Category Archives: Language, migration & social justice

protest-egypt-squarex-large Taking over the squares

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Luisa Martín Rojo

Luisa Martín Rojo is inviting participants for a thematic session devoted to “Taking over the squares: the role of linguistic practices in contesting public spaces” at the 19th Sociolinguistics Symposium in Berlin in August 2012. Let me know if you … Continue reading →

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nyc2 035re Learn English, Make Friends!

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Ingrid Piller

How to make English-speaking friends is one of the perennial hot topics for new overseas students and new migrants. Advice on how to make “native” friends circulates like an underground currency: “Move in with English-speaking flat-mates!” “Avoid co-ethnics!” “Watch footy … Continue reading →

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090729-02-jellyfish-harvest-break-nets_big_2 The politics of subtitling

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Ingrid Piller

Recently, I watched a TV documentary about the proliferation of Nomura jellyfish in Japanese coastal waters. It was a shocking tale of the devastating environmental, economic, social and human impact of overfishing, global warming and marine pollution. The reason I’m … Continue reading →

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Gerkish Flag Turkish alphabetisation for German integration

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Victoria Benz

Contemporary Germany is the 3rd largest immigrant-receiving country internationally. In 2008, 15.6mio inhabitants (19% out of a total of 82.1mio) were post-1950 immigrants or their descendants (German Bureau of Statistics). With 2.9mio, Turks constitute the largest group of these. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

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ich spreche deutsch Many tongues instead of one!

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Bettina Kleiner

I was so grateful to read Ingrid Piller’s in-depth critical post on German language politics, where she offered a profound analysis of the assumptions underlying the campaign “Ich spreche Deutsch”. The title of the campaign can easily be associated with … Continue reading →

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