scholarly journals Languages and cultures in contact. The place of new speakers in the education system in Upper Lusatia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Dołowy-Rybińska ◽  
Cordula Ratajczak
Keyword(s):  
Education System ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
German Population ◽  
Language Practices ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
New Speakers

Languages and cultures in contact. The place of new speakers in the education system in Upper LusatiaUpper Sorbs are a Slavic minority group living in eastern Germany. The number of Upper Sorbian speakers is diminishing. Upper Sorbs, the majority of whom are Catholics, have a strong ethnic identity based on language, faith, and tradition and they form a rather closed community in relation to the surrounding German population. To counteract the process of language loss, the Sorbs have established an educational project called ‘Witaj’. The continuation of this project is the `2 plus’ program of bilingual education in schools, which has been implemented by the federal state of Saxony. The idea behind these initiatives is to connect native Upper Sorbian speakers and learners in order to facilitate the achievement of language competence and to break down existing ethnic boundaries. The realisation of this concept has encountered numerous problems. The German-speaking pupils involved often feel unmotivated to learn Sorbian and are often rejected by the Sorbian-speaking community as (potential) members.This article presents the results of a research project examining the way young people from German-speaking homes who attend one of the Upper Sorbian middle schools acquire Sorbian language competence and how they create an identity in relation/opposition to their Sorbian-speaking peers. The analysis is based on the sociolinguistic observations of language practices conducted in the school in 2017 and on interviews with both native speakers and learners of Upper Sorbian. The article focuses on the following issues: relations between language practices, the necessary conditions for the active use of minority languages by learners, language and interpersonal contact, the acceptance of new speakers, and the creation of ‘communities of practice’. Języki i kultury w kontakcie. Miejsce nowomówców w systemie edukacji na Górnych ŁużycachŁużyczanie są słowiańską mniejszością zamieszkującą we wschodniej części Niemiec. Liczba osób posługujących się językami łużyckimi, w tym językiem górnołużyckim, stale maleje. Górnołużyczanie, w przeważającej mierze katolicy, tworzą raczej zamkniętą wspólnotę, opartą o silną tożsamość etniczną, język, wiarę i tradycje. Aby przeciwdziałać procesowi utraty języka, Łużyczanie stworzyli program „Witaj”, którego kontynuacją był stworzony przez land Saksonii program dwujęzycznego nauczania „2 plus”. Celem tych programów było połączenie rodzimych użytkowników łużyckiego oraz dzieci uczących się go, aby umożliwić tym ostatnim zdobywanie kompetencji językowych i przełamać istniejące granice etniczne. Realizacja tego pomysłu napotyka jednak liczne problemy. Uczniowie niemieckojęzyczni często czują się niezmotywowani do uczenia się górnołużyckiego, często są też odrzucani przez łużyckojęzyczną wspólnotę jako (potencjalni) użytkownicy łużyckiego.Artykuł przedstawia wyniki badań dotyczących sposobu, w jaki młodzi ludzie z niemieckojęzycznych domów chodzący do jednej z górnołużyckich szkół średnich, zdobywają kompetencje językowe i jak tworzą swoją tożsamość w relacji lub opozycji do ich łużyckojęzycznych kolegów. Analiza oparta jest o socjolingwistyczne obserwacje praktyk językowych, prowadzonych w szkole w 2017 roku, i na wywiadach z uczniami górnołużycko- i niemieckojęzycznymi. Tekst koncentruje się na relacji między praktykami językowymi, warunkami niezbędnymi do tego, żeby język mniejszościowy mógł być aktywnie używany przez uczących się i tworzeniem relacji między ludźmi, poczucia akceptacji oraz wspólnot praktyki.

scholarly journals Lower Sorbian (New) Speakers: Questions Worth Asking

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Chojnicka
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
General Information ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Endangered Language ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
New Speakers ◽  
Precarious Situation

Lower Sorbian (New) Speakers: Questions Worth AskingThis article discusses the results of a sociolinguistic survey conducted among speakers of Lower Sorbian in autumn/winter 2020/2021. Lower Sorbian is an endangered Slavic language spoken in Lower Lusatia, a region located in the federal state of Brandenburg in eastern Germany. As is the case with many other minority languages, efforts are currently being undertaken to revitalize it and ensure its survival for future generations. Since home transmission of Lower Sorbian has practically ceased completely, the burden of revitalization is increasingly being carried by so-called new speakers, i.e. speakers who have acquired the language, usually via institutional education and often as adults.The online survey, available both in Lower Sorbian and German, consisted of 30 questions divided into four sections: General information, Language use/linguistic practices, Lower Sorbian identity and community, and Opinions and attitudes. Its goal was to gather general information on the Lower Sorbian speaker community and on how it operates. Although the survey did not target new speakers specifically, it was expected to be completed mostly by this speaker group. It was designed to provide an overall picture of new speaker profiles, to be explored in depth later in the project during individual sociolinguistic interviews and focus group discussions. The questionnaire was distributed via familiar speaker networks and completed by 78 respondents (43 in German and 35 in Lower Sorbian).As the number of Lower Sorbian speakers is not known, the results of the survey cannot be considered representative. They do, however, provide important and interesting information about a group of speakers who are mostly of working age, well-educated and living predominantly in Cottbus or the surrounding area. They make an effort to speak the endangered language in professional and social/cultural contexts, they are aware of its precarious situation and they care about its survival. Most of our respondents have learned the language — or are still learning it — via institutional education, which makes them new speakers. Through multiple diagrams that represent the survey results in an easy-to-follow way, complemented by examples of respondents’ comments to the questionnaire, the article paints a general picture of these speakers, their motivations, language practices and future hopes and aspirations. (Nowi) użytkownicy języka dolnołużyckiego — pytania warte zadaniaW artykule omówiono wyniki ankiety socjolingwistycznej przeprowadzonej wśród użytkowników/-czek języka dolnołużyckiego jesienią/zimą 2020/2021. Dolnołużycki to zagrożony język słowiański, występujący na Dolnych Łużycach, regionie leżącym w Brandenburgii, we wschodnich Niemczech. Podobnie jak w przypadku wielu innych języków mniejszościowych, obecnie podejmuje się wysiłki rewitalizacyjne w celu jego zachowania dla przyszłych pokoleń. Ponieważ domowa transmisja dolnołużyckiego praktycznie całkowicie ustała, ciężar rewitalizacji języka w coraz większym stopniu spoczywa na tzw. nowych użytkownikach/-czkach (ang. new speakers), którzy/-re nauczyli/-ły się języka zwykle poprzez edukację zinstytucjonalizowaną i często już jako osoby dorosłe.Ankieta online dostępna zarówno po dolnołużycku, jak i niemiecku składała się z 30 pytań podzielonych na cztery sekcje: Informacje ogólne, Użytkowanie języka / praktyki językowe, Tożsamość i społeczność dolnołużycka, oraz Opinie i postawy. Celem badania było zebranie ogólnych informacji na temat społeczności użytkowników/-czek dolnołużyckiego i jej funkcjonowania. Chociaż ankieta nie była skierowana wyłącznie do new speakers, oczekiwano, że zostanie wypełniona głównie przez tę grupę i wyłoni ogólny obraz profili nowych użytkowników/-czek, który zostanie pogłębiony w dalszej części projektu podczas indywidualnych wywiadów socjolingwistycznych i dyskusji w grupach fokusowych. Ankieta, rozprowadzona za pośrednictwem rozpoznanych wcześniej sieci społecznych, wypełniona została przez 78 respondentów/-tek (43 w języku niemieckim i 35 w dolnołużyckim).Chociaż liczba osób posługujących się dolnołużyckim nie jest znana, wyników badania prawdopodobnie nie można uznać za reprezentatywne. Dostarczają one jednak ważnych i interesujących informacji o grupie osób, w większości w wieku produkcyjnym, dobrze wykształconych, mieszkających głównie w Cottbus lub w jego okolicach, usiłujących używać zagrożonego języka w kontekstach zawodowych i społeczno-kulturowych, świadomych tego, w jak niepewnej sytuacji znajduje się dolnołużycki i jak ważna jest dbałość o jego przetrwanie. Większość respondentów/-ek nauczyła się języka — lub nadal się go uczy — poprzez edukację instytucjonalną, co czyni ich/je przedstawicielami/lkami new speakers. Za pomocą licznych diagramów, które w jasny sposób przedstawiają wyniki ankiety, uzupełnionych przykładami komentarzy respondentów/ek, artykuł zarysowuje ogólny obraz użytkowników/-czek dolnołużyckiego, ich motywacji, praktyk językowych oraz przyszłych nadziei i aspiracji.

scholarly journals Bugs That Can Resist Antibiotics but Not Men: Gender-Specific Differences in Notified Infections and Colonisations in Germany, 2010–2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 894
Author(s):  
Michael Brandl ◽  
Alexandra Hoffmann ◽  
Niklas Willrich ◽  
Annicka Reuss ◽  
Felix Reichert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Federal State ◽  
German Population ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Invasive Infections ◽  
Gender Specific Differences ◽  
Acinetobacter Spp ◽  
Notification Data ◽  
Gender Specific

Data from surveillance networks show that men have a higher incidence rate of infections with anti-microbial-resistant (AMR) pathogens than women. We systematically analysed data of infections and colonisations with AMR pathogens under mandatory surveillance in Germany to quantify gender-specific differences. We calculated incidence-rates (IR) per 100,000 person–years for invasive infections with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and for infections or colonisations with carbapenem-non-susceptible Acinetobacter spp. (CRA), and Enterobacterales (CRE), using the entire German population as a denominator. We limited the study periods to years with complete notification data (MRSA: 2010–2019, CRA/CRE: 2017–2019). We used Poisson regression to adjust for gender, age group, federal state, and year of notification. In the study periods, IR for all notifications were 4.2 for MRSA, 0.90 for CRA, and 4.8 for CRE per 100,000 person-–years. The adjusted IR ratio for infections of men compared to women was 2.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2–2.3) for MRSA, 2.2 (95%CI: 1.9–2.7) for CRA, and 1.7 (95%CI: 1.6–1.8) for CRE. Men in Germany show about double the risk for infection with AMR pathogens than women. This was also true for colonisations, where data were available. Screening procedures and associated hygiene measures may profit from a gender-stratified approach.

Starting Early with Language Learning. Enhancing Human Capital and Improving the Integration of Migrant Families in the Danube Region. Examples from Bavaria

Südosteuropa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-263
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Skoglund ◽  
Astrid Bretthauer
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Immigrant Children ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Federal State ◽  
German Language ◽  
German Population ◽  
Migrant Families ◽  
Danube Region ◽  
Similarities And Differences

AbstractGermany is an important destination for migrants from other European countries. That is particularly true of the Danube region, a European Union (EU) macroregion with deep economic and historical interconnections. Immigrants tend to be younger than the average of the German population, with children accounting for 15% of all migrants. The authors start with a short overview of the theoretical and empirical literature on preschool and early education as a tool for acquisition by immigrant children of the host country’s language. The focus is then shifted to the policy sphere, with the example of Germany and in particular the federal state of Bavaria, in the context of the challenges and best practices used to tackle the integration of such children. The article considers Regensburg, the fourth-largest city in the State of Bavaria, and the Landkreis (district) Kelheim to the southwest of Regensburg as case studies to illustrate the similarities and differences of their municipal approaches to the promotion of German language acquisition by immigrant children and their parents.

Language policy and language planning in mainland Southeast Asia: Myanmar and Lisu

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
National Language ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Language Policy And Planning ◽  
Educational Strategies ◽  
Policy And Planning ◽  
Mainland Southeast Asia

AbstractMost nations in mainland Southeast Asia and elsewhere have one national language as a focus of national identity and unity, supported by a language policy which promotes and develops this language. Indigenous and immigrant minority groups within each nation may be marginalized; their languages may become endangered. Some of the official national language policies and ethnic policies of mainland Southeast Asian nations aim to support both a national language and indigenous minority languages, but usually the real policy is less positive. It is possible to use sociolinguistic and educational strategies to maintain the linguistic heritage and diversity of a nation, develop bilingual skills among minority groups, and integrate minorities successfully into the nations where they live, but this requires commitment and effort from the minorities themselves and from government and other authorities. The main focus of this paper is two case studies: one of language policy and planning in Myanmar, whose language policy and planning has rarely been discussed before. The other is on the Lisu, a minority group in Myanmar and surrounding countries, who have been relatively successful in maintaining their language.

PLACING IDENTITY ON THE MARKET (The Role of Modern Tourism on Kasepuhan Banten Kidul Community’s Cultural Movement in West Java, Indonesia)

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 47-64
Author(s):  
Nur Widiyanto
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Group Living ◽  
West Java ◽  
Indigenous Religion ◽  
Indigenous Group ◽  
Tourism Resources ◽  
Cultural Movement

This paper examines the dynamics within the encounter between identity formation of a minority group living in West Java, Indonesia and the arrival of modern tourism in the area. It studies whether an indigenous group endowed by various amazing tourism resources engages with tourism as a tactics to deal with policies excluding them for years. Contrasting to Friedman’s study on the early Hawaiian cultural movement which was anti-tourism, Kasepuhan Banten Kidul community living on Cipta gelar, an enclave area under Halimun-Salak National Park’s control,takes tourism as the opportunity to resist various dominations and to strengthen its cultural identity. Findings from participant’s observations and indepth interview show some changes are also inevitable. Engaging with modern tourism means the readiness to accommodate the arrival of various outside elements. However, the strategy has led local government to declare the area as part of major tourism destination in 2007. It means Sunda Wiwitan, an indigenous religion practiced by the community which is not officially recognized as a legal religion in Indonesia can be freely practiced in order to promote tourism. In this case, tourism is seen as one opportunity to establish a form of social movement in resisting dominations. Borrowing De Certeu, the community might have produced silent productivity to deal with larger authorities, including with its consequences in various ways. Keywords: identity, Kasepuhan Banten Kidul, tourism, resistance

scholarly journals The problem of developing multilingualism skills in the European educational context

2020 ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Mariya Vynarchyk
Keyword(s):  
Personal Development ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Scientific Article ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Council Of Europe ◽  
Scientific Cooperation ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Regional Or Minority Languages

The scientific article explores the problem of developing multilingualism skills in the European educational context. For this purpose, the task was to analyze the conditions and ways of realizing the problem of multilingualism in the modern educational field and to study the features of European multilingualism in the context of cultural diversity. The methodology of the study is based on the coverage and analysis of cognitive and practical multilingualism skills. European education policy is analyzed. Addressing the issue of multilingualism is one of the most important activities of the Council of Europe, the European Commission and is covered by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and in numerous resolutions of international conferences and symposia. It is established that one of the main goals of education in a democratic society is not only respect for human rights, but also the development of knowledge, skills and abilities of students, their preparation for life in civil society. Research has shown that multilingual people in Europe have advantages over monolinguals. More than half of all Europeans say they speak at least one language other than their mother tongue. The study showed that multilingualism is beneficial for people who are supporters of intercultural and linguistic interaction based on tolerance and humanism. Modern European educational policy is aimed at developing multilingual skills. This demonstrates the importance and timeliness of solving the problem in the educational environment with the active support of students and teachers, the financial capacity of European educational programs and projects of governments of leading European countries. As part of this task, it is important to actively support the mobility of students and teachers, to develop scientific cooperation, cultural interaction. Thanks to the intensive development of multilingual skills, it is possible to achieve the required level of language competence of students as a basis for their further learning and self-improvement. Since the modern educational community is focused on the highest human values, the personal development of schoolchildren and students is considered a priority for the functioning of European educational institutions.

scholarly journals Shrinking Your Deictic System: How Far Can You Go?

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mila Vulchanova ◽  
Pedro Guijarro-Fuentes ◽  
Jacqueline Collier ◽  
Valentin Vulchanov
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Language Attrition ◽  
Native Spanish Speakers ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
Open Question

Languages around the world differ in terms of the number of adnominal and pronominal demonstratives they require, as well as the factors that impact on their felicitous use. Given this cross-linguistic variation in deictic demonstrative terms, and the features that determine their felicitous use, an open question is how this is accommodated within bilingual cognition and language. In particular, we were interested in the extent to which bilingual language exposure and practice might alter the way in which a bilingual is using deictic demonstratives in their first language. Recent research on language attrition suggests that L2 learning selectively affects aspects of the native language, with some domains of language competence being more vulnerable than others. If demonstratives are basic, and acquired relatively early, they should be less susceptible to change and attrition. This was the hypothesis we went on to test in the current study. We tested two groups of native Spanish speakers, a control group living in Spain and an experimental group living in Norway using the (Spatial) Memory game paradigm. Contra to our expectations, the results indicate a significant difference between the two groups in use of deictic terms, indicative of a change in the preferred number of terms used. This suggests that deictic referential systems may change over time under pressure from bilingual language exposure.

scholarly journals New speakers of new and old languages: an investigation into the gap between language practices and language policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Spotti ◽  
Sjaak Kroon ◽  
Jinling Li
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Practices ◽  
New Speakers

The dynamics of Hawaiian speakerhood in the family

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (255) ◽  
pp. 45-72
Author(s):  
Christina Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Native Hawaiian ◽  
Language Revitalization ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Hawaiian Language ◽  
Home Life ◽  
The Family ◽  
New Speakers ◽  
Linguistic Practices

Abstract While the majority of studies on new speakers focuses on language use in educational and community contexts, the family is becoming an increasingly relevant site since new speakers are now incorporating their languages into their home life. This article reports on how people of Native Hawaiian ancestry express their speakerhood with regard to their use of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or the Hawaiian language, in the context of the family. It explores Hawaiians’ stances towards different ways of speaking Hawaiian with regard to authenticity, an issue which has been found to be central among new speakers of minority languages in other contexts. Drawing on interview data with six Hawaiians, this article investigates Hawaiian speakerhood by focusing on how the participants view linguistic authority and translanguaging in family settings. The article offers insights into the range of linguistic practices and sociolinguistic authenticities in families that may enhance continued language revitalization efforts.

Modellierung sprachlicher Anforderungen in Testaufgaben verschiedener Unterrichtsfächer: Theoretische und empirische Grundlagen

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (69) ◽  
pp. 69-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Heine ◽  
Madeleine Domenech ◽  
Lisa Otto ◽  
Astrid Neumann ◽  
Michael Krelle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Education System ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
School Success ◽  
Academic Language ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Subject Specific ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractRecent years have witnessed a growing interest in the relationship between academic language registers and school success in the German-speaking education system. However, we still know very little about the actual effects that academic language has on the academic performance of students, for instance, in how far the extent to which academic language is used in subject tasks actually makes these tasks more difficult. It is therefore highly vital that any operationalization of difficulty-inducing linguistic features of tasks is made on solid theoretical and empirical grounds. The purpose of this article is thus to present the linguistic foundation used in an interdisciplinary empirical study in which 1.346 7th and 8th graders solved a set of subject-oriented tasks from Maths, Physics, German, PE and Music, while the degree of linguistic demands in the tasks was systematically varied. First, the theoretical and empirical research on linguistic difficulty from a range of research discourses is discussed. The findings are merged into a model of linguistic demands. Its operationalization is then illustrated in three linguistically varied versions of the subject-specific tasks. Finally, an outlook on preliminary results of the empirical study is given, which indicate that the categories used in the model actually do produce differences in subject-task difficulty, even though there are a number of effects that need further investigation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document