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Modern Languages, Page 43

CALR lecture tomorrow: The mortality of Hindustani: Can there be an Indian national language?

The next CALR lecture is taking place on Wednesday 27th February 2013 from 5.00 – 6.30pm in Lecture Theatre C, Avenue Campus, University of Southampton. The lecture is entitled “The mortality of Hindustani: Can there be an Indian national language?” and will be presented by Dr Priti Mishra, scholar of language policy in colonial and postcolonial India, from the University’s History department. Continue reading →

Italian film showing today: La stella che non c’è (2006)

The Italian film, La stella che non c’è (Gianni Amelio, 2006) will be showing in Lecture Theatre A, Avenue Campus, at 6.30pm on Monday 25th February 2013. A review, introduction and discussion will be led by Leonardo Provvedi. Vincenzo BuonavolontĂ  lavora per un’acciaieria italiana che sta ormai chiudendo e il cui altoforno è stato venduto ad un’azienda cinese. Vincenzo sa che l’impianto ha un difetto ma, nonostante informi il nuovo acquirente, non viene ascoltato. Continue reading →

British Academy report on the state of languages

The British Academy published its latest report entitled “Languages: The State of the Nation, Demand and Supply of Language Skills in the UK” on 14th February 2013. The publication, based on a survey of UK employers, a wide-ranging appraisal of language policies across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and a synthesis of existing evidence on language skills aims to deepen understanding of foreign language use in the UK and identify key priorities for action. Continue reading →

Languages in the 2014 National Curriculum

On 7th February 2013, the government announced its latest thinking on the National Curriculum / GCSE reform. Studying a foreign language will become compulsory in Key Stage 2 (ages 8-11), and will continue to be compulsory in Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14), but will now continue to be optional in Key Stage 4. For full details of the new proposals, plus details of a consultation on the new national curriculum, see the DFE website. Continue reading →

Italian film showing today: La prima cosa bella (2010)

The Italian film, La prima cosa bella (Paolo VirzĂŹ, 2010) will be showing in Lecture Theatre A, Avenue Campus, at 6.30pm on Monday 18th February 2013. A review, introduction and discussion will be led by Laura Nera. La prima cosa bella racconta la storia di una mamma formidabile ed ostinatamente ottimista anche di fronte a grandi difficoltĂ . Attraverso pene e dolori insegna ai suoi figli il valore delle piccole cose che danno gioia nella vita. Continue reading →

Languages mapped: what do people speak where you live?

The 2011 census reveals the main language spoken in 34,753 ‘output areas’ across England Wales, each of 1,500 people. While only 0.3% of the population cannot speak English, 4m people do not speak it as their main language. This map shows the country’s patchwork quilt of languages: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2013/jan/30/languages-mapped-england-wales-census?zoom=11&lat=50.91500386380311&lng=-1. Continue reading →