Wiki on minority language learning
In this project an online wiki on minority language learning is created and maintained. The wiki will complement the Mercator Regional Dossiers, and will offer information on the education of minority languages that have only a (very) small place in the national education system. Authors of the wiki can be regional experts, students of multilingualism, or minority language speakers. The goal of the wiki is to share knowledge on minority language learning and to increase the visibility of minority languages online.
Research theme: Multilingualism and Language learning
Coordinating partner: Mercator European Research Centre
Mercator staff: Johanneke Buning, Joana Duarte, Cor van der Meer, Tseard de Graaf
Duration: 01-09-2015 -
Collaboration with: University of Groningen (The Netherlands)
- September 2015 - December 2015: research of online sources to determine how to best complement the information on minority languages that is already available online. The resulting discussion paper may be downloaded here: An inventory of best practices and potential partners for exchanging information on minority languages, J.E. Buning (2016).
- September 2015 - December 2015: choosing and implementing an online platform on which to present information on minority language learning.
- 2016, 2017: defining a general structure in which information on minority language learning is to be presented, and...
- 2017 - : ...this structure will form the starting point for the development of an Index for Minority Language Education. This index will gave an impression of how well a minority language is embedded in a nation's education system. It will be given a visual representation that will be easy to share on online platforms such as Wikipedia.
- 2017 - : finding authors for the wiki and co-operation with the bachelor Minorities and Multilingualism and the master Multilingualism of the University of Groningen: as an assignment, the students pick a minority language of their interest, and write a fact sheet about this for the Mercator wiki.
- Research of the information on minority languages that is available online led to the discussion paper An inventory of best practices and potential partners for exchanging information on minority languages, by Buning, J.E. (2016);
- Mercator's wiki for Minority Language learning can be visited here: www.mercator-research.eu/wiki/. The website is still in a developmental phase.
- A description of an index to evaluate a minority language's presence in a nation's education system is under development.
Become an author
Are you knowledgeable on the education of s minority language in / or outside school, on the (successfull) attempts of a minority language to obtain a presence in a nation's educational system, or on grass roots initiatives to educate a minority language? And are you willing to contribute to Mercator's online wiki on minority language learning? Please let us know.