I have a day off tomorrow for my stepson’s thrice-Covid-postponed wedding and it’s the Early May Bank Holiday next Monday, so I’ll be back next Tuesday, refreshed – I hope!
1. Two from my colleague Ann to start with: The Study Group on Language at The United Nations are organising a symposium, Multilingualism and COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Looking Forward on 3rd and 4th May. Website here with a range of documentation https://www.languageandtheun.org/ and PDF of flyer below.
Register here before 30th April https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAlM0K0ZqGHdhyzgbJo09sSDxFbJsqNUti-6GB77o3laRcFA/viewform
2. And here’s Ann’s second suggestion, the ‘joyously nerdy’ (Buzzfeed) Lingthusiasm podcast https://lingthusiasm.com/ They discussed language policy and official languages this week https://lingthusiasm.com/post/682191350734667776/episode-67-what-it-means-for-a-language-to-be
Here’s a list of episodes by topic https://lingthusiasm.com/topics
3. Next Wednesday, 4th May, at 16:00 UK time sees the next Birmingham University MOSAIC group seminar with Vally Lytra and Vicky Macleroy from Goldsmiths College talking about Language Education Collages and their recent book, ‘Liberating Language Education’; PDF of abstract below; more info and registration here https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/education/research/mosaic/events/vlytra-vmacleroy-language-education-collages.aspx
Is that language education that liberates or the liberation of language education, I wonder? Only one way to find out!
4. Next Thursday, 5th May at 10:30 UK time, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) invite you to a talk by Diane Pecorari from City University in Hong Kong on Understanding and supporting academic integrity in the educational experience of second-language users of English. More info and registration here https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/academic-integrity-from-the-second-language-users-perspective-tickets-310972385777
“These students are often said to be particularly vulnerable to academic integrity violations (or accusations thereof); at the same time, a small but growing body of research on academic integrity challenges this widespread belief. So, what do we really know about the extent to which questions about academic integrity present unique contours for second-language users of English?”
5. And, finally, how about giving the Babbel YouTube play list a whirl? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuqhmu8Eu8-niCKVTI2tJ4FjvytzSPmMs
It includes four engaging short videos with one of Babbel’s linguists, Jennifer, on “some of the most interesting facts about language that you’ve never heard of” – with what I suspect is a carefully composed living room backdrop. Or maybe some people live in rooms like that?
Multilingual Manhattan – The Polyglot Tour is another good one https://youtu.be/Q0r0eUSqWVI
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