Multilingualism and New Media

Cor van der Meer

Fryske Akademy

Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning

Brussels, 27 September, 2013

Overview

• Friesland (Fryslân)

• Mercator European Research Centre, networks, provisions and resources

• Social media & language

• ICT & Best practice

3dianûmer

Fryslân

• Province of The Netherlands• 627,000 inhabitants• Frysk (Frisian) 2nd official language• 54% mothertongue Frisian

Frisian adolescents• 50,000 teenagers• 50% mothertongue Frisian

Visit Kazakh delegation February 2010

Education in Fryslân

Trilingual education in Fryslân (1)

• Model used:

- Group 1-6: 50 % Frisian, 50 % Dutch

- Group 7-8: 40 % Frisian, 40 % Dutch, 20% English

• Systematic use of Frisian, Dutch and English as a medium of instruction.

• Interactive language education

Trilingual education in Fryslân (2)

• Results:

- Good quality of Frisian

- Results of Dutch at the same level at the end of grade 8 as all other pupils in the Netherlands

- Results for English slightly better, but not significantly

Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning

• Platform in Europe and beyond

• Regional and Minority languages

• Research & Information/documentation Centre

• Funded by the Province of Fryslân and the municipality of Ljouwert/Leeuwarden

• Co-operation with the Basque country

Mercator’s activities

• Research

• Publications & databases

• Network of Schools

• Conferences & seminars

• Projects

• Q&A service

Fields of Research• Language Survey Fryslân

• Trends in Policies and Practices for Multilingualism in Europe (LRE)

• New technologies; E-learning & Social media

• Application of the CEFR and the ELP in Europe

• Informal learning and promotion of reading in families & households

• Early Language Learning

• Research reports

• Articles

• Newsletters

• Regional dossiers series

- > 40 language descriptions

- Update every 5-8 years

- Online available

Publications

www.networkofschools.eu

Early Language LearningMELT Project

Products:

• Brochure for parents • Guide for pre-school practitioners• Research paper

• Local awareness raising events • Closing conference

• 1) Development of pre-school teaching methodology

• 2) Encouraging practitioners on how to immerse children in the minority language

• 3) Increase of parents’ awareness about multilingualism

• 4) Raise awareness of policymakers across Europe

2. MELT goals

I. MELT product: Brochure for parents

Multilingualism in everyday life

Bilingual brochures translated in eight languages: • Frisian-Dutch• Welsh-English• Swedish-Finnish• Breton-French

• Arabic, Portuguese, Turkish, German, Low- German

• Implemented in 40 pre-school provisions in four regions

• Tested and evaluated by 120 practitioners and their mentors

The MELT Guide:provides ideas a supportive and rich language environment language agreements in pre-school provisions children’s multilingual development in the pre-school age

II. MELT product: Guide for pre-school practitioners

• Adults as linguistic role models

• Interaction

• Observing and recording

• Collaboration with (grand)parents

• Working with themes and concrete materials

II. MELT product: Guide for pre-school practitioners

Story box- telling;For example, the book: ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’

Using a ‘minority charachter’

Goals of those activities:• Identification• Methodology of story telling • Immersion • Interaction• Increase vocubulary

II. MELT product: Guide for pre-school practitioners

Summary of relevant literature on early multilingual learning, related to European smaller state and regional & minority language communities

(2011, Bangma I. & Riemersma A.M.J.www.mercator-research.eu )

III. MELT Research paper

EU policy recommendations based on best practices of the four regions

• Necessary to draft a explicit language policy about multilingualism and immersion for minority languages

• Good skills of the pre-school practitioners are required, coached by mentors

• To offer a rich language environment, including enough input of the minority language

20dianûmer

Language use on social media by

Frisian adolescents

Twitter research

21dianûmer

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 2.0

Introduction

22dianûmer

Frisian adolescents

• 93% can understand Frisian (ave. 94%)• 71% can speak Frisian (ave. 73%)• 77% can read Frisian (ave. 76%)• 33% can write Frisian (ave. 30%)

Source: provinsje Fryslân, fluchhifking Fryske taal, 2011

Introduction

23dianûmer

Dutch adolescents

• 97% have a computer with internet connection• 76% have a smartphone with internet

connection• 95% is active on social media• 65% are 24/7 online through their smartphone • >50% consider internet to be indispensable

Source: Jongeren lijden aan Social Media Stress (2012) / CBS (2013)

Introduction

24dianûmer

Social media usage Dutch adolescents (15-20 years)

• 87% use Facebook – 65% daily• 82% use YouTube• 54% use Twitter – 35% daily

source: newcom.nl (January 2013)

Introduction

25dianûmer

It is said that…..

• Since the upswing of social media, Frisian youth is writing more in Frisian

• Supposedly they are writing Frisian phonetically

Introduction

26dianûmer

Mercator European Research Centre / Fryske Akademy

Research question:

To what extent do social networks influence language use by Frisian adolescents aged 14-18 years?

Research description

27dianûmer

Methods

• Literature research• Twitter research• Online questionnaire through social

media and schools

Research description

28dianûmer

Literature 1/2

• Cunliffe et al. (2013)

Internet and social networking both a threat and opportunity for minority languages

• Ó Riagáin et al. (2008) & Cunliffe et al. (2013):

Teenage years crucial period for attitudes towards a minority language

Literature

29dianûmer

Literature 2/2• Jones and Morris (2005):

Tendancy by Welsh speaking persons to switch their conversation to English as soon as non-Welsh speakers join them

• Cunliffe et al. (2013):

Language use on social networks reflects the language of real-world communities

• Jones et al. (2013):

Intended audience influences choice of language

Literature

30dianûmer

Twitter research

• April 18th 2013: Frisian Twitterday • Almost 10,000 tweets with #frysk

Research• Selection of 50 adolescents• Analysis of 6,019 tweets

Twitter research

31dianûmer

Research questionWhat is the language use in tweets of adolescents aged 14-18 years who used the hashtag frysk during the Frisian Twitterday?

Subquestions:

1.Ratio Frisian – Dutch

2.Variables of influence

3.Frisian language use

4. Influence of the #Frysk campaign

Twitter research

32dianûmer

Ratio Frisian - Dutch

• On the Twitterday: around 50-50%• On other days: Dutch > Frisian

• To be continued (March 2014)

Twitter research

33dianûmer

Variables of influence on language use

• Audience• Gender• Tweet intensity

• To be continued (March 2014)

Twitter research

34dianûmer

Frisian language use 1/5

• Often phonetical spelling– /ɔ/ written as o instead of a: mon (man),

dot (dat), ol (al)– silent letters omitted: wost (wolst), kist

(kinst), dost (dochst)– ‘broken’ diphtongs: jer (hear), skwalle

(skoalle), gjit (giet)

Twitter research

35dianûmer

Frisian language use 2/5

• Use of Dutch-isms (lexical)–erch (= slim)–vriendintsje (= freondin)

• Use of Dutch-isms (syntactic)–Heit powerpoint litte sjen (= Heit

powerpoint sjen litte)

Twitter research

36dianûmer

Frisian language use 3/5

• Dialect instead of standard language–harre, hewwe (hawwe)–mut (moat), fut (fuort)–hij, wij, mij (hy, wy, my)

Twitter research

37dianûmer

Frisian language use 4/5

• Twitter language and acronyms–sws (sawysa, sowieso)– ff (’effe’, efkes)–gm (goodmorning/goeiemoarn)–btw (by the way)–1en (‘ienen’)

Twitter research

38dianûmer

Frisian language use 5/5

• Code switching:– ik kin de kneepjes von 't vak

onderhands wol–Dus jim hawwe nog een wieke von

dot dodelijk saaie examen training? – Seker fja herhaling vatbaar.

Twitter research

39dianûmer

Questionnaires

• Planning: autumn 2013• Through social media and schools• Questions:

–Demographic data–Frysk as mothertongue–Language use in different contexts–Use of social media–Language use on social media

Questionnaires

40dianûmer

Future plans

• Finish this research spring 2014• International cooperation• More research

Future plans

Good practice

• Edufrysk, E-learning tool developed in Friesland– Provincial government policy– For learning Frisian language (& culture) – Age group 16+– For all levels – Dutch as medium of instruction

Structure

• Language & culture online learning through:– Text (according interest)– Music / songs– Poetry– Games

43dianûmer

44dianûmer

MySchoolsNetwork (MySN)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMJP2bEuOf0

dianûmer

Education & Technology

• Technological revolution is due• OER and MOOC• Opportunities for smaller languages

• Eskerrik asko

• Mange Takk

• Diolch

Tige tank

• Trugarez

• Grazia

• Graciis

• Dankscheen • Mercé plan

• Kiitos

• Dźakuju so

Köszönöm

• Hvala • Multumesc• Spassi Ba

Nvala lepaThank you

www.mercator-research.eu For further information:

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