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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Thanks for this - I'm afraid there may be too much truth to the
humor here if there are not imaginative approaches to promoting substantive
discussion of language issues. The fact that this coming year has the name "International
Year of Languages" provides a platform or pretext for raising various
important issues. Such as the state of language policy and planning.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>FYI, David Crystal has a short article entitled "What do we
do with an International Year of Languages?" at <a
href="http://www.crystalreference.com/DC_articles/Langdeath20.pdf">http://www.crystalreference.com/DC_articles/Langdeath20.pdf</a>
. It's the only serious consideration of IYL outside of the UN that I'm aware of,
and seems to be a good basis for discussion.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Dennis Baron's quip that "While the rest of the world lines
up to support the U.N.'s International Languages Year, U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad has announced that America’s
participation remains problematic. …" is one of those that hides a
truth but also could mislead the casual reader. The issues like linguistic
diversity that are highlighted in IYL do not necessarily have broad support, and
are even opposed, as Crystal mentions and members of this list are more than
aware. The concept of linguistic diversity is misunderstood and/or dismissed by
some outside of the US too. So raising the profile of IYL, language issues, and
entities that work on them is a challenge as well as an opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>I'm actually wondering if one practical step might be to set up
a kind of umbrella consortium framework of organizations concerned with
language - sort of like the civil society group connected to WSIS. The idea
would be to give a higher collective profile to the various entities working on
various aspects of language and linguistic diversity. It would not probably be
able to make any collective statements other than about the IYL in general and
the activities of members. (Press releases or whatever mentioning the
IYL)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>One notes that 2008 is also Year of the Potato, Year of Planet
Earth and a couple of others, but the two named have central websites set up by
organizations independent of the UN or UNESCO (but collaborating with them). An
umbrella consortium (or however best to describe it) could host the a website
on IYL for instance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Is there any interest or feedback on the concept?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Don Osborn<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
owner-lgpolicy-list@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
[mailto:owner-lgpolicy-list@ccat.sas.upenn.edu] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Dennis
Baron<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Sunday, December 30, 2007 2:26 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> web.of.language@expredir6.cites.uiuc.edu<br>
<b>Subject:</b> U.N. proclaims 2008 the International Year of Languages<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>There's a new post on the <a
href="www.uiuc.edu/goto/weboflanguage%0A">Web of Language</a>: <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>U.N.
proclaims 2008 the International Year of Languages</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>Insisting
that everyone in the world should speak a language, the United Nations General
Assembly has declared 2008 the International Year of Languages. Matsuura
Koichiro, director-general of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization, will coordinate international efforts to
stress the importance of languages and promote their study. . . .<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>To
Matsuura, languages are essential both for individual identity and for peaceful
coexistence. Language eradicates poverty and hunger. Literacy and education are
useless without language to back them up. And language is instrumental in
fighting “HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.” UNESCO underscores
the connection between cultural diversity and linguistic diversity, and with
only about a quarter of all languages are used in schools or in cyberspace,
U.N. experts warn that up to half of the 7000 languages in the world are in
danger of disappearing over the next few generations. . . .<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>In
conjunction with the International Year of Languages, UNESCO is encouraging
government policies that support the use of first languages together with the
learning of regional, national and international languages, to ensure that
everyone can participate in a globalizing world. UNESCO also encourages everyone
to “take a language to lunch” by learning additional languages,
both big and small, and it sponsors the annual World Language Day, on Feb. 21,
2008, to celebrate everyone’s right to use their native tongue in all
aspects of their daily lives and to honor the martyrs who have died to preserve
their linguistic rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>While
the rest of the world lines up to support the U.N.’s International
Languages Year, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad has
announced that America’s participation remains problematic. The Bush
administration is claiming that languages were theories, not
scientifically-proven facts, and the president himself recently affirmed his
belief that God created English in just six days and promised to veto the use of
federal funds to teach language evolution to impressionable children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>Read
the rest of this exciting post on <a
href="www.uiuc.edu/goto/weboflanguage%0A">the Web of Language,</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'><a
href="http://www.uiuc.edu/goto/weboflanguage">www.uiuc.edu/goto/weboflanguage</a></span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>and a happy New Year to all,<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'>Dennis
Baron</span></span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'>Professor
of English and Linguistics</span></span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'>Department
of English
</span></span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'>University
of Illinois </span></span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'>608 S.
Wright St.</span></span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'>Urbana,
IL 61801
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"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'>office:
217-244-0568</span></span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'>fax:
217-333-4321</span></span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
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<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black'>read the Web of Language:</span></span><span
style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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