Mercator Research Centre at the Fryske Akademy / Fryslân

Alex RIEMERSMAWorkshop Minority Languages and Multilingual Education

European Centre for Modern Languages ECML

Graz, Austria / Österreich, February 17, 2011

Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and

Language Learning

www.mercator-research.eu

Early

Middle ages

Late

Middle ages

Today

Fryslân in history

Wales 15 March 2010

Fryske Akademy

Wales 15 March 2010

Language Planning

• Corpus planning: - orthography, dictionary, terminology

• Status planning: - legislation, institutional infrastructure

• Language acquisition planning:- education at all levels, and - intergenerational language transmission

Mercator Research Centreat Fryske Akademy

1987-2006: EU fundedDocumentation & Information Centre

2 Partners: Media: Aberystwyth & Legislation: Barcelona

2007-2008: transition to Documentation and ResearchFunded by province of Fryslân and municipality of Ljouwert/Leeuwarden

Mercator Network 2009-2011: EU funded

Mercator Ljouwert (Fryslân) “lead partner” Aberystwyth – University of Wales Barcelona – Ciemen Boedapest – Hungarian Academy of

Sciences Eskilstuna (Sweden) – Mälardalen University

Mercator Research Centreat Fryske Akademy

Scientific research & data collection

Information centre & platform function

Data base of experts

Newsletter & website

Network of Schools

Q & A service

Regional Dossiers

40 language descriptions

Author = local expert

Update every 5-7 years

Online available

Regional Dossiers

Research themes

Minimum Standards of RML education

Added value of multilingualism

Bi- and Trilingual Schooling

Report on Minimum Standards on Education in RMLs (2007)

On request of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRAE) of the Council of Europe

Recommendations to the Council of Ministers of the Council of Europe

Themes of analysis

Educational goals & models

Time spent

Teaching materials

Teacher training

Inspectorate

Legal position

Member States & Languages

Austria: Slovenian, Croatian Germany: Sorbian Netherlands: Frisian Slovakia: Hungarian Slovenia: Italian Spain: Catalan Sweden: Sami United Kingdom: Welsh

Added Value of Multilingualism

In co-operation with Ikerbasque, co-funded by the Ministry of Eduation of the Basque Autonomous Community

Focus on secondary school

Focus on English as a third language

Trilingual primary schooling

Inventory study on provisions of trilingual primary education

10 case studies, a.o.:- Basque Country; Catalunya;- Finland (Vaasa); Italy (Ladin); - Luxembourg;- North-Frisia (Germany);- Frisian (the Netherlands):

Trilingual education in Fryslân

Model used (with flexibility):

- Group 1-6: 50 % Frisian, 50 % Dutch

- Group 7-8: 40 % Frisian, 40 % Dutch, 20% English

Systematic use of Frisian, Dutch and English as a medium of instruction

Concious and strictly separated use of languages: person / time / themes

Interactive language education

Mercator Network of Schools > 90 members

> 30 language communities

15 EU member states

News bulletins

Website:

- teaching materials

- projects

Kaart fan NOS

Partner in European Projects - 1

NPLD: Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (regional authorities & NGO’s)- Platform to EU institutions- Projects with EU funding

MELT: Multilingual Early Language Transmission (= pre-school sector):- Toolkit practitones & awareness raising for the “informed choice”

Partner in European Projects - 2

EUNoM: European Network of Universitites on Multilingualism:- research & Master Multilingualism

Language Rich Europe (British Council):- documentation language policies

Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism: on request EU

Mercator Conferences 2011

7-8 April: in co-operation with SOASTheme: languages of the wider world,maintenance, shift & revitalisation

26-27 May: in co-operation with Basque GovernmentTheme: What can languages add to the multicultural society?

Intended Network of Teacher Training Institutes

Aiming at:

Relationship between teacher training and primary / secondary education

Teacher’s competences in multilingualism

Didactic methods towards continuity

Foto fan bern

Leafst bern yn de klasse

• Eskerrik asko

• Mange Takk

• Diolch

Tankewol

• Trugarez

• Grazia

• Graciis

• Dankscheen • Mercé plan

• Kiitos

• Dz'akuju so

• Köszönöm

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• Multumesc

• Merci