Language and religion – Page 2 – Language on the Move

Next Gen Literacies

Literacy – the power code

U.S. Vice President Pence ignores NASA "DO NOT TOUCH" sign. Would anyone else get away with such illiterate behavior? “Literacy” is one of those words that everyone uses as a…

Ingrid PillerAugust 7, 2017

Intercultural communication

Temples helping heritage language maintenance in Australia

Murugan Temple, Colombo (Source: Andy Nobes) Do you know which non-Christian religion has grown the fastest in Australia since the new millennium? You might be surprised to hear that it’s…

Niru PereraMarch 9, 2016

Language and law

Frightful language tests

Trial by fire depicted in a medieval manuscript (Source: Wikipedia) In the Middle Ages those suspected of witchcraft were often subjected to a ‘trial by fire’ to prove their innocence…

Ingrid PillerJuly 15, 2015

Language and migration

Language or religion: which is the greater fault line in diverse societies?

Churchill Square Shopping Mall, Brighton, UK (Source: Wikipedia) In a shopping mall in the city of Brighton, UK, a tourist was arrested on terrorism charges last week for taking a…

Ingrid PillerJuly 8, 2015

Multilingual histories

Erasing diversity

Barely legible today but evidence of 'super-diversity' in the 9th century: Runic graffiti in Hagia Sophia On a parapet in Hagia Sophia’s gallery there is an obscure little graffiti written…

Ingrid PillerJune 21, 2013

Intercultural communication

Polish refugee section of the Catholic cemetery in Tehran When Kimie Takahashi and myself interviewed participants for Japanese on the Move, our video exhibition of transnational life-stories, one of our…

Ingrid PillerJune 3, 2013

Language, lies and statistics

Speak English, people! says British politician Ed Miliband (Source: msn.com) Every ten years the UK government conducts a census, which every British resident is obliged by law to take part…

Deborah CameronFebruary 22, 2013

English as a global language

Marketing English as the global language

"美語是通往世界最近的路" (American English, for children, is the royal road to the world): An English educator promises the world Taiwan is enthralled with learning American English. One of the reasons for…

Jackie ChangFebruary 8, 2013

Multilingual families

Christmas in Nicaragua

Purísima altar Editor's Note: We are delighted to be able to share this report about 'the festive season' in Nicaragua, a context that is probably quite alien to many of our…

Frida WeissDecember 19, 2012