The Language Feed - January 30, 2005

Mon Jan 31 13:29:23 UTC 2005

The Language Feed
January 30, 2005

This issue and archives can be read on the web at
http://mason.gmu.edu/~smorris2/feed
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Teachers tout home language
Albuquerque Tribune, January 28
Bilingual children are losing their home language because federal
education policy stresses achievement in English only, claims a
University of New Mexico professor.
http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_education/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19857_3505385,00.html

Flemish parties quit Brussels language talks
Expatica, January 27
A coalition of Flemish political parties which had united against the
French speaking politicians in a bitter spat over the linguistic future
of a Brussels suburb has broken down.
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=48&story_id=16278&name=Flemish+parties+quit+Brussels+language+talks+

Software to digitise Arabic text online
Al Jazeera, January 27
Computer scientists are developing software to scan Arabic documents,
including handwritten ones, for words and phrases, filling a void that
became apparent after the September 11 attacks in the US.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A731DFC7-7065-4E1B-8CFE-64D4710E902D.htm

Deaf culture fades
Sun-Sentinal, January 27
E-mail and closed-caption television supplant deaf clubs as centers of
the community.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/orl-locfacesdeaf27012705jan27,0,2270898.story?coll=sfla-news-florida

Falling into the language gap Washington Square News, January 25 Attending
one of the most diverse institutions in the nation, in one of the most
international cities in the world, NYU students constantly encounter
non-English speaking New Yorkers.
http://www.nyunews.com/opinion/columnists/8683.html

A language has a life of its own
Daily News-Miner, January 24
Christopher Morley was on to something when he said, "Life is a foreign
language; all men mispronounce it."
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2670945,00.html

Elmbrook parents push for languages
Journal Sentinel, January 29
The Elmbrook School Board continues to face intense pressure to
reinstate foreign language instruction at its six elementary schools,
despite the need to trim $2 million from next year's budget.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/jan05/296718.asp

Programs break down language barrier
News 14 Charlotte, January 27
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District has implemented dual-language
programs at two area schools.
http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?AC=&ArID=85212&SecID=2

Yo! Linguists seek true pronunciation of state's name
Plain Dealer, January 30
Remember the riddle: What's round on the ends and high in the middle?
The answer is supposed to be "O-hi-o," with its long ohhs at the
beginning and end.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/110708108949990.xml

Aught not the naught-naughts?
Kansas City Star, January 30 (email: language at yahoo.com; username: language)
We had the '70s, the '80s, the '90s, and now we're in the ... whatties?
No one knows. Halfway through the current decade, we still have no name
for it.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/10741794.htm?1c

Southerners don't drink 'pop'
The State, January 29
A Coke is a Coke. Except when it isn't. And if it isn't, you’re probably
somewhere in the South.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/business/10764451.htm

Mark their words, eh?
Globe and Mail, January 29
At the first-ever full-fledged scholarly conference on Canadian English
this weekend, scholars will be discussing why our yods are disappearing
and whether certain young women have been dropping their diphthongs.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050129/LANGUAGE29/TPEntertainment/TopStories

------------------------------------------------------------------------
You are subscribed to the Language Feed. To unsubscribe, send an email
to smorris2 at gmu.edu. Feedback is always welcome. Send yours to
smorris2 at gmu.edu.