Multilingualism for all: How to implement European Language Policy Developments through Universities and Teacher Training Alex RIEMERSMA Ljouwert / Leeuwarden, November 18, 2010 Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning

Overview of presentation  Scope of European Language Policies  Research Agenda:  - “mother tongue”  - Language Vitality  - Language Programmes  - Teacher Training

Linguistic Diversity  Globe: 6,000 languages  Council of Europe (47 member states): 6 working languages hundreds of languages  European Union (27 member states): 23 official languages > 60 RMLs

EU Language Policy  EU shall respect … linguistic diversity  Mother tongue + 2  Linguistic diversity: all languages are equal and equally treated  European Charter RMLs entry exam for new EU member states (2004)  Doctrine of “subsidiarity”

Unesco Language Vitality Index

Language Vitality factors (6)  Intergenerational transmission  Absolute number of speakers  Proportion of speakers within total population  Trends in existing domains  Response to new domains & media  Marerials for Education and Literacy

Language Vitality factors (3)  Governmental and Institutional Language Attitudes & Politics  Community Member’s Attitudes towards their own languages  Documentation (& corpus planning)

Language Vitality (additional)  Attractiveness for second language acquisition  Holistic approach regarding Language Programmes, including:  - language learning  - teaching materials  - language nests

Relative Position Frisian  Unesco Language Vitality scale (2003): unsafe, but not threatened by extinction  Euromosaïc (1996): nr. 14 out of 48  Intergenerational language transmission - decline of 10% per generation  Language policy: - attitude & use

Domains of Frisian language use  Strong oral language, weak in writing  Strong community language  Media: radio full day service; tv 2 hours per day (with re-run)  Culture: amateur theatre & choir singing  Social & economic life: strong oral (= informal) use

Legal position Frisian  No mention in Netherlands’ constitution  Covenant Frisiqan Language and Culture ( ) between Dutch governement and province of Fryslân  Announcement of Frisian Language Act: “equal footing” of Dutch & Frisian

Research Agenda  Mother tongue > father tongue; language of birth  Mother tongue + 2 other languages >>> 2 first tongues + 2 other languages  Media >>> Social media  Literacy  Visibility + linguistic landscape

Application of instruments  Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)  European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML)

Implementation of Charter  Programmatic versus static approach: - key words “to protect & to promote”  Development of Minimum Standards  Application of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)

Minimum Standards Education  Report Minimum Standards in Education of & in RMLs (2007)  Analysis & Recommendations: - Educational goals - Teaching time (subject & medium) - Teaching materials - Teacher training - Inspectorate

Teacher Training  Subject & medium  Continuity from pre-school to primary & from primary to secondary schooling  Schools as centres of excellence  Master on Multilingualism and multilingual education

Research themes  Research into school- and teacher characteristics  Monitoring longitudinal language proficiency in all three target languages: in accordance with the 6 levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)

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