Linguapax Award

Do you know there is an “International Mother Language Day?”  It’s today, February 21st. It is sponsored by Linguapax, a non-governmental organization supporting linguistic diversity, in the belief that “…essential vehicles of identity and cultural expression are inseparable from the goals peace and intercultural understanding.”

The Linguapax Award for 2012 is being given to:

“Jon Landaburu Illarramendi (1943), Basque with French and Colombian nationality is a leading specialist in the field of indigenous languages in Colombia. With over 40 years of experience in the field, he has combined professional dedication with personal engagement in his work promoting linguistic diversity and linguistics ecologies in Colombia. He has come to be a key name in their protection and revitalization.”

You can read the whole article here.

endangered languages, language policy, linguistics, linguistics in the classroom, multilingualism

endangered languages, language planning and policy, multilingualism, Teaching English as a Second Language