Heritage Languages: Alliance News Flash: May 2010

May 2010

www.cal.org/heritage

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IN THIS ISSUE
				STARTALK Update

				South Asian Languages: Urdu

				Heritage Voices: Czech and German

				Conferences and Workshops

				French Program Recognized





Heritage Language Journal The Heritage Language Journal provides a forum for scholars to publish the results of their research and to advance knowledge about educating heritage language speakers. The latest issue is now available online and contains a range of articles, including one that addresses grammar instruction and the heritage language learner, and several book reviews. Read the journal.

The STARTALK Classroom Video Collection is
Now Available

The National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) has announced the launch of the STARTALK Classroom Video Collection. These ten videos provide real-life examples of teachers working to incorporate STARTALK-endorsed effective practices in classrooms in which Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Persian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu are taught.

View the Video Collection.

The South Asian Languages Web Pages Now
Feature Urdu

Visit the updated South Asian Languages Web pages that now include a spotlight on Urdu. These Web pages focus on the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of the geographical area of South Asia, which includes the Indian subcontinent and surrounding countries. Learn more about Urdu.

The Urdu Web pages also feature a Heritage Voice on the Urdu language and an Urdu program.

Heritage Voices

The Alliance’s Heritage Voices Collection Continues to Expand
Our Heritage Voices collection, an online series, features languages spoken as heritage languages in the United States and heritage language programs. In this issue, we feature two heritage languages, Czech and German.

Heritage Voices: Language – Czech
The Czech language is the national language of the Czech Republic. Due to heavy migration in the early and mid-1900s, the Czech language is spoken by 12 million people worldwide.
Learn more about the Czech language.

Heritage Voices: Language – German
The German language is spoken by approximately 100 million native German speakers worldwide and another 20 million nonnative speakers use German on a regular basis. Throughout Germany, over 15 dialects are spoken.
Learn more about the German language .

Browse the complete Heritage Voices Collection.

Conferences and Workshops

Heritage Language Workshop for K-16 Teachers of Less Commonly Taught Languages
July 19 – 23, 2010
Sponsored by National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC) and STARTALK
Co-sponsored by UCLA Asia Institute and UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies

This workshop is designed to address issues at the heart of heritage language teaching, including the differences between teaching L2 and HL learners, differentiated instruction, learner strategies, assessment, using the 5 Cs in heritage instruction, and more. Registration set to close May 14, 2010.

Learn more and register.

First International Conference on Heritage/Community Languages
February 19 – 21, 2010
Los Angeles, CA

Woman listening The first international conference on heritage and community languages was held in February 2010, hosted by UCLA. Presenters and participants from all over the world focused on opportunities for heritage language development in school and community settings, challenges that language diversity can present, and ways that educators, researchers, and policy makers in different countries are addressing those challenges.

In the presentation on Developing and Maintaining Vital, Sustainable Heritage Language Programs, Alliance members focused on critical activities involved in promoting the vitality and sustainability of languages -- capacity development, opportunity creation, and attitude improvement. The language representatives discussed how these areas of activity apply to different heritage languages in the United States (Spanish, Chinese, German, and Russian) and considered the contexts in which they are taught.

Learn more and download the presentation.

French Heritage Language Program Awarded 2010 Prix Spécial de la Francophonie

Gold medal on ribbon The Alliance congratulates the French Heritage Language Program on receiving the 2010 Prix Spécial de la Francophonie in recognition of its promotion of the French language in the U.S. and of its strong efforts to help educate Haitian child refugees in the U.S.

Learn more about the French Heritage Language Program.

Collaborate with the Alliance

The Alliance for the Advancement of Heritage Languages is seeking to develop community among professionals working in heritage language education and research by providing information and resources of interest.

Bookmark the Alliance Web site to stay up-to-date with the latest information.

The Alliance News Flash is a quarterly online newsletter created for professionals working in the area of heritage language education, to create connections and to give updates on new developments and recent resources in the field. If you have suggestions for articles for the Alliance News Flash, for Alliance activities, and other ideas to create community, please email the Alliance at heritage@cal.org.

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