SIL International Media Release
Multiple sponsors plan international conference on mother-tongue-based multilingual education
(February 2008) In celebration of the UN-proclaimed International Year of Languages, the 2nd International Conference on Language Development, Language Revitalization and Multilingual Education in Ethnolinguistic Communities will be held 1-3 July 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand. Those involved in mother-tongue-based multilingual education (MT-based MLE) and other language-based development programs are invited to submit papers for presentations in parallel sessions.
The seven joint sponsors of the event are SIL International, the Institute of Language and Culture for Rural Development at Mahidol University, UNESCO-Bangkok, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), UNICEF, Care International and Save the Children (United Kingdom).
Purposes of the conference
- Raise awareness about the purposes and benefits of MT-based MLE programs
- Share information about best practices in language development, language revitalization and MT-based MLE in ethnolinguistic communities, especially from the people who are actively engaged in such programs
- Develop and expand networks of individuals and organizations engaged in these efforts
Separate tracks on a variety of multilingual situations
- Language development and language revitalization of non-dominant languages
- Language policy, language-in-education policy and policy implementation
- Mother-tongue-based multilingual education
- Community-centered efforts to preserve intangible cultural heritage
- Information and communication technology that supports MT-based MLE
- Research and evaluation studies of language revitalization and MT-based MLE programs
The deadline for submitting abstracts of papers is 30 March 2008, and the conference registration deadline is 30 April 2008.
The 1st International Conference on Language Development, Language Revitalization and Multilingual Education in Ethnolinguistic Communities was held in Bangkok in 2003.
Related links of interest
- Conference information and registration
- Call for papers
- Multilingual Education Programs: A Resource and an Opportunity
- First conference in 2003