PRESERVING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES THROUGH A MORE INTEGRATED NATIONAL CULTURAL STRATEGY 47

By the end of this century, according to Unesco, more than 3000 languages people in various parts of the world use for communications today will disappear. In Indonesia, Unesco notes that 137 local languages are in the state of endangeredment. The causes for such a cultural change are varied from geographical to political, from sociological to linguistic, and from philosophical to pragmatic. An important aspect of the extinction of a language is the disappearance of certain philosophical and cultural values contained in the language expressions which are very relevant with the dynamics of the society needing more effective instruments for maintaining its identity against globalization values. With all the background in mind, this paper tries to investigate a number of steps a multilingual country like Indonesia could possibly take to enhance the preservation of indigenous languages by researching their philosophical and cultural values and formulating policies for future action plans. The basic assumption is that in every language there are living values the speakers believe and maintain from time to time. However, time changes and the language changes, too, to cope with, among other things, newer values coming from outside and the need to be accepted in wider communities. In the process of exchanging linguistic and cultural phenomena domination and submission take place as a consequence. Therefore, dominating languages would place a certain language as a receiver of the exchange and this is where the state of endangeredment begins. In cooperation with international organizations like Unesco and local universities the government must take an initial plan to maintain the submitting language from further unexpected situations. The big number of Indonesian endangered local languages necessitates attentions from the central government to make a national campaign for preserving indigenous languages thorugh a more intregrated national cultural strategy. This must be the first test case for the combination of educational and cultural affairs under a new ministerial roof

Adult beginner distance language learner perceptions and use of assignment feedback

This qualitative study examines perceptions and use of assignment feedback among adult beginner modern foreign language learners on higher education distance learning courses. A survey of responses to feedback on assignments by 43 Open University students on beginner language courses in Spanish, French, and German indicated that respondents can be classified into three groups: those who use feedback strategically by integrating it into the learning process and comparing it with, for example, informal feedback from interaction with native speakers, those who take note of feedback, but seem not to use it strategically, and those who appear to take little account of either marks or feedback. The first group proved to be the most confident and most likely to maintain their motivation in the longer term. The conclusion discusses some of the pedagogical and policy implications of the findings

Student Identity Disclosed: Analysis of an Online Student Profile Tool

In the University of Minnesota’s Student Writing Support program, we gather, record, and share student and course information in order to support consultants in their work with writers; to assess and improve our own practice; and to make compelling, datadriven arguments for the center’s continued existence. Recognizing moments when these data-collection practices worked against the relationships we wanted to build with student writers, we began to critique these practices, with the goal of creating more intentional criteria and methods for soliciting client information. In Fall 2013, we developed and introduced an online Student Profile tool where clients could indicate their preferred name, provide a guide to pronouncing their name, include their gender pronouns, list any language(s) they speak and/or write, and indicate anything else they would like our consultants to know about them as writers/learners. We have become particularly interested in what students choose to share about themselves in that last open-ended prompt: When we give students opportunities to disclose aspects of their identity, what do we learn about them and about how they construct their identities in the context of a writing consultation? In this article we share our analysis of client data we collected in 2016–17, which reveals students’ awareness of their identities as writers, students, and learners as well as the complexities of these identities in a writing center context. Our findings also speak to larger conversations about the ways student identities are constructed and created within higher education.University Writing Cente

Formal Modeling of Connectionism using Concurrency Theory, an Approach Based on Automata and Model Checking

This paper illustrates a framework for applying formal methods techniques, which are symbolic in nature, to specifying and verifying neural networks, which are sub-symbolic in nature. The paper describes a communicating automata [Bowman & Gomez, 2006] model of neural networks. We also implement the model using timed automata [Alur & Dill, 1994] and then undertake a verification of these models using the model checker Uppaal [Pettersson, 2000] in order to evaluate the performance of learning algorithms. This paper also presents discussion of a number of broad issues concerning cognitive neuroscience and the debate as to whether symbolic processing or connectionism is a suitable representation of cognitive systems. Additionally, the issue of integrating symbolic techniques, such as formal methods, with complex neural networks is discussed. We then argue that symbolic verifications may give theoretically well-founded ways to evaluate and justify neural learning systems in the field of both theoretical research and real world applications

Explicitness and ellipsis as features of conversational style in British English and Ecuadorian Spanish

In this article I examine differences in conversational style between British English and Ecuadorian Spanish which can be the source of communication conflict among speakers of these two languages in telephone conversations, and, presumably in other types of interaction. I look at the language of mediated and non-mediated telephone conversations and examine one feature that interacts with indirectness, i.e., the degree of explicitness participants employ to realize similar acts or moves in the two languages. In non-mediated telephone interactions both British English and Ecuadorian Spanish speakers appear to display a preference for the use of explicitness in formulating various telephone management moves. On the other hand, in mediated interactions, while the British appear to favour explicitness, Ecuadorians in the present study, make use of elliptical forms. The latter, however, tend to be accompanied by deference markers. Differences in the use of explicit and elliptical utterances are interpreted as reflecting that, in certain types of interactions, Ecuadorians favour a style that can be characterized as fast and deferential, but possibly rather abrupt to the English, whereas the latter appear to favour a less hurried style which emphasizes the expression of consideration rather than deference

Embedding English in the learning of science

The teaching of Science in English was introduced to counter detriments of the Malaysian’s inability in keeping with the pace of developments in science and technology. The current Malaysian linguistic ecosystem is a result of historical events that eminently date back to pre independence dominance by foreign powers (the British). This dominance perpetuated the use of the English language for trade, government matters and education. A notable turn of events is the implementation of the 1963 National Language Act after independence which changed the character of language use in education.English as a medium of instruction was categorically replaced by the Malay language. However, a bilingual policy innovation is now a current feature in the Malaysian linguistic ecosystem. The emphasis given to English brings along a growing concern of the standard that needs to be achieved in the learning of science. Given this policy, the paper attempts to unfold the embedding of learning English through science by examining teacher attitude towards the teaching of science in English. Data is obtained from a critical analysis of a survey questionnaire and teacher interviews. Using the content analysis approach, the data is analyzed and categorized. Findings provide directions in on-going evaluations of a policy initiative which has generated much attention and discussion

Management learning at the speed of life:Designing reflective, creative, and collaborative spaces for millenials

This paper introduces the concept of "management learning at the speed of life" as a metaphor to inspire millenials. Millenials may face three major problems in relation to management learning: lack of concentration, lack of engagement, and lack of socialization. Management learning at the speed of life addresses these potential problems through three dimensions: reflective, creative, and collaborative learning. This paper illustrates the benefits of reflective, creative, and collaborative spaces for millenials using practices from leadership and personal development courses that were offered over seven years in Canada, Turkey, and the UK. These courses incorporated the latest technology that brought the course activities up to the speed of life

Linking Disability and Intercultural Studies: the adaptation journey of the visually impaired migrant in Ireland

This study focuses on the lived experiences of the visually impaired migrant in Ireland and this is the first study to document the lives of these members of Irish society. It examines how visually impaired migrants are simultaneously adapting to their disability and a new cultural environment while living in Ireland. In so doing this study aims to link the two academic fields of Intercultural Studies and Disability Studies and theoretical underpinnings for this study are drawn and woven together from both fields. As such this study draws from the development of theories relating to disability as well as the intercultural aspects of migration. Qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants living in the larger Dublin region, which comprised of two groups; migrant users and providers of services for the visually impaired. Data analysis was assisted through the software package Atlas.ti. A grounded theory approach to collecting and analysing data was adopted as this facilitates the flow from raw data to codes to concepts. Purposive sampling was employed and the typical method of grounded theory of constant comparison was not used, rather interviews were analysed individually once they were all completed then compared. Research findings indicate that the cultural perceptions of disability may help or hinder the individual’s adaptation process both to their visual impairment and to living and integrating into a new culture in Ireland. Findings cluster around the three areas of cultural perceptions of disability, support networks and cultural barriers to adaptation. Synergising theoretical concepts and data steered the development of a new integrative model which identifies the inhibitors and facilitators for the process of adaptation to visual impairment for a migrant in Ireland