The Language Feed - May 15, 2005

[Harold F. Schiffman]

The Language Feed
May 15, 2005

This issue and archives can be read on the web at
http://mason.gmu.edu/~smorris2/feed
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Gains in Translation: Software Aims to Cut Through the Babble Better
Los Angeles Times, May 15

Language Weaver's system could lead to a hand-held interpreter. But humans
needn't fear for their jobs just yet. In the 23rd century, people will use
a gizmo that looks suspiciously like a flashlight to communicate with
alien species.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-language15may15,0,4536921.story?coll=la-home-business


Pentagon promotes foreign-language skills AZ Central, May, 15 The Pentagon
makes no secret of the fact that Staff Sgt. Aaron Jarvis will soon be one
of its most valuable assets in the war on terror.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0515language15.html


A Boost for African-Language Writers
AllAfrica.com, May 12
The Department of Arts and Culture is working with a local publisher to
launch a project aimed at promoting writing and publishing in indigenous
languages.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200505130176.html


Local MP swears oath in Cornish
BBC News, May 12
An MP from Cornwall has used the Cornish language during the swearing of
allegiance to the Queen in Parliament on Thursday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/4540887.stm


Dual-language students can help Georgia's schools advance
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 13
(firstname:langfeed,email:language at yahoo.com, password:language)
Much has been written and spoken recently about the problems of large
numbers of non-English-speaking students flooding into our classrooms.
However, very few people have made real attempts to define a possible
solution that would benefit both immigrants and local students.
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0505/13edlanguage.html?UrAuth=%60N\NUObNXUbTTUWUXUTUZTYU\UWU]UaUZUbUZUcTYWYWZV


Cypriots start to bridge mutual language gulf
Reuters, May 12
When it comes to communicating, Murat Akin has a head start over most
people on the divided island of Cyprus.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=ourWorldNews&storyID=8469851


Lost Eritrean language put on record
AlJazeera, May 10
Nearly a decade after accidentally discovering a previously unknown
language on an Indian Ocean archipelago off the Eritrean coast, a French
linguist is fighting to save the unwritten, untaught tongue.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0D042E0E-7C0F-4E0F-8BBB-DA534FE77414.htm


Show of hands: Who can't find the right word?
Globe and Mail, May 10
When the words just won't come, try gesticulating. That's the advice of
researchers at the University of Alberta who studied the link between
gestures and speech and found that hand movements could improve your
access to language.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050510.whands0510/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/


Lakota: a language with its own spiritual meanings
Bismarck Tribune, May 12
Albert White Hat Sr. knows that at a certain age, young people like to
carve their initials in things.
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2005/05/12/news/life/lif01.txt


Communicating internationally
The Hindu, May 15
The Capri conference on `Linguistics for international communication'
was a good demonstration of modern scholars' readiness to think beyond
boundaries.
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2005/05/15/stories/2005051500250300.htm


The Drawl is Coming, y'all
News & Record, May 14
Could America's mouth be heading south? Depends on who's talking. About
40 percent of the nation's population will be living in 16 Southern
states by 2030, many of them Northern transplants, the U.S. Census
Bureau predicts.
http://www.news-record.com/news/local/southern_accent_051405.htm


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