso e já participam de formação dentro da categoria escolhida.

O concurso é voltado para estudantes do 5º ao 9º ano, da 4ª à 8ª série do Ensino Fundamental e do 1º ao 3º ano do Ensino Médio. Esses estudantes, orientados pelo professor, devem escrever um texto manuscrito com o tema “O lugar onde vivo”, precisa ser de autoria exclusiva do aluno. O concurso visa a avaliar o aluno em categorias e anos escolares nos segmentos: poema, memória, crônica e artigo de opinião.

CATEGORIAS
Os alunos dos 5 º e 6º anos (4ª e 5 ª séries) concorrem na categoria Poema. Dos 7º e 8º anos (6ª e 7ª séries) na categoria Memórias. Já os alunos do 9º ano (8ª série) do Ensino Fundamental, e 1º ano do Ensino Médio abordará a categoria Crônica. E, por fim, a categoria Artigo de Opinião ficará por parte dos alunos dos 2º e 3º anos do Ensino Médio.
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Primer Congreso de Lenguas Indígenas en Chile

Publicado el lunes, mayo 31, 2010

(Ukhamawa) Santiago de Chile. La Red por los Derechos Educativos y Lingüísticos de los Pueblos Indígenas de Chile junto a diferentes organizaciones indígenas convocan a las hermanas y hermanos de todos los pueblos, Aymara, Lican Antay, Quechua; Koya, Rapa Nui, Diaguitas, Mapuche, Yamana y Kawashkar al Primer Congreso de las Lenguas Indígenas de Chile, a efectuarse en la Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH) del 13 al 14 julio, 2010. Este evento había sido pospuesto por el terremoto, pero ya estamos en condiciones de llevarlo a cabo.

El lema de nuestro congreso es “Yo aprendo y yo hablo lengua indígena”, porque la vitalidad de las lenguas depende del aumento del número de hablantes y su aprendizaje es una decisión y deber individual. El desglose del lema en las diferentes lenguas es :

ÑOQA QHESHWATA RIMANI, YACHANI IMA.
Yo hablo y yo aprendo quechua

KO ITE A AU ITE ARERO RAPA NUI
Yo aprendo; yo hablo rapa nui

NAYA YATINTTA, NAYA AYMARA ARUSTA
Yo aprendo, yo hablo lengua aymara

IÑCHE CHILLKATUKEFIN MAPUDUNGUN; MAPUDUNGUKEN
Yo aprendo; yo hablo mapudungun
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Turkey preparing to share joy of Turkish Language Olympiads

19 May 2010, Wednesday. ELİF AKDENİZ, İSTANBUL

“Turkey is currently preparing to share the joy of the Turkish Language Olympiads, a competition held annually since 2003 and now in its eighth year,” said Halit Soylu, the media coordinator of the International Turkish Language Olympiads, on Tuesday.

The Olympiads will begin on May 26 with an opening ceremony at İstanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace and are organized by the International Turkish Education Association (TÜRKÇEDER). It expects to host 750 students from 120 countries this year. As part of the Olympiads, cultural festivals have been planned in 14 of Turkey’s provinces, including İstanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Konya, Antalya, Erzurum, Gaziantep, İzmir, Trabzon, Kayseri, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Manisa and Samsun. Hundreds of foreign students will bring traditional costumes, photos, foods, handicrafts and music albums from their countries to display at the cultural festivals to promote their countries.

Speaking at a press conference held at İstanbul’s WOW Convention Center on Tuesday, Soylu noted that they believe Turkey’s provinces will best extend Turkish hospitality to the foreign students coming to Turkey from Turkish schools worldwide for the Olympiads.
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Chinese language competition hits Pakistan

2010-05-14 21:42:22, by Yangtze Yan

ISLAMABAD, May 14 (Xinhua) — The 9th “Chinese Bridge” competition, a Chinese language proficiency contest, was held in Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday, highlighting the zest and talent from Pakistani students in Chinese language and culture.

Eight final contestants, who survived the first and second round of the preliminary selects, delivered their fluent Chinese and displayed their diverse talents at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) in Islamabad.

The competition covered a wide range from quiz on China’s culture, history and geography to delivering a speech in Chinese and a talent show. The finalists performed Wushu (martial art) , singing, Taiji, crosstalk and poetry reciting, all winning applause from the judges and audiences.

Sageer Ahmad from NUML won the first prize.

Ahmad, 23, told Xinhua that he has been learning Chinese for almost three years and he spent one year studying Chinese in Shanghai, wishing that he could do his due part for the friendship between China and Pakistan.

“Soon, I am going to China again to take a postgraduate program in Beijing,” Ahmad said, “China is like my second hometown.”
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Esperanto fans attend annual conference in north Wales

Page last updated at 13:10 GMT, Friday, 14 May 2010 14:10 UK

The association is based at Esperanto House in Barlaston

People from across the world are preparing to take part in the annual conference for the international language Esperanto this weekend.

Organisers the Esperanto Association of Britain, based in Barlaston, Staffordshire, said people from about 10 countries may attend the event.

The conference in Llandudno, north Wales, will be conducted entirely in Esperanto.

Up to three million people speak it worldwide, a spokesperson said.

The association is based in the grounds of Wedgwood Memorial College.

Four UK primary schools teach Esperanto, under a pilot scheme called Springboard organised by the association.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8682091.stm

Políticas de línguas juntam especialistas internacionais na UAlg

13:45 terça-feira, 11 maio 2010

A Universidade do Algarve acolhe entre amanhã e sexta-feira, dias 12 a 14, vários especialistas em políticas de línguas e em terminologia e comunicação profissional.

Estarão representados todos os países de línguas latinas da Europa (de Portugal à Roménia), de África (Costa do Marfim, Angola e Cabo Verde) e da América (Brasil, Argentina, México e Canadá).

Durante três dias, vários grupos de trabalho reunirão na sala 2. 35 (12 e 13 de Maio) e no Anfiteatro Teresa Júdice Gamito (14 de Maio), na Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Edifício 1, Campus de Gambelas.

Os grandes nomes das áreas da gestão de dados linguísticos, de tradução e de terminologia das línguas latinas vão participar em vários eventos.

Dias 12 e 13 de Maio decorre a reunião dos três espaços linguísticos; dia 13, realiza-se a reunião do Comité Científico da REALITER (Rede Panlatina de Terminologia) e a reunião da assembleia geral da REALITER; no dia 14, tem lugar a VI Jornada Científica da Rede Panlatina de Terminologia.

A organização dos eventos é da responsabilidade de Manuel Célio Conceição, professor de Terminologia e Políticas de Língua e pró-reitor da Universidade do Algarve.

Source: http://www.regiao-sul.pt/noticia.php?refnoticia=105702

Missões diplomáticas celebram dia da Língua Portuguesa e da Cultura da CPLP

08-05-2010 13:01

Ottawa – As missões diplomáticas de Angola, Portugal e Brasil promoveram quinta-feira, na capital canadiana, um acto político e cultural para comemorar o Dia da Língua Portuguesa e da Cultura da CPLP que a seis de Maio se assinala.

O evento, que teve lugar no auditório da universidade de Ottawa, foi marcado com declamações de poesias, exibição de documentário retratando aspectos culturais, turísticos, políticos e sociais dos países lusófonos, com representação no Canada, nomeadamente, Angola, Portugal e Brasil, bem como com uma intervenção dos chefes das respectivas missões diplomáticas.

Ao intervir no acto, a encarregada de negócios da embaixada de Angola no Canada, Sofia Pegado da Silva, salientou que o carácter multicultural e multi-continental da língua portuguesa confere-lhe um estatuto especial no contexto das nações, tendo jogado um papel importante na intermediação das relações entre o Oriente e alguns países Africanos em rápido desenvolvimento e entre o Oriente e o Brasil.

Salientou que a projecção da língua de Camões na arena internacional tem almejado um novo impulso, que tornou possível o seu ensino como segunda língua, o aumento do seu interesse na aprendizagem e comunicação pela diáspora, bem como a sua utilização como uma ferramenta de trabalho, junto dos organismos internacionais de que a CPLP faz parte.

Tal progresso, segundo a diplomata angolana, é fruto do tratamento adequado que se deu ao Instituto Internacional de Língua Portuguesa (IILP), que é o órgão adstrito à CPLP, pelo seu papel virado para o desenvolvimento do mundo lusófono.
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Appel à l’adoption d’une approche novatrice pour redonner du poids à la langue arabe

MAP le 23 Avril 2010

Oujda – Les participants à la rencontre sur “la situation et les problématiques de la langue arabe au Maroc” organisée, les 21 et 22 avril à Oujda, ont souligné l’impératif pour les différentes parties concernées de conjuguer et de coordonner les efforts dans le cadre d’une approche novatrice afin de redonner de la valeur et du poids à la langue arabe.

Dans leurs interventions, universitaires, chercheurs et oulémas ayant pris part aux travaux de ce 1er forum n’ont pas manqué de faire un diagnostic aussi bien des maux et des dangers qui menacent la langue arabe que de ses spécificités et son rô le dans la construction de la pensée de l’individu et dans la définition de son identité et le renforcement de l’unité de la nation.

Ils ont souligné l’importance d’approfondir la réflexion et d’élargir le débat afin de prospecter les moyens et élaborer une méthodologie efficiente à même de favoriser la protection, la diffusion et le bon usage de l’arabe, langue du Saint Coran.

Mettant en avant l’intérêt accordé par les Souverains marocains à la préservation de l’identité culturelle de la nation, ils ont fait remarquer que la langue arabe est l’un des piliers fondamentaux de la “sécurité culturelle”.

Pour certains intervenants, la protection et la promotion de la langue arabe revêt une grande importance aussi bien dans le développement humain que celui économique et social, relevant la responsabilité qui incombe aux médias, aux institutions et à la société civile pour permettre à la langue arabe d’occuper la place qui lui échoit et favoriser sa diffusion au niveau international.
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Spelling bee champ conquers language barrier

By DAN DEARTH. APRIL 11, 2010

SMITHSBURG — Smithsburg Middle School student Joanne Lee couldn’t speak English when she started kindergarten.

But things have changed since then.

On June 2, Joanne will take the stage with 274 other students from across the United States to represent Washington County Public Schools at the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

The event will last until June 4.

“The nerves are the worst,” Joanne said. “I have to remember not to spell too fast so I don’t miss a letter.”

Joanne’s mother, Hsiu-Hsueh Schubel, immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in the 1990s.

Because Hsiu-Hsueh’s English wasn’t very good when Joanne was a toddler, Hsiu-Hsueh said she spoke Mandarin Chinese around the house to prevent her daughter from developing bad speech habits.

As a result, Joanne received exposure to a foreign language early on but had to take special English classes when she started school.

“She had to go through this language barrier all by herself,” Hsiu-Hsueh said. “It made me very proud of her.”
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Language fair celebrates American Indian heritage

Cassi Toney/The Daily. Wednesday, April 7, 2010

More than 600 students of all ages and backgrounds celebrated Native American languages and culture at the eighth-annual Native American Language Fair held Monday and Tuesday at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.

“What I really wanted to do was focus on how languages are living,” said Mary Linn, fair director. “They are not really objects you can put in a collection. They’re really how people use a language and speak it on a daily basis.”

More than 70 schools participated in the fair and 23 American Indian languages were represented.

“Sports have tournaments and these kinds of things, and French and Spanish have language fairs they can go to as well, but there’s nothing for Native American languages,” Linn said. “We really wanted to give credit and thanks to the teachers who are working really hard to teach [American Indian] languages.”

Linn said the American Indian-language teachers work extra hard because they have no textbooks or curriculum to follow.

National Geographic magazine designated Oklahoma as a language “hotspot” because of high language diversity. The magazine cited the native languages’ critical condition and risk of extinction, which are caused by young children are not learning them as much, said Linn. However, she said it is now more popular to learn American Indian languages than it was 10 years ago.
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Conference proves that Esperanto can be the language of love

July 27, 2009

The girl band may have been a bit of a giveaway, singing catchy pop songs in a language that was both strangely familiar and utterly alien. But among a range of romantic links, it was a meeting of a Gay and Lesbian Association that really gave the game away: Esperanto is not what it used to be.

By rights it should have died out years ago. Founded at the end of the 19th century, an international movement by the start of the 20th, and once popular enough to have been persecuted by both Hitler and Stalin, Esperanto is the international language that never quite took the world by storm.

While the rest of mankind may have forgotten about Esperanto, its adherents have proved stubbornly resistant to the suggestion that their idealistic dream of a language of peace and brotherhood — and one that is much easier to learn than English — has no place in the world today.

This week 2,000 delegates from more than 60 countries are gathered for their annual congress in the Polish town of Bialystok — a place dear to the heart of every Esperanto speaker, being the birthplace 150 years ago of the inventor of the language, Ludwig Zamenhof.

Their mission is to spread the joy of Esperanto. Such being the nature of large international movements, however, along the way there are one or two subsidiary messages that need to be promulgated as well.

Thus it is that, among the more than 200 sessions this week, there are meetings for Esperanto vegetarians, non-smokers and a group that believes that not only should we all speak Esperanto, but there should not be any nationalities either.
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Celebrating te reo week

By CAROLYN THOMAS – Western Leader. Last updated 10:22 24/07/2009

Maori language, food and dance will be showcased at Pomaria Primary School this Saturday.

The school’s bilingual unit is celebrating the start of Maori Language Week in collaboration with the Puawairua kapa haka group.

Teacher Janet Koschir hopes the day will draw in lots of parents.

“Many enrol their children in these classes and in kapa haka yet they can’t speak te reo themselves,” she says.

“This will give them the opportunity to get involved.”

The day will also feature performances by other west Auckland primary and preschool pupils.

There will be food and craft stalls with entry to performances by gold coin donation.

Maori Language Week runs from July 27 to August 2 .

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/western-leader/2670778/Celebrating-te-reo-week

Language Day celebration

Friday, 03 July 2009 08:41 AJPress

The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in Presidio of Monterey celebrated its annual Language Day last May 15, 2009. Over 1100 students from local areas came and joined the faculty and staff to this remarkable event.

Each department presented their culture through various ways. Guests were imbued with spectacular songs and dances. There were classroom demonstrations attended by high school students from different areas. The cultural displays that were well-arranged gave the guests an ambiance of every country.

The Tagalog department as part of Asian I School did an exceptional job. Non-Tagalog speakers danced the Tinikling graciously. This was not an easy dance, as dancers performed between two long poles that are clapped in time to the music and with rotations. The DLIFLC students had the opportunity to be an instructor, teaching the basic concepts of the Tagalog language.

The cultural display comprised of authentic products like the banig, barong Tagalog, baro at saya, and wooden products such as the bakya, religious items, and miniature things. We showcased our decorations made of wood and seashell. It feels like home when you see shirts with unique designs and made only in the Philippines. Guests were also introduced to the Philippines’ public transportation icons — the jeepney, tricycle, pedicab, and kalesa. A real money bill was on the display, as well. Guests had experienced writing their names using the alibata – the ancient alphabet, and tasted the kalaman-C mint and pineapple-mango candies as they walked out of the door.

DFLIFC would like to the cooperation and participation of the faculty members and students. This event was a success and an epitome of how language day is celebrated. Hopefully, next year more people could come to witness the Language Day celebration.

Source: http://www.asianjournal.com/community/community-news/2236-language-day-celebration.html

America’s second National Chinese Language Conference opens in Chicago

2009-05-01 14:50:54

CHICAGO, April 30 (Xinhua) — More than 800 educators from throughout the United States converged on Chicago Thursday to take part in the second National Chinese Language Conference under the theme of “Making Connections and Building Partnerships.”

During the three-day event, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in some 60 workshops and seminars where they can learn about such subjects as “strengthening Chinese language learning through educational exchange” and “developing students’ global competence and building partnerships.”

The conference is sponsored by the College Board and Asia Society, and hosted by the Chicago Public Schools. Chicago is leading the country in Chinese language teaching, with some 12,000 students enrolled in programs in 43 schools.

Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, opened the evening with a call for increased interaction between American and Chinese students and educators.

“We need more than an Internet connection,” he said. “We need to make a real human connection. China has emerged as a political leader on the world stage, and there is a growing urgency for more Chinese programs in American schools. An appreciation of the need to understand the Chinese language and culture is expanding quickly across the great United States.”

Chinese Consul General to Chicago Huang Ping said that the work done at the conference could make a cake of the language and culture that would give everyone a bigger share.
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