Study on Bilingualism by Cambridge University
January 8, 2014
Cambridge University researchers are spreading the message that bilingualism is good for learning, rather than a hindrance as sometimes perceived.
Research shows that children who speak more than one language are multiply advantaged over their monolingual playmates – in communication, cognition and social interaction. Yet, a perception among some parents and teachers is that growing up multilingual is not only fraught with challenges but may even be a risk to educational development, say researchers Drs Dora Alexopoulou, Napoleon Katsos and Teresa Parodi of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics.
Aiming to dispel such misconceptions and champion the benefits of bilingualism, the three linguists have launched an outreach initiative, the ‘Cambridge Bilingualism Network’, aimed at parents, teachers and policy-makers, and will be hosting a workshop on 22 October at the University of Cambridge Festival of Ideas (www.cam.ac.uk/festivalofideas/).
“There’s a huge body of research on bilingualism, much of which is quite technical,” explained Dr Katsos. “We hope to raise awareness of the benefits of bilingualism among stakeholder groups by creating access to this state-of-the-art research and by facilitating contact between the community and our network of specialists at the University.”
One aspect of such research shows that bilingual children ‘notice’ better how language works and outperform monolingual children in tasks linked to language awareness, such as distinguishing whether a sentence is grammatically well-formed from whether it is truthful.
But the benefits go even further, as Dr Alexopoulou explained: “Studies show that a bilingual child is better able to cope with tasks that involve attention, memory and concentration. The mental gymnastics needed to constantly manage two or more linguistic systems increases cognitive flexibility and makes learning easier.”
The advantages of bilingualism hold independently of whether the language in question is spoken by many speakers or is what is commonly viewed as being a ‘useful’ language, observes Dr Parodi. “It’s important to balance this perception of ‘usefulness of a language’ by increasing awareness of the advantages of bilingualism, or the child risks losing their additional language.”
“Moreover, lack of awareness about bilingualism may lead to schools incorrectly diagnosing, or failing to diagnose actual learning difficulties if a phase of linguistic difficulty is observed”, she added. “Typically, if the problem shows in both languages this will point to a learning difficulty, but not if it only shows in one of them.”
Recent research carried out by Dr Katsos is aimed towards identifying a method to distinguish between a child showing a typical delay and a child with an underlying learning problem.
In collaboration with colleagues in Poland and with funding from the British Academy, he discovered that bilingual children are very good at understanding concepts that hold for all languages, such as the meaning of some, most and all, but may take longer to master those parts of grammar that are specific for one language and not the other one.
“A child with temporary delay may score well in the former but less so in the latter test, whereas a child with learning difficulties is likely to score low in both,” he explained. With the help of a Social Entrepreneurship Catalyst Award from HEFCE and UnLimited, Dr Katsos is now turning the research into an off-the-shelf language assessment tool.
Research in the field has also shown that raising and educating children to be bilingual doesn’t happen simply because two different languages are spoken at home, but instead requires continued input on the part of parents. The commitment of teachers and parents is therefore vital.
Through conversations with teachers and parents, the team is also pinpointing where further study is needed, and this is being fed back into the academics’ own research. In particular, the linguists have realised that comparatively few studies have focused on those children who move to a different country and begin learning a second language at primary school age.
The researchers are now extending their outreach activities to a greater number of schools in collaboration with Cambridgeshire County Council’s Cambridgeshire Race Equality and Diversity Service (CREDS) and in partnership with several schools.
Arbury Primary School in Cambridge is one the Network’s recent partners. Kathy Whiting, a teacher at Arbury and County leading Teacher for English as an Additional Language said: “The Cambridge Bilingualism Network events are inspiring and thought-provoking. Parents and teachers appreciate the scientific exposition of the benefits of bilingualism. They also welcome the opportunity to air the, often implicit, concerns and aspirations. We are delighted that this partnership between the University and our school has lead parents and teachers to higher levels of awareness and engagement with bilingualism.”
“Although bilingualism is perfectly normal in many places in the world, it is comparatively new in the English-speaking world,” added Dr Alexopoulou. “The problem with an education system set up with assumptions of monolingualism is there is a risk that children may miss out on the significant benefits conferred by maintaining their bilingualism.”
The ‘Cambridge Bilingualism Network’ involves researchers from several departments of the University who specialise on different aspects of learning more than one language. For instance, Professor Usha Goswami at the Department of Experimental Psychology focuses on reading and the brain, and Drs Edith Esch and Linda Fisher in the Faculty of Education focus on bilingualism in the family and the classroom. As such, the ‘Cambridge Bilingualism Network’ extends a warm invitation to all Cambridge researchers working on language who wish to contribute towards breaking the barriers between academia and social practice.
For more information about the Cambridge Bilingualism Network’, please visit http://sites.google.com/site/cambiling/
Inspiring new documentary series, An Ceoldráma starts on TG4
January 7, 2014
An Ceoldráma is a new, observational documentary series that goes behind the classroom door in four Gaelscoils to reveal what it takes to get a school musical on stage in one of the toughest categories of the Féile Scoildrámaíochta (The National Schools’ Drama Competition), which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.
A cross between the award-winning documentaries, Spellbound and Être et Avoir, this four-part series offers a highly-accessible insight into what has become a rite-of-passage for thousands of Irish-language pupils across the country. An Ceoldráma paints an intimate picture of the micro-society of primary school and highlights the transformative effect that drama and music can have on the young hearts and minds of this new Irish-speaking generation.
Directed by Colm Bairéad (Lorg na gCos, An tÁdh) and produced by Cleona Ní Chrualaoi (Lorg na gCos, The Gathering: Homeward Bound), An Ceoldráma features an eclectic mix of candid classroom and rehearsal footage, accomplished (and not-so-accomplished!) musical performances and insightful interviews with stressed teachers, excited students and endlessly supportive parents. The series follows one school from each province; Gaelscoil Ultain in Monaghan, Gaelscoil Charraig Uí Leighin in Carrigaline, Cork, Scoil Lorcáin in Monkstown, Co. Dublin and Scoil Náisiúnta Cholmcille in Connemara, Galway. It’s a series that has all the ingredients of compelling, broad-appeal television, which manages to keep the Irish language completely at its heart.
An Ceoldráma shows the multitude of mini-dramas that unfold behind these dramas; the countless challenges teachers face in bringing each musical from a simple idea on a page to an all-singing, all-dancing performance in front of a packed theatre audience and the all-important judges; the funny moments that occur during rehearsals, the myriad things that go wrong before they get it right, the play, the laughter, the pressure that the pupils put themselves under – competing for the lead role, hitting those high notes, perfecting choreography, painting sets and memorising lines.
An Ceoldráma follows a select group of characters outside of school hours as each musical winds its way back home and over the course of four episodes, the series pieces together the source material of these vibrant, quirky and heart-lifting young personalities, as they each dream of a place in the competition’s final in Mullingar.
Produced by Inscéal, An Ceoldráma was edited by John Murphy (Showrunners, Bliain in Árainn Mhóir) in Lotus Media and was onlined and sound mixed in Reelgood. The series was filmed between January-May 2013 in locations in Dublin, Monaghan, Galway, Donegal, Cork and Westmeath.
An Ceoldráma airs on TG4 every Sunday night at 8pm for four weeks from January 12th with two repeats.
For more information, please contact Cleona Ní Chrualaoi at cleonanic@gmail.com or 087-3296776
An Ceoldráma – Billings
Episode 1: An Féile Áitiúil / The County Final
Sunday, January 12th 2014 – 8pm / Repeat January 14th 12am & January 16th 2pm
It’s January and the 6th Class pupils of Gaelscoil Charraig Uí Leighin have four weeks to get their musical ready for the Cork Final of the Féile Scoildrámaíochta. In Monaghan town, Gaelscoil Ultain’s preparations for their county final are put in jeopardy by the move to a new school. The clock is ticking!
Episode 2: An Féile Áitiúil / The County Final
Sunday, January 19th 2014 – 8pm / Repeat January 21st 12am & January 23rd 2pm
Scoil Lorcáin in Monkstown enter the Féile Scoildrámaíochta for the first time in many years, but Glee-club teacher, Ann-Marie is sure her love of stage musicals will hold her in good stead as they race to prepare for the Dublin Final. In the heart of Connemara, the 4th and 5th Class students of Scoil Náisiúnta Cholmcille, set their sights on another victory at the Galway Final.
Episode 3: Na Féiltí Cúige / The Provincial Finals
Sunday, January 26th 2014 – 8pm / Repeat January 28th 12am & January 30th 2pm
All four schools have made it to the Provincial Finals of the Féile Scoildrámaíochta. In Galway, the competition between Tommy and Chloe slowly comes to the boil, whilst Scoil Lorcáin has to do some soul-searching following an under par performance in the Dublin Final. Gaelscoil Ultain in Monaghan reveal the special person they’ve been thinking of during their performances and in Gaelscoil Charraig Uí Leighin, Cork, the new subject is chemistry as teacher, Brian deals with rising class hormones!
Episode 4: An Féile Náisiúnta / The National Final
Sunday, February 2nd 2014 – 8pm / Repeat February 4th 12am & February 6th 2pm
It’s the All-Ireland Final of the Féile Scoildrámaíochta. Scoil Náisiúnta Cholmcille in Galway and Gaelscoil Charraig Uí Leighin in Cork both enlist the help of local choreographers to spice up their stage presence for the big day in Mullingar. Scoil Lorcáin in Dublin are still refining their musical and have a new solo to contend with, whilst the pupils of Gaelscoil Ultain in Monaghan look back on the years gone by as the end of the competition, and their time in primary school, draws near.
‘Ní míchumas atá orm – is buntáiste atá ann’
January 7, 2014
Rith 2014
January 6, 2014
Rith 2014 is a national Irish language festival that will take place between the 7-15 March 2014 during Seachtain na Gaeilge. On March 7th 2014, a marathon run will commence around the island of Ireland, passing the specially designed baton to a different runner/group at the end of each kilometre.
Rith 2014 is also a fund-raising activity, with a special fund established as a result of Rith that will be used to promote the development of Irish in the community. Rith 2014 will be run through 14 counties from the 7 – 15 March 2014 and finishing nine days later in Belfast where the special in the baton will be revealed to the public. The 1000km course has been laid out for a massive cross-county relay race, running from morning to night, starting in Baile Bhuirne in co. Cork to Belfast over a nine day period, with thousands of people taking part across the 200 towns/townlands and countryside on the route.
Rith 2014 is an enjoyable and innovative way for communities to celebrate the Irish language and culture in a visual way across Ireland. To take part and register with Rith 2014 just visit www.rith.ie
This wonderful event will celebrate the Irish language and for 9 days member of the public in towns, cities and in the countryside so why not join in the fun and run.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Tráth na gCeist Bórd Feachtas
January 6, 2014
Ceiliúradh na Nollag i mBunscoil an Iúir
January 6, 2014
The surprising people speaking up for Irish
January 6, 2014
THE resignation of the Irish-language commissioner, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, is “undoubtedly the worst blow to the Irish language in many years,” say Irish-language group, Conradh na Gaeilge.
Ó Cuirreáin, appointed as the first commissioner in 2004, and re-appointed in 2010, says many civil servants and public body employees are only capable of conducting business through English. Ó Cuirreáin accused the Government of hypocrisy, and said Irish speakers in Gaeltachts were being neglected. But the Irish language is being embraced by new speakers, and this is welcomed by Foras na Gaeilge, which is responsible for the promotion of the Irish language. Dr John Walsh, a lecturer in Irish at NUI Galway, says Irish is attracting unlikely practitioners. Walsh is involved in an EU-funded project, ‘New Speakers in a Multilingual Europe’, led by Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. It involves 15 partners from Europe. Other languages include Basque, Catalan, Galician and Scottish Gaelic.
Walsh defines a ‘new speaker’ as someone who has learned Irish outside of the home; either at school, through adult classes or some other formal means. “Our project is about finding out what has encouraged these people to make thedecision to learn Irish, what their views on Irish are, what their experiences ofspeaking it are, and how they relate to native speakers,” Dr Walsh says. A few non-Irish nationals have been interviewed for the project, which is in its early stages. “The non-Irish nationals are a very interesting group, because they don’t come to the language with the baggage that a lot of Irish people bring to it. “They may be motivated through heritage connections to Ireland, or they’re simply people who are interested in integrating more fully with Irish culture. Some may be interested in moving to the Gaeltacht,” he says.
Dr Walsh says that he knows of a student from the Czech Republic who is learning Irish, and he’s aware of a number of West of Ireland-based Africans learning the language. “I know that there’s a certain amount of non-Irish nationals going to Gaelscoileanna. They’re very often people who are linguistically open, because many of them would speak three different languages already. I had students in the past who worked in a school in west Dublin, where a lot of the non-Irish nationals were very well-disposed towards the language. Their parents wanted to learn it as well,” Dr Walsh says. Some enjoy learning another language. “Irish can be an interesting challenge for them. It’s not a burden for them,” he says. However, some of the new speakers “experience hostility from Irish people. Some people don’t like the fact that a French or Spanish person would know more Irish than them. But, in general, they’ve viewed with admiration.”
Walsh says that few non-Irish people studying Irish at NUI Galway are complete beginners. They come to the university having previously attended an introductory course. “Irish is taught in a lot of universities outside of Ireland. You can study Irish in Poland, and there are dozens of universities in North America where Irish is taught. “People from these backgrounds can reach quite impressive standards of Irish. The question of difficulty in learning the language comes from some Irish people who have their own attitudes towards the language,” Dr Walsh says. “Through preliminary work that we have done on the new speakers, we’ve found that they’re very committed, and will overcome the intricacies of another language and get to grips with it.
“It shows the importance of attitude. None of the new speakers talk about the fact that they’re struggling. They’re speaking Irish quite happily and want to get better. They often talk about it as if they’re on a journey and haven’t quite got there yet. “But any objective analysis would say that they’re very good already.” Some Irish are learning the language to move away from nationalism. They’re not speaking it for patriotism. “I think a certain generation associates nationalism and patriotism with political violence in the North. But, for a lot of young people, it’s all about being tolerant and open. They tend to be very accepting people, with liberal views towards the world. “They’re accepting of all sorts of diversity. The older generation that we’ve spoken to are much more nationalist. “They might have been at school in the 1940s and 1950s, when Irish was much more strongly associated with nationalism,” he says. With the new speakers of Irish come changes in the language. “We’ve definitely experienced all sorts of linguistic innovation across the spectrum. Nobody is replicating the traditional model. Researching language revival is part of this project.
“Irish is being brought into the future. Some people can be quite daring, almost transgressive, deliberately breaking rules and almost revelling in it. Other people are more conservative, as they try to stick to the style of the Gaeltacht areas,” Dr Walsh says. While purists may not like to see Irish changing, Walsh says that “one of the cardinal rules is that language changes.”
www.irishexaminer.com
Gabh chuig Goitse!
January 6, 2014
First language planning notices published
January 6, 2014
Request for submissions regarding three language planning regions announced under Section 7(3) of the Gaeltacht Act 2012
The Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dinny McGinley, T.D., has announced the first notices regarding the language planning process for the following Limistéir Pleanála Teanga:
Ciarraí Thiar
Cois Fharraige
Gaoth Dobhair, Rann a Feirste, Anagaire and Loch an Iúir
Under the Gaeltacht Act 2012, the Gaeltacht was divided into 19 separate language planning regions, with the intention that a unique language plan would be drafted for each selected region. It was agreed at that time that a supervisory body would be named in each region to work alongside Údarás na Gaeltachta in implementing the language plan on the ground. In May of this year, it was announced that the language planning areas had been redefined, which meant an increase from 19 distinct areas to 26.
Announcing the beginning of the application process today, Minister of State McGinley said, “I am delighted to announce that I have published the first three notices under section 7(3) of the Gaeltacht Act 2012. These notices officially mark the beginning of the language planning process on the ground in these areas”.
Organisations will be given up to 2 months from 16 January 2014 to apply to Údarás na Gaeltachta to be selected to prepare and implement language plans in the areas. Language plans will be prepared over a 2 year period and following Department approval, plans will be implemented, with assistance from Údarás na Gaeltachta, over a seven year period.
“Now that the language planning process has been officially initiated in 3 Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas, I am hopeful that a further 10 notices will be published in respect of 10 other areas next year with the remainder to follow thereafter,” said Minister of State McGinley.
Director of Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, Kevin De Barra, said that more was expected from the Department: “Only three regions out of twenty six were announced today. It will be a long time before any progress is made should the Department continue with this approach. These regions will have two years to draft a language plan which, following ratification from the Department, will be implemented over a seven year period”.
“No details regarding the resources or support that these regions will receive throughout the process have been released. The Government must prioritise the implementation of this process and the provision of resources to the parties involved”.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Feighlí leanaí
January 6, 2014
