[lg policy] Edling Digest, Vol 34, Issue 6

Tue Jul 13 15:39:59 UTC 2010

 Forwarded message ----------
From:  <edling-request at lists.sis.utsa.edu>

Today's Topics:

  1. US: Barring teachers with 'accents' from teaching English is
     misguided (Francis Hult)
  2. US: Bilingualism A skill, Not A Weakness (Francis Hult)
  3. China hosts Chinese language program for foreign diplomats
     (Francis Hult)
  4. Foreign Officer Kept Afghan Soldiers From Going AWOL in   U.S.
     (Francis Hult)
  5. Are Chinese language centres in Canada culture clubs or   spy
     outposts? (Francis Hult)

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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:51:41 -0500
From: Francis Hult <francis.hult at utsa.edu>
Subject: [Edling] US: Barring teachers with 'accents' from teaching
       English is misguided
To: <edling at lists.sis.utsa.edu>
Message-ID:
       <A9B2E1D7E2CAE34FB088BEFC63241A4B967D69 at diamonddt.UTSARR.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Arizona Daily Star

Barring teachers with 'accents' from teaching English is misguided

The Arizona Department of Education plans to bar teachers with
"heavily accented or ungrammatical" speech from classrooms with
English-learning children. The ostensible goal is to ensure that
children will be exposed to examples of "perfect (unaccented)
English."

Yet, decades of scientific investigation in linguistics shows that
exposure to only unaccented English will harm those students, not help
them. As scientists, as educators, as citizens, and as state
employees, we believe it is our duty to provide relevant scientific
facts so state leaders and citizens can make informed decisions.

Full story:

http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/article_bfb4230b-43b0-5e92-975a-580456386279.html

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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:56:52 -0500
From: Francis Hult <francis.hult at utsa.edu>
Subject: [Edling] US: Bilingualism A skill, Not A Weakness
To: <edling at lists.sis.utsa.edu>
Message-ID:
       <A9B2E1D7E2CAE34FB088BEFC63241A4B967D6A at diamonddt.UTSARR.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Los Angeles Times

A skill, not a weakness

Learning more than one language is a 21st century skill. It provides
students with economic opportunities across the globe and at home.
Many students enter our schools fluent in a language other than
English. They speak Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Farsi, Arabic, Khmer
and dozens of other languages important in international trade. They
come with a resource.

Ideally, these students - more than 1.5 million in California who
enter school speaking a language other than English - would gain
English proficiency while enhancing their home language skills. They
would graduate from high school fully bilingual or multilingual and
ready to compete in the global marketplace.

Full story:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-olsen-english-20100711,0,698032.story?track=rss

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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:59:17 -0500
From: Francis Hult <francis.hult at utsa.edu>
Subject: [Edling] China hosts Chinese language program for foreign
       diplomats
To: <edling at lists.sis.utsa.edu>
Message-ID:
       <A9B2E1D7E2CAE34FB088BEFC63241A4B967D6B at diamonddt.UTSARR.NET>
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English.news.cn

China hosts Chinese language program for foreign diplomats

The first Chinese language study program for foreign diplomats
concluded on Saturday at Hanban, the executive body of the Chinese
Language Council International.

The program, which started on February 27 with a two-hour class every
Saturday, had attracted 31 diplomats from 16 countries to China. The
countries included Slovenia, Benin, Poland, Cameroon, Kenya, Nepal,
Namibia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria,
Mexico, Afghanistan, and the Philippines.

Full story:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-07/10/c_13393775.htm

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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:09:11 -0500
From: Francis Hult <francis.hult at utsa.edu>
Subject: [Edling] Foreign Officer Kept Afghan Soldiers From Going AWOL
       in      U.S.
To: <edling at lists.sis.utsa.edu>
Message-ID:
       <A9B2E1D7E2CAE34FB088BEFC63241A4B967D6C at diamonddt.UTSARR.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

FoxNews.com

Foreign Officer Kept Afghan Soldiers From Going AWOL in U.S.

Last December, U.S. and NATO officials realized they had a growing
problem: an increasing number of Afghan military trainees were going
AWOL from Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas, where they
were learning to speak English.

As the language program is considered crucial to the U.S. war effort
in Afghanistan and to the long-term development of that nation's
national security forces, a full-time Afghan liaison was appointed to
ensure that the students complete their training and return to
Afghanistan.

Full story:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/09/exclusive-afghan-liaison-officer/

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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:13:00 -0500
From: Francis Hult <francis.hult at utsa.edu>
Subject: [Edling] Are Chinese language centres in Canada culture clubs
       or      spy outposts?
To: <edling at lists.sis.utsa.edu>
Message-ID:
       <A9B2E1D7E2CAE34FB088BEFC63241A4B967D6D at diamonddt.UTSARR.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

National Post

Are Chinese language centres in Canada culture clubs or spy outposts?

Before McMaster University art history professor Angela Sheng leads a
journalist on a tour of the year-old school of Chinese language and
culture within the Hamilton, Ont., university, she invites him to sit
for a cup of Kuan Yin tea, a Fujian Province specialty. After the
tour, she suggests, they should catch lunch at one of her favourite
local Chinese restaurants; in the meantime, would he like a Chinese
calendar, or a VIP pass to the Institute's spring gala? Between her
chummy demeanour and the shock of fuschia through her hair, the
director of the Confucius Institute at McMaster is more outgoing (and
probably hipper) than the visiting-from-China faculty who work for
her, but all are unfailingly polite and gracious.

Full story:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/Chinese+language+centres+Canada+culture+clubs+outposts/3258936/story.html

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End of Edling Digest, Vol 34, Issue 6
*************************************

-- 
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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