social justice – Page 7 – Language on the Move

Language and migration

Home is where I’m alienated*

Pakistani flour mill workers recovering from a near-fatal lung infection due to poor occupational health and safety conditions, West Ham Hospital, 1960s (Source: Qureshi 2012, p. 7) To be transnational…

Ingrid PillerJuly 24, 2012

English as a global language

Italy in Karachi

Pompei Restaurant, Karachi (Source: fcpakistan.com) A few days ago I had an Alice-in-Wonderland experience. Having lived all my life in Karachi, I had until then never heard of the Pompei…

Muhammad Ali KhanJuly 6, 2012

Language and migration

Shopping while bilingual can make you sick

WSB TV report: Apple discriminates against Persian-speaking customers I’ve just found an e-mail from Apple in my spam folder with a ‘personal’ invitation to attend one of their new store…

Ingrid PillerJune 27, 2012

Language learning

Some bilingualisms are more equal than others

International symbol for deafness from Redeafined Bilingualism has been a media darling of late, and considering the intense focus of the current scientific community on bilingual brains and the breakneck…

Sara BlažićJune 25, 2012

What would you do?

Caroline Tennant Kelly with two of her photos from the Cherbourg Aboriginal Settlement (Source: Sydney Morning Herald at http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-bohemian-and-her-mission-20100416-skgk.html)In 1924 the first university Department of Anthropology in Australia was founded…

Ingrid PillerMay 22, 2012

Multilingual histories

Yiman does not have a word for ‘massacre’

Memorial to Yiman leader Bilba at Wallumbilla (Source: Goodbye Bussamarai) On October 27, 1857, a group of Aboriginal Australians, members of a group known as Yiman carried out a massacre:…

Ingrid PillerApril 27, 2012

Language testing for citizenship

Inside Story has a must-read article about language testing for citizenship in Australia today Citizenship for beginners The Howard government made it harder for some nationalities to become citizens, and…

Ingrid PillerApril 16, 2012

Linguistic landscapes

Toiletological English

Toiletological English Can you guess what kind of product the following text is promoting? Your well-being is close to our heart rail&fresh areas are bright and friendly and leave nothing…

Ingrid PillerOctober 6, 2011

Many tongues instead of one!

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

English as a global language

Free language choice?

Pretty much everyone I know wants to learn English or improve their English – with the exception of those who consider themselves native speakers, obviously. What is more, everyone I…

Ingrid PillerAugust 16, 2011

The cult of personal responsibility

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

Multilingual histories

Language revitalization and liberation

Futenma Airbase, right in the middle of the city I’ve recently come across the story of Chibana Shoichi, who burnt the Japanese flag in 1987 to commemorate the Okinawan victims…

Ingrid PillerJune 2, 2011

UNTERSTÜTZT VON / SUPPORTED BY

NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION