Multiculturalism – Page 5 – Language on the Move

Beyond the mother tongue

Yasemin Yildiz (2012) Beyond the Mother Tongue: The Postmonolingual Condition. Fordham University Press. This book review was originally published in Language in Society 42 (4), 463-466. Access pdf version of…

Ingrid PillerAugust 30, 2013

Language learning

Are Finns saying no to Swedish?

Bilingual Swedish-Finnish monument in Helsinki commenmorating globally beloved children's author Tove Jansson, a Swedish-speaking Finn (Source: vanderkrogt.net) 50,000 people have signed a petition against mandatory Swedish classes in Finnish schools,…

Dave SayersAugust 26, 2013

Multilingual histories

Erasing diversity

Barely legible today but evidence of 'super-diversity' in the 9th century: Runic graffiti in Hagia Sophia On a parapet in Hagia Sophia’s gallery there is an obscure little graffiti written…

Ingrid PillerJune 21, 2013

Intercultural communication

Polish cemetery in Tehran

Polish refugee section of the Catholic cemetery in Tehran When Kimie Takahashi and myself interviewed participants for Japanese on the Move, our video exhibition of transnational life-stories, one of our…

Ingrid PillerJune 3, 2013

Linguistic landscapes

Multilingual Macau

The front cover of the tourist map of multilingual Macau Last week I had the privilege of visiting the University of Macau and in Macau I discovered yet another unique…

Ingrid PillerApril 22, 2013

Linguistic landscapes

Linguistic theory in Dubai

Is this Arabic or English? Or is that asking the wrong question? (Transliteration: sbaisi tinisi tshikn and shrmb*) I’ve often wondered what linguistic theory would look like if its foundations…

Ingrid PillerApril 17, 2013

Language learning

Teachers Against Discrimination in Taiwan

TADIT - Teachers Against Discrimination in Taiwan Imagine yourself on the shores of your ancestral homeland, where your parents and grandparents grew up, where the stories you heard as a…

Andrew BuntingApril 2, 2013

Language at work

Language and the stratification of restaurant labour

Different languages for different jobs in this Los Angeles restaurant Are there language requirements for working in restaurants in Los Angeles? These two employment signs that I saw in the…

Calvin N. HoMarch 25, 2013

Language, lies and statistics

Speak English, people! says British politician Ed Miliband (Source: msn.com) Every ten years the UK government conducts a census, which every British resident is obliged by law to take part…

Deborah CameronFebruary 22, 2013

Intercultural communication Language learning

Where are you from?

The Adelaide delegation at this year's Esperanto conference. Indrani is in the front right. When we meet new people we often ask straight away: where are you from? For many…

Nicole ElseFebruary 6, 2013

Multilingual histories

Բազմամշակույթ Իսֆահանի Ոսկէ Շրջանը

Inside Vank Cathedral, the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Savior in Isfahan. Construction began in 1606 and was completed in the 1660s (Source: Wikipedia) Armenian version of "A golden age…

Ingrid PillerFebruary 3, 2013

Language in Australia

Multiculturalism without multilingualism

Multiculturalism in Australia: Should it be seen but not heard? (Source: det.wa.edu.au) Australia has embraced multiculturalism as official national policy since the 1970s. Interestingly, the most recent incarnation of the…

Shiva Motaghi TabariJanuary 29, 2013

Multilingual histories

A golden age of multiculturalism

Inside the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Savior in Isfahan. Construction began in 1606 and was completed in the 1660s (Source: Wikipedia) Last week I had the privilege of attending,…

Ingrid PillerJanuary 18, 2013

English as a global language

Multilingual Hong Kong

Multilingual Hong Kong (Katherine Chen and Gray Carper, 2005-2007) During our visit to Hong Kong, Kimie and I met Katherine Chen, who introduced us to a sociolinguistic film she has…

Ingrid PillerDecember 3, 2012

Ingrid Piller in conversation with Steve Price on 2GB Radio

Language in Australia

Should Australians learn another language?

Last weekend the Australian government released its white paper Australia in the Asian Century. One of its recommendations is that "All Australian students will have the opportunity, and be encouraged, to undertake…

Lg_on_the_moveOctober 31, 2012

Language and migration

A broken arm in multicultural Queensland

A broken arm in multicultural Queensland (Source:antilogic.co.za) I recently broke my arm by ignominiously falling in my own living room and landing on my elbow. The force of the impact…