Like every year, on September 26, the ECSPM celebrates the European day of Languages (EDL).
Here are our statements about languages and the importance of multi-/plurilingualism.
Le barriere linguistiche creano ostacoli ai nostri sforzi negli scambi comunicativi, alla possibilità di collaborare con gli altri e di creare ambienti educativi inclusivi. Sebbene apprendere le lingue degli altri sia considerato un vantaggio, è fondamentale che si modifichi il modo in cui pensiamo alle lingue che conosciamo e al modo in cui le usiamo, superando l’ideologia del monolinguismo, e abbracciando un’etica della comunicazione multilingue che passa dall’utilizzo di tutte le risorse linguistiche che abbiamo a disposizione nel nostro repertorio per comunicare e dal sostegno all’educazione plurilingue.
Language barricades create obstacles in our efforts to have meaningful exchanges, to work with others, and to create inclusive educational environments. While learning other languages is beneficial, it is crucial to change what we think about and how we use all the languages that we know, move beyond the ideologies of monolingualism, embrace a multilingual ethos of communication by using all the resources we have available in our repertoire to communicate, and support plurilingual pedagogies.
Bessie Dendrinos & Monica Barni
Това е повод за всички нас, не само в Европа, но и по света, да отчетем и отпразнуваме стойността на всички езици и диалекти – малки и големи, национални и регионални, официални и местни. Нека продължим да работим за тяхното мирно съвместно съществуване и равенство. Да обърнем и поглед към бъдещето, в навечерието на Международното десетилетие на езиците на коренните населения, обявено от ЮНЕСКО за периода 2022-2032 г.
This is a day for us all, not only in Europe, but around the world, to acknowledge and celebrate the value of all languages and dialects—small and large, national, and regional, official, and local—and to continue working towards their peaceful co-existence and equality. This is also an opportunity to look to the future, as we embark on the 2022-2032 UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
Nikolay Slavkov
La ideología de una nación, un idioma todavía prevalece hoy, reproduciendo la creencia de que el monolingüismo o el uso de un solo idioma es importante para la armonía social y la unidad nacional, mientras que la pluralidad lingüística genera caos.
The one-nation-one-language ideology is still prevalent today, reproducing the belief that monolingualism or the use of one single language is important for social harmony and national unity, while linguistic plurality generates chaos.
Luisa Martín Rojo
Languages lie at “… the heart of who each of us conceives ourselves to be, individually and collectively. They are a central part of the self- narrative which we devote our life to composing. Sometimes they are literally matters of life and death” (Joseph, 2022). On this European Day of Languages, we reflect on how our languages and dialects make us who we are, we celebrate our linguistic diversity and reflect on what we might become, alone and together.
Joseph, J. (2022). Afterword: The Complementarity of Multilingualist and 4T Approaches. In W. Ayres-Bennett & L. Fisher (Eds.), Multilingualism and Identity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, pp. 365-374). Cambridge University Press.
Linda Fisher
Les langues sont magiques! Elles nous ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives sur le monde et nous permettent de comprendre et d’explorer d’autres façons de faire, de vivre et d’être. Ce sont des passerelles qui mènent à une compréhension enrichie et à des horizons élargis. Apprendre des langues permet le rapprochement des personnes et le développement de relations harmonieuses. Lorsque nous apprenons une nouvelle langue, c’est un entrainement cérébral, un enrichissement de l’esprit et une main d’amitié tendue aux personnes qui la parle.
Languages are magic! They open up new ways of seeing the world, allow us to understand and participate in different ways of doing, being and living. They are bridges leading to greater understanding and wider horizons. Learning languages brings people together and promotes peaceful relations. When we learn a new language we give our brain a workout, broaden our mind and stretch out a hand of friendship to its speakers.
Andrea Young
Der Europäische Tag der Sprachen soll Europa und die Welt an den Wert und die Wertschätzung aller Sprachen erinnern. Im Bildungskontext bedeutet dies, dass alle Sprachen, die die Schülerinnen und Schüler ins Klassenzimmer mitbringen, als Geschenk, Stärke und Ressource betrachtet werden. Nicht nur heute, sondern jeden Tag!
The European Day of Languages is a reminder to Europe and the world of the value and appreciation of all languages. In an educational context, this means viewing all languages the students bring to the classroom as a gift, a strength and as a resource. Not just today, but every day!
Tanja Rinker
Vi firar Europeiska Språkdagen för att öka medvetenheten om existensen och värdet av alla språk som talas i Europa. Räknar man nationella språk, minoritetsspråk och regionala språk, så finns runt 130 språk i Europa. Även om några används bara av några tusen individer och andra av tiotals miljoner, så firar vi vartenda ett, den 26 september.
We celebrate the European Day of Languages to raise awareness of the existence and value of all languages spoken in Europe. If you count national languages, regional and minority languages, there are around 130 languages spoken in Europe. Although some are used by only a few thousand people and others by tens of millions, we celebrate every single European language on September 26th.
Guðrún Gísladóttir