Losing their heritage language decreases the earning potential of 2nd-generation migrants In most countries of immigration, linguistic diversity is by and large ignored by policy makers. If there are language-related…
Are university rankings like an iron cage that leaves no option but to submit to its logic? “Using English is the sign of a great mind. Discuss.” Sounds like an…
Migrant children studying in a Brazilian school in Japan (Source: Japan Times) A recent study of the educational pathways of the children of Brazilian migrants in Japan offers a most…
Promoting the University of Bolton's Ras Al-Khaimah branch campus on the streets of Ajman The other day I was stuck in traffic in Ajman, one of the smaller of the…
University rankings drive the Englishization of global academia The Intercultural Communication Special Interest Group of the British Association of Applied Linguistics is hosting a seminar at Newcastle University next week…
Who profits from an early start in English language learning? 不要讓你的孩子輸在起跑點上 (Don’t let your children lose out at the starting point.) is one of the most popular slogans whenever English…
Promoting English language learning: billboard for private early English instruction in Wuhan Knowledge of English has come to be seen as the key talent of the 21st century, a way…
Last weekend the Australian government released its white paper Australia in the Asian Century. One of its recommendations is that "All Australian students will have the opportunity, and be encouraged, to undertake…
"Wir neuen Deutschen" and "Growing up Lebanese Muslim in Australia" A little while ago, my daughter, who attends Year 5 in an Australian public school, received a “Resilience Award” for…
Percentage of Europeans who speak three or more languages (2012 Eurobarometer 'Europeans and their Languages', p. 14) The 2012 Eurobarometer Report “Europeans and their languages” was published last month and…
Mehrsprachige Buecher - multilingual books - ketabhaye chand zabane The release of the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 Census of Population data is an invitation to reflect on the composition…
The high price of multilingualism When society doesn’t value something you, as an individual, do, you, the individual, end up paying for society’s lack of valuation. That’s the case with…
I’ve written before that I’ve never had an experience in which someone responded negatively to me when I speak German to my daughters in public here in the United States.…
Corporate double-speak is plummeting to ever lower depths and is insinuating itself into every aspect of our lives. Many see through this sustained assault on our collective intelligence, no doubt.…