Free Film Screening – In Languages We Live: Voices of the World

Our UTSA International Working Group for the International Year of Languages is pleased to present the film "In Languages We Live: Voices of the World" produced by Janus Billeskov Jansen and Signe Byrge Sorensen.

Friday, April 11, 2008
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
UTSA Main Building, 0.106

The film will be followed by a panel discussion featured Dr. Juliet Langman (BBL), Dr. Maryellen Garcia (Modern Languages and Literature), and Dr. Francis Hult (BBL).

Information about the film is available at: http://www.unesco.org/education/imld2006/film.pdf

Hope to see you there!

FOREIGN TONGUE: Legislator wants immigrant families to keep native languages

Finally, some state legislators who recognize the need to foster heritage languages! We need more forward thinking legislators like these to counter those out-of-touch and backward thinking legislators attempting to push through English-only laws!

FOREIGN TONGUE: Legislator wants immigrant families to keep native
languages
Capital News Service March 6, 2008

By Laura Schwartzman

http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080306/NEWS01/80306044/1002/NEWS01

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland lawmakers want to fix a "critical shortage" of foreign-language speakers in the United States by urging immigrants and their families to preserve their native tongues.

Sen. James Rosapepe, D-Prince George's, said his bill to establish a task force on encouraging "heritage languages" will benefit the economy and national security.

"[We must] hold on to this tremendous competitive advantage for America," he said at a Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee hearing Thursday.

While learning English is important for immigrants, Rosapepe said the state's population of foreign-language speakers is a vastly underutilized resource.

Nearly 14.5 percent of Marylanders speak a foreign language at home, according to the bill's authors.Jerry Lampe, deputy director of the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland, said more than 80 federal agencies need employees with proficiency in certain languages.

The rise of China as a global power and continued American interests in the Middle East and South Asia make languages such as Chinese, Arabic and Urdu important for national security reasons.

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2008 the International Year of Languages, a prime motivation for introducing the bill."I know so many people like myself who came here as children, who may have known the language of their parents or their grandparents, but in many cases did not keep it," said Rosapepe, who was born in Italy and served as U.S. ambassador to Romania from 1998 to 2001. "We see this all the time across the United States."

But proponents of making English the official language do not agree.


"I'm opposed to any legislation which eventually leads to taxpayer financed programs that encourage multi-language efforts," said Delegate Patrick McDonough, R-Baltimore County, the lead sponsor of a bill to make English Maryland's official language. "We need to promote English. It's been the unifying force in this nation and that is the language that people need to learn how to speak."

Rosapepe's task force would study heritage language preservation and come up with ways to foster it. State government agencies, the University System of Maryland, business organizations and members of ethnic community groups would be represented.

A major focus of the bill is to advise educators teaching the American-born children of immigrants. At least 150 languages are spoken in Maryland's public schools, according to the bill's authors, although children often lose proficiency as families assimilate.

Representatives from Chinese and African ethnic advocacy groups said many parents are sending their children to study abroad or at language-specific schools in an effort to preserve their cultural heritages.

Without initiatives to encourage native languages, "the growing trend of African immigrants sending their children to attend schools back in Africa" will continue, at a loss to Maryland and U.S. educational systems," said Chuks Eleonu, CEO of the African Peoples Action Congress.

Henry Lau, chair of the Greater Washington Chinese-American Alliance, said several Chinese-language schools have sprung up around the state to meet the demand for cultural education. He urged lawmakers to assist the schools and reward students who master their native tongues."

Heritage language skills will flourish in Maryland only when there is an encouraging environment," he said.

New Book - Education, Youth, Leadership, Labor: Asian Pacific American and Latino Perspectives

The following book has just been published:

Tsuchida, J. N., Benitez, J. M., & Toji, D. S. (2007). Education, Youth, Leadership, Labor: Asian Pacific American and Latino Perspectives. Long Beach, CA: Center for Asian Pacific American Studies, California State University, Long Beach.

I have an article in this book:

The Situation of the Khmer Language in the United States, by Wayne E. Wright

Other articles in this book:

Introduction, by John N. Tsuchida

Education Beyond Schooling: Preparing Asian Pacific American leaders, by Bob H. Suzuki

Educational Opportunity, Empowerment and Making APA Politics Meaningful, by Robert A. Underwood

How the "Asian" Racial Category Got on the U.S. Census: An Example of Geography in the Racial Formation Process, by Dean S. Toji

The Racialization of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and Asian Americans, 1890s - 1930s, by Victor M. Rodriguez

Cultural Considerations in Writing Assessment, by Gladys Garcia & Mark T. Williams

The Social Construction of the Ethnic Street Gang: Racial Policies, by Jose M. Lopez

Economic Integration Along the U.S.-Mexico Border and the Shaping of Border Identities: The Case of Tiajuana-San Diego, by Juan M. Benitez

If you are interested in ordering a copy:

Hardcover - $35.00

Paperback - $20.00

Send check or money order (payable to Center for Asian Pacific American Studies) to:

Center for Asian Pacific American Studies

Department of Asian and Asian American Studies

California State University, Long Beach

1250 Bellflower Blvd.

Long Beach, CA 80804-1002

Include you name, address, phone number and e-mail address (orders will be confirmed via e-mail or phone)

Questions about ordering? Contact ctsuyuki@csulb.edu or (562) 985-4645

Scholarship for Arabic or Chinese Heritage Speakers at the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy

Here's an interesting opportunity. Please pass this along to any grade 7 - 12 HL speakers of Arabic or Chinese you know!

Scholarship for Arabic or Chinese Heritage Speakers at the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy

The Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (MMLA) has been awarded funding to support a limited number of scholarships for heritage speakers of Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. Broadly speaking, heritage speakers are students from families with an Arabic or Chinese heritage, but who lack formal education in the language.

"STARTALK" is one of the projects of a US government funded effort to expand foreign language education in under-taught critical languages by supporting new and existing programs for students, kindergarten through university, in several targeted languages including Mandarin Chinese and Arabic.

To be considered for a STARTALK partial scholarship at the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy an applicant must meet these criteria:

• Entering grade 7 through grade 12
• Parents or grandparents speak
either Arabic or Mandarin Chinese
• Have knowledge of the culture and
traditions associated with the heritage language
• Have a willingness to
share that cultural knowledge with others studying the language
• Express a
sincere desire to develop stronger skills in either Arabic or Chinese
• Demonstrate financial need

Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy

The Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy extends the renowned Middlebury Language School summer immersion to middle and high school students for four weeks in a summer camp setting. See more at http://www.mmla.middlebury.edu/

Located at sites in California, Vermont and Massachusetts, MMLA combines rigorous and effective language education with summer camp activities, all conducted in the target language. As a Middlebury language immersion camp, students adhere to a Language Pledge® and agree to refrain from using English except in cases of emergency, safety or when the Pledge has been relaxed in camp for a particular purpose.

Students who do not meet the above criteria for a STARTALK scholarship may still apply to MMLA as regular students.

To apply, call MMLA at 802-296-2459 or email to mmla.info@middlebury.edu

International Year of Languages Website and Listserv @ UTSA

UTSA now has a website and listserv in connection with our celebration of 2008 as the International Year of Languages.

The website http://bbl.utsa.edu/News/IYLWebpage.htm will provide information about a series of related events held on campus, as well as provide additional information and resources.

Individuals may self-subscribe to the listserv at
https://lists.sis.utsa.edu/mailman/listinfo/utsa-lang. The listserv will be used to announce and plan related events throughout the year.

Hsiaoping Wu's Book Review Published

Hsaoping Wu's Book Review of a heritage language book has been published in Education Review! I would encourage others to consider publishing their book reviews in Education Review. It is the premier book review journal in education, it is on-line and free, and has thousands of readers. Plus, reviews are published quickly.

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Kondo-Brown, Kimi & Brown, James Dean, editors (2007). Teaching Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Heritage Language Students: Curriculum Needs, Materials, and Assessment. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Pages: 368 Price: $35.00
ISBN: 0805858784

Reviewed by Hsiaoping Wu, University of Texas, San Antonio

Teaching Chinese, Japanese, and Korean heritage language students: Curriculum needs, materials, and assessment is a collection of essays on current issues of heritage language (HL) learning. It includes both research-based articles and application and practice on education from 16 authors. Contributors discuss every aspect of learning Japanese, Chinese, and Korean as a heritage language from the theoretical perspective to practical application. It is very inspiring to read this work because it is the most up-to-date and complete collection available with a specific focus on Asian languages. The appearance of the work will encourage more researchers, educators, and teachers to take an interest in heritage language teaching due to the explicit arguments and guidance offered here.

[Click here to read the rest at Education Review - Scroll about halfway down]

Celebrating International Mother Language Day: Heritage Languages in the USA

In Celebration of International Mother Language Day, our Applied Linguistics Brownbag series at the University of Texas, San Antonio last Friday focussed on Heritage Langauges in the USA. Below is the text of the flyer. We had a great turn out, and even had to bring in additional chairs. It was great to see not only faculty and graduate students from our Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies, but also colleagues from other departments and colleges.

Dr. Francis Hult has organized a working group of UTSA faculty from across the campus to plan additional events throughout the year to celebrate 2008 as the International Year of Languages. Information about these events will be posted on this blog.

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Applied Linguistics Brownbag Series
Celebrating International Mother Language Day:
Heritage Languages in the USA

February 15
12:00-1:30pm
Main Building 2.220

International Mother Language Day was first proclaimed by UNESCO's General Conference in 1999, with the aim of focusing attention on the importance of individuals' mother tongues for their social and cultural development. Mother Language Day takes on special significance this year, as the United Nations has proclaimed 2008 as the International Year of Languages. Activities will be taking place throughout the year at institutions worldwide in order to raise awareness about relationships between global linguistic diversity and cultural heritage.
The Applied Linguistics Brownbag Series celebrates International Mother Language Day and the start of the International Year of Languages with a special brownbag on the topic of heritage languages in US contexts.

PROGRAM

Introduction: International Mother Language Day and the International Year of Languages
Francis M. Hult, Assistant Professor, Bicultural-Bilingual Studies

"Heritage Language Learning and Ideologies of Pre-service Latina/o Bilingual Teachers in Texas"
Lucila Ek, Assistant Professor, Bicultural-Bilingual Studies

"Heritage Language Learning in the USA - The Case of Khmer"
Wayne E. Wright, Assistant Professor, Bicultural-Bilingual Studies