[lg policy] Speaking up for our many languages

[ladirenike at YAHOO.CO.UK]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Sayers <D.Sayers at swansea.ac.uk>
Sender: lgpolicy-list-bounces at groups.sas.upenn.edu
Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2012 19:50:29 
To: Language Policy List<lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu>
Reply-To: Language Policy List <lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu>
Subject: [lg policy] Speaking up for our many languages

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/opinion/7730575/Speaking-up-for-our-many-languages

Every now and then we have the opportunity to interact with other cultures living in New Zealand and
realise what a rich and inspiring society we have become.

I was recently part of an education and science select committee trip to Auckland to hear
submissions on bilingualism in early childhood education centres (ECEs).

We listened to presentations from people representing Kiribati, Niue, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga,
Samoa and Tokelau.

These presentations were done with passion and a powerful sense of purpose, emphasising the
responsibility of the Government to preserve their native languages.

What many people may not realise is that one language dies every 14 days. In the July 2012 edition
of National Geographic magazine, it was stated that by the next century nearly half of the roughly
7000 languages spoken on earth will likely disappear as communities abandon native tongues in favour
of English, Chinese or Spanish.

(Click on for more fabulous ramblings of a notable dilettante.)

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/opinion/7730575/Speaking-up-for-our-many-languages



Dave

--
Dr. Dave Sayers
Honorary Research Fellow, Arts & Humanities, Swansea University
and Visiting Lecturer (2012-2013), Dept English, Åbo Akademi University
dave.sayers at cantab.net
http://swansea.academia.edu/DaveSayers
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