The article aims at illustrating the linguistic situation of national minorities and ethnic groups in independent Ukraine. It describes the historical context in which minority groups in Ukraine were ...formed, as well as the main language identity issues that Ukraine had to face before and after 1991. The socio-political dynamics in which minorities lived in the first decades after 1991 are described. The main part outlines the situation of major minorities, provides data concerning the variation of specific groups and underlines how these numerical fluctuations have affected the linguistic situation of the country. The article takes into consideration statistical data, scientific articles and monographs on the subject, as well as publications in the mass media.
Kindergarten educators represent the first contact of children with the institutional environment. In this article we assume that kindergarten educators have a significant impact on children's ...perception of their first/mother tongue and their language development. Language is one of the core kindergarten curriculum areas in which the educator needs to be adequately empowered to set an example for the children, while at the same time developing their communicative competence which is the basis for (later) efficient communication. We carried out a questionnaire-based survey involving 236 students pursuing early childhood education in all three public universities in the Republic of Slovenia which prepares students for the role of kindergarten educators in order to study their perceptions of the language. The questionnaire-based survey was answered by students in their first and third years i.e., when starting and finishing their studies. A large majority of future kindergarten educators consider their positive attitude towards language in general to be extremely important for kindergarten children as language forms the basis for all other curriculum areas. Also, when surveyed, almost all future kindergarten educators considered it essential to be proficient in the language and to encourage language development in children by following their own example. Furthermore, they believe it is important to have a well-developed linguistic capability (language knowledge), to have the capability of crafting linguistically accurate written content and to master a suitable literary expression.
Diverse cultures and languages traverse borders, including the global educational space, hence the need to create cultural and mother tongue awareness. This paper adopts a theoretical research ...design, in its review of some articles to discuss the best ways mother tongue diversities can be harnessed in our schools to create a universal system of education that reduces educational inequities and leads to economic growth and cohesion. This review appraises the challenges associated with harnessing mother tongue diversities, and also discusses the benefits of harnessing mother tongue diversities for the students as a preferred solution for maintaining a culturally inclusive learning environment that allows students to flourish in the educational environment by putting their mother tongue into use.
The use of the mother tongue in foreign language lessons has always generated a wide debate on whether the use of L1 prevents students from learning a L2. This research shows what teachers of English ...as L2 in Spain think about this topic. First, we review the reasons to exclude the use of Spanish, as well as the reasons for its inclusion. This approach includes linguistic, social, and cultural factors intrinsic to the teaching/learning process. Information is collected using a mixed method approach. On the one hand, a questionnaire is designed to identify patterns and trends regarding the use of Spanish in the English classroom considering factual, behavioural, and attitudinal data. Each section is linked to research objectives. On the other, three specific qualitative methods are used: personal interviews, small focus group discussions and extension written narratives, where 12 questions are composed as a basis for the realisation of these three methods. The results of the study suggest that a prudent and judicious use of Spanish does not prevent or hinder the development of English learning in students. On the contrary, in many cases, it facilitates it since it provides the teacher with a powerful pedagogical resource. The study posits that the judicious employment of Spanish within the classroom setting yields positive outcomes and advocates for increased flexibility in its utilisation. However, it simultaneously points to the imperative that this flexibility should not detract from the primary objective of English language acquisition. This study has theoretical and practical implications in the design of formation syllabi for in-service and future teachers of L2 in L1 contexts.
In this article, the author draws on evidence from newly emerged states’ language policy and planning in the Iranian Plateau, and its surrounding Silk Roads region, in order to illustrate that the ...European nation-state model has been a major cause of linguistic discrimination in this region although separatist movements can assume that establishing a new state can protect their ethnic languages. The adaptation of this form of governance in these territories has seriously damaged the region’s organic linguistic repertoire. The failure of the modern state to provide an inclusive language policy has long been observed and discussed in the field of sociology of language. In this article, the author provides examples to show that newly emerged nation-states oppress the Indigenous minority languages within them and fall short of satisfactorily addressing the language issues of immigrants because of their narrow and inflexible definitions of nationhood and national identity. Additionally, the author illustrates that nation-states not only target minority languages, but also they undermine the very ethnic language that they claim to promote. This happens by elevating the status of one variation of the ethnic language and at the same time devaluating the other dialects and accents. The author concludes that investment in nation-statism may or may not lead to the creation of a state that is respectful of linguistic human rights. A more meaningful investment in terms of language planning is organizing anti-discrimination movements both in current larger states or possible future ethnic states.
A pesar de las visiones de los movimientos separatistas etnonacionalistas de crear nuevos estados para proteger sus lenguas étnicas oprimidas en contextos estatales dominantes, entiendo que lograr una educación multilingüe inclusiva puede ser difícil a menos que estos nuevos estados puedan adherirse firmemente a políticas educativas antidiscriminatorias. El texto ilustra cómo los Estados-nación recién surgidos pueden oprimir las lenguas minoritarias indígenas y no lograr abordar satisfactoriamente las preocupaciones lingüísticas de los inmigrantes debido a sus definiciones estrechas e inflexibles de nación e identidad nacional. El artículo también muestra que los estados etnonacionalistas a veces pueden socavar el lenguaje étnico que dicen promover. Esto sucede a través de la devaluación de las variaciones “no estándar” del idioma étnico y la elevación del estatus del inglés por encima de los idiomas locales, como idioma de la ciencia y el aprendizaje. Se concluye que la inversión en nacionalismo no conduce automáticamente a la creación de un sistema educativo antidiscriminatorio y comprometido con la protección de la diversidad lingüística.
Apesar das visões dos movimentos separatistas etnonacionalistas de criar novos estados para proteger as suas línguas étnicas oprimidas em contextos de estados dominantes, entendo que alcançar uma educação multilingue inclusiva pode ser difícil, a menos que esses novos estados possam aderir fortemente a políticas educativas antidiscriminatórias. O texto ilustra como Estados-nação recém-surgidos podem oprimir as línguas minoritárias indígenas e falhar em abordar satisfatoriamente as questões linguísticas dos imigrantes devido às suas definições estreitas e inflexíveis de nacionalidade e de identidade nacional. O artigo também mostra que os Estados etnonacionalistas por vezes podem minar a própria língua étnica que afirmam promover. Isso acontece através da desvalorização das variações “não padronizadas” da língua étnica e da elevação do status o do inglês sobre as línguas locais, por ser a língua da ciência e da aprendizagem. Conclui-se que o investimento no estatismo-nação não conduz automaticamente à criação de um sistema educativo anti-discriminatório que esteja empenhado em proteger a diversidade linguística.
The Arabic language is one of the dialects of the Arabian Peninsula, as Khalil bin Ahmad al-Farahidi (175 AH) pointed out the relationship between Arabic and one of its sisters, saying:)) Canaan son ...of Shem son of Noah, to him belong the Canaanites and they spoke a language close to Arabic ((( ), and he brought Arabic closer to the other dialects of the Arabian Peninsula, which made us conclude that it is one of them, as it goes back to one component that has its sound system that is known by it, so most often the sounds of these dialects are similar except for some sounds that were replaced or disappeared for some reason ( ). The term (Semitic peoples) (Semites) was applied to the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula, and the first to conceive of this term was the orientalist (Schloezer) ((Schloezer (1781) attributed to the sons of (Shem son of Noah) (), and one of the researchers mentioned that the correct name for those peoples from a historical and geographical point of view is (the peoples of the island) or (the islanders) or (the ancient Arab peoples) (), or (the islandic) attributed to the dialects of the Arabian Peninsula ( ). And Dr. Wala'a Sadiq Muhsin has another opinion, as she called them (dialects) and explained that she did not say languages on the assumption that these dialects are a unified language for the dialects of the Arabian Peninsula, which is what was called the mother tongue ( ). And in this research we adopt the opinion of the professor and what she pointed out.
Multilingual conditions can threaten the mother tongue in a tourism area because most people use other languages when interacting with tourists. Thus, it can hamper the inheritance of the mother ...tongue or even replace it with another language. This study used a sociolinguistic theoretical approach to measure the mother tongue’s vitality level in a multilingual community in Dieng, Central Java. This descriptive study used a mixed method. Data were collected from interviews with 53 informants and with the help of a research instrument namely the Interview Package of “Basa Urang”. Data were analyzed based on Miles dan Huberman’s model (1984), covering data collection, reduction, presentation, and drawing conclusions. The study results showed that the vitality of the mother tongue in the multilingual community in Dieng, Central Java is in the vulnerable category as the mother tongue is only used in the domestic domain. This is proven by the percentage level of mother tongue use based on patterns ‘with’, patterns ‘in’, and patterns ‘for’. The main factors causing the low vitality of the mother tongue in the multilingual community in this area are economic and educational. This study describes the condition of each living language in a multilingual society in Dieng, Central Jawa. This study provides quite large implications in describing the vitality of mother tongues in a multilingual society in Dieng, Central Java, but further studies are needed to get a deeper understanding of the implications.
The research presents the results of the European project “Leo Effect. Learn from each other effectively” (2013-2015), which involved five schools-participants: “Alliance Russe” (Nice, France), ...“Centre de développement bilingue LOGOS” (Paris, France), “Centro de Lengua y Cultura Rusa A. Pushkin” (Barselona, Spain), “Multiculturele Stichting “Poesjkin” (Leiden, The Netherland) and “Senter for russisk språk og kultur” (Oslo, Norway). The study aimed at investigating the policy of multilingualism, represented in official documents of the European Union and analyzing actual opportunities for immigrants to study their mother language in Norway, France, the Netherlands and Spain. The research is relevant as it provides a brief overview of the language policy of the European Union, and in particular Norway, France, the Netherlands and Spain, and analyses the existing opportunities for immigrants (or children of immigrants) to learn their native language in a new country of residence. In addition, it presents an analysis of the demand for knowledge of different languages (including Russian) in European countries. Research methods included analysis of the legal documents regulating the language policy, analysis of educational programmes in educational institutions of the country, questionnaires of students from the schools participating in the Leo “Effect. Learn from each other effectively,” monitoring of the labour market for the demand for knowledge of different languages (Russian, in particular). As a result of the project “Leo Effect. Learn from each other effectively” the external factors affecting acquisition of the mother tongue outside the language environment were studied. These factors include: the official language policy of the state governing the teaching of the mother tongue, the existing opportunities for learning the mother tongue in the country, the demand for knowledge of different languages on labor market, and the popularity of a particular language in a particular state. The study showed that the education of a multilingual citizen in Europe is basically a family task. State educational institutions do not provide enough support in the issue of teaching the mother tongue and reading and writing in the mother tongue are usually taught by commercial or non-profit organizations created by the immigrants themselves.
This research will discuss the important of /r/ sound pronunciation that plays a main role in learning as foreign language. It then outlines key components of English /r/ sound pronunciation that ...justify learners’ and teachers’ attention. Whenever the learners feel that the mother tongue pronunciation doesn’t take over the target foreign language as much the learners spontaneously feel as native speakers. Consequently, the leaners make comparison between mother tongue and foreign language sound system. It provides much self-confident to the learners. Thus, this research studies the pronunciation of /r/ sound among EFL Kurdish Sorani learners at Koya University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Besides, in total of 80 learners participated in this research to find the problems and issues among EFL learners in relation to /r/ sound. The results presented some substantial issues that faced to the reciters of /r/ sounds. TEFL researchers can utilize the outcomes of the study in the teaching fields in relation to pronunciation, and they can be aware of these problems.
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