Many things have changed in Australia since I first came here in the mid-1990s. One of these is a noticeable increase in displays of national ardour: for instance, there is…
Ingrid PillerApril 20, 2012
Have you recently had a manicure or a pedicure? I haven’t. In fact, I’ve never been to a nail salon in my life. Until about a decade ago that would…
Ingrid PillerFebruary 27, 2012
Ever since I left my native village in the Bavarian Forest more than 25 years ago, I have been returning for regular, even if infrequent, visits. Over the years, there…
Ingrid PillerFebruary 15, 2012
It is now widely agreed that human beings have moved into a phase of modernity in which they have to tackle the extreme dynamism in modern institutions and provide an…
Vahid ParvareshFebruary 11, 2012
How to make English-speaking friends is one of the perennial hot topics for new overseas students and new migrants. Advice on how to make “native” friends circulates like an underground…
Ingrid PillerNovember 4, 2011
KOALA Buchstabenhaus (Adapted from: Urbanek, R. et al. (2006): Tinto grün. Arbeitsheft 1. Schreiben. Berlin: Cornelsen) Contemporary Germany is the 3rd largest immigrant-receiving country internationally. In 2008, 15.6mio inhabitants (19%…
Victoria BenzSeptember 13, 2011
I was so grateful to read Ingrid Piller’s in-depth critical post on German language politics, where she offered a profound analysis of the assumptions underlying the campaign “Ich spreche Deutsch”.…
Bettina KleinerAugust 31, 2011
Ads for a campaign to speak German are currently all over Germany. The campaign is called “Ich spreche Deutsch” (I speak German) and aims to convince migrant youths to learn…
Ingrid PillerJuly 20, 2011
In the past thirty years, Iran’s population has exploded from about 40 million to more than 72 million. Such rapid growth has resulted in the vast majority of the population…
Vahid ParvareshJuly 4, 2011
Persian translation of my recent post about the tyranny of language and inclusive linguistic practices. Translated by Manouchehr Kouhestani. همکار ما در کراچی، محمد علی خان، مرا از وجود کتابی…
Ingrid PillerJune 23, 2011
Our contributor in Karachi, Md. Ali Khan, has alerted me to what seems to be a fascinating book: The Tyranny of Language in Education by Zubeida Mustafa published by Ushba…
Ingrid PillerJune 20, 2011
Much of my work in recent years around language learning and migrant settlement has questioned the straightforward link between language learning and settlement success. Policy makers as well as migrants…
Ingrid PillerJune 6, 2011
Much of my research over the past decade has involved talking to migrants to Australia and overseas students about their experiences of language learning and settlement. In these conversations, I…
Ingrid PillerMay 24, 2011
When I lived in Basel, a city in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, I often found myself performing an involuntary field experiment in language attitudes. As likely to speak English…
Ingrid PillerMay 20, 2011
Many of the people close to my heart are transnationals such as myself. Belonging is a frequently discussed topic in my circles, and often a topic that is surrounded by…
Ingrid PillerFebruary 26, 2011
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