Top-down imposition versus natural evolution of language

Posted on by Frans Oosterholt

In his interesting article ‘The Front Lines of the Language Wars’, Jeff Deist discusses the frictions between top-down and bottom-up language use: ‘We can analogize attempts to impose preferred language with interventionist central planning in a “marketplace,” while bottom-up evolution involves linguistic entrepreneurs acting in a laissez-faire system.’

The top-down use of language con be deployed as an instrument to dominate. Deist discusses four key concepts to understand the front lines between natural evolution and top-down imposition:
1 Words are intentionally stripped of all meaning by overuse and abuse.
2 Words are coded and embedded with meaning beyond their simple agreed-upon definitions.
3 The newly imposed words contain their own admonitions and exhortations.
4 the newly imposed lexicon is not intended to advance communication and understanding but rather to browbeat and demoralize.

You can read this fascinating article in its entirety here: https://mises.org/wire/front-lines-language-wars

Picture Richard Eisenmenger via Pixabay

Is Virtual Reality going to be a game changer in language learning?

Posted on by Frans Oosterholt

There are platforms coming up that use virtual reality in language learning. For example, you have Panolingo, ImmerseMe, Mondly AR… I have to say that I am not really into this kind of things, but it could be that I’m just to old:) I wonder if you guys have any experience with this kind of apps. And if so, do you believe they form a threat for language teachers? Or would it be possible to integrate this kind of tools in you teaching practice? Please, let us know.

Picture from Pexels via Pixabay

The perfect match

Posted on by Frans Oosterholt

The other day a language teacher asked me: what does Linguaclick charge? May answer was: Linguaclick doesn’t charge anything at all. In Linguaclick, every teacher decides his/her own price. We merely inform students of available teachers, and they contact them directly, without our interference. So Linguaclick would be something like the shop window, but you own the shop.

Linguaclick really believes in independent language teachers. They all are different, they have had different training, different experiences, they use different methods, and of course, they charge different prices.

And we believe that’s good, because language learners are different too. They have different needs and different means. So it all comes down to finding the perfect match between teacher and learner. And that is what Linguaclick is all about.

So, go ahead and find out for yourself: https://linguaclick.com/teacher-create-account/

Afbeelding van Naassom Azevedo via Pixabay

Teaching materials webshops

Posted on by Frans Oosterholt

Interesting development: language teachers who offer their teaching materials for a small price in their own webshop. Two examples: https://kidsclubenglish.com/ This site has some free resources, such as Teaching tips and Songs, and lots of materials you can buy for a small price, or through purchasing a member pass.

Another example: https://theenglishflows.com/ For teachers of adult and business ESL students. Stella, the founder, states: ‘I firmly believe students learn best through topics that align with their own interests and this is what The English Flows strives to achieve: provide teachers with lesson plans on topics that are current, engaging and relatable, with  clear focus on activities that will encourage conversation and free expression.’ The site offers three subscription plans, one of which is free of charge if you register.

Are there more sites like this? Please let us know in a comment below. And do you think this is a good development? Would it be a good idea if LinguaCoP would bring together all these (semi)commercial initiatives?

Image: Kids Club English

Is learning a language like learning to ride a bike?

Posted on by Frans Oosterholt

I read an interesting article by Monika Schmid in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/modern-language-gcses-continue-to-fall-in-popularity-but-new-research-shows-language-knowledge-will- last-you-a-lifetime-187820. Her main conclusion is: ‘The knowledge you acquire in a foreign language appears to be astonishingly stable over long periods of time.’

I find that very recognizable. For example, I learned a little French in high school. After that I hardly did anything with it. Yet I can still read a French newspaper if I happen to be in France (speaking is another matter:) Almost half a century later!

As a translator, it often happens to me that words come to mind that I have no idea how I came up with. Words that I’ve never used to my knowledge, but that apparently lie dormant somewhere in me and are activated by similar words in Spanish or Catalan (the two languages ​​from which I translate novels).

I’m curious how this is for others. Has your knowledge of languages  that you have not used for a long time​​ lingered? Do you also think, as Monika Schmid suggests, that learning a foreign language is more like learning to ride a bicycle, something you basically don’t forget once you get the hang of it, than learning math formulas by heart?

Btw, some interesting selling points for language trainers can be found in Monika Schmid’s article: learning a language is valuable in and of itself. Among the many benefits are better performance on general standardised tests and a boost to your wage.

Volunteer team

Posted on by Frans Oosterholt

At the end of the CATAPULT project, a sustainability plan was drawn up for the CATAPULT platforms: the Community of Practice LinguaCoP and its matching tool Linguaclick. In this plan we unfold two phases for the further development of our platforms. The first phase (2021-2022) focuses on consolidation and expansion and on fundraising to meet all our ambitions. In the second phase (from 2022-2023), we will maximize the potential of LinguaCoP with the help of new investments. In the first phase we will put together a team of volunteers to develop into a professional team in the second phase to support the exploitation of LinguaCoP and Linguaclick.

For which activities are we looking for volunteers?

1 content curation

2 events development

3 publicity

Content curation

In order to remain attractive to the community, it is vital to regularly offer new content related to language training in general and our events in particular: notifications, news in blog posts, topics in our forums, resources… The content volunteers team will strive to identify and share as much content as possible relevant for freelance language and LSP professionals.

Events development

LinguaCoP will organize events around themes related to language training and LSP in particular. The volunteers of the events team help in selecting themes, finding, contacting and guiding suitable speakers for webinars.

Publicity

The volunteers of the publicity team ensure that everyone involved in language training, inside and outside the CoP, is informed as much as possible about the activities of the CATAPULT platforms: the Community of Practice LinguaCoP and its matching tool Linguaclick.

Volunteers can sign up for one or more volunteer teams. The selected volunteers will, if they wish, be presented as official collaborators of the CATAPULT platforms on a special Meet the Team page.

You can leave any questions or comments in a comment on this post, or in this Forum: https://linguacop.eu/forums/forum/volunteers/

Please note, to comment on this post or in our Forums, you must register: https://linguacop.eu/register/

If you prefer, you can also send a message to this email address: volunteers[at]linguacop.eu