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Louise Rolland

@lrollandmulti.bsky.social
637 followers 457 following 279 posts

Linguist.e | multilingualism & emotion, identity, social justice (esp. mental health, education) | researching multilingually | academic writing | Own views | #wiasn #OpenToWork orcid.org/0000-0002-9814-2685

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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
RePatriation, by Ihotu Oglegba, features Nsibidi, an indigenous symbol system from southeastern Nigeria. From the recent Translation issues? exhibition by Royal College of Art Africa Society at the Africa centre, London #Nsibidi #Writing #Nigeria #Art www.africacentre.org.uk/Event/a-roya...
RePatriation: wooden sculpture artwork by Ihotu Oglegba, featuring Nsibidi symbols in the centre (an indigenous writing system from Nigeria) with animal and human figure carvings on either side.Key to some of the Nsibidi pictograms depicted on the artwork, Repatriation
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Adventures in Swahili: If you're supporting Kenyan runners in the London marathon today, give them a boost in Swahili: Endelea ! Naweza! (Go for it! You can do it!) #Swahili #LondonMarathon26 #Motivation #Langsky #London #Kenya #Runners
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Multilingual tiles on the beautiful "Head, Heart, Hands" mural of Cockpit studios, Deptford. Public art les by local artist Amber Khokhar. A celebration of community and history ❤️ cockpitstudios.org/head-heart-h... #London #Langsky #Multilingualism #Art #Craft #Diversity #Lewisham #Community
Part of a mural made with triangular tiles, featuring community languages, illustrations and poetic inscriptions. Cockpit studios, Creekside, Deptford, London. The central tile depicts four heads in profile, alongside the inscription "Facing down fascism in the Battle of Lewisham". Part of a mural made with triangular tiles, featuring community languages, illustrations and poetic inscriptions. Cockpit studios, Creekside, Deptford, London.
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Evolution of the Phoenician alphabet - the first widespread phonetic alphabet, which inspired the Greek alphabet - explained at the excellent Byblos exhibition, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris. Writing became more democratic as a result! #lingsky #alphabet #Byblos #ima #musee #Paris #Lebanon #writing
Explanations about the evolution of the alphabet, on a wall in the Byblos exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe (April 2026). The left hand column shows the Proto-canaanian pictographs, next the corresponding Phoenician symbol, next the meaning (eg 'aleph is boeuf or ox) and the letter as it evolved in the Latin alphabet.An explanation of the evolution of alphabetic writing, on the wall of the Byblos exhibition, Institut du Monde Arabe, paris.
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Workshop in Abuja on literary translation: "literature penned in the indigenous language is nearly non-existent. Traditional publishers won’t touch literature written in indigenous languages, nor will they publish translations of popular Nigerian English literature" leadership.ng/nigeria-uk-t...
leadership.ng
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
🗓️ On 14 May 2026, I will be giving an in-person talk making the case for linguistic reflexivity in research (Birkbeck, University of London). All welcome! Free tickets: www.bbk.ac.uk/events/event... #research #langsky #ResearchMethods #reflexivity #LinguisticReflexivity #ResearchingMultilingually
bbk.ac.uk
Louise Rolland: Building inclusive language practices into the research process: examples of linguistic reflexivity
Public lecture
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Incredible multilingual polyphonic music from Suzume no Tears (sparrow's tears) at SOAS tonight, blending Japanese and Bulgarian folk music (& more)! UK tour: in #Birmingham on Saturday 28 March. Surge Forward meets Club Integral Midlands Branch share.google/FXZHk3KlXgbm... #Gigalert #民謡 #UK
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Surge Forward meets Club Integral Midlands Branch
Club Integral Midlands Branch returns to The Edge - our wonderfully refurbished stomping ground - for a night of live music in collaboration with Surge Forward. An evening featuring three duos: Suzume...
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Beautiful multilingual poetry collection by the Congolese community of Liverpool! A creative response to the Nkisi, spiritual objects from the Kongo region. In Lingala, English, French etc. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/if-o... #poetry #multilingualism #history #Congo #Liverpool #Lingala
liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
If Objects Could Speak | Poetry by Congolese Association Merseyside
A collection of poetry written by members of the Congolese community of Liverpool
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Prof Sunny Singh @profsunnysingh.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
My proudest achievement is building a book family that powers this prize In 10 years, Jhalak Prize has grown from a single prize to a portfolio of 3 awards: 1. Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize, 2. Jhalak Poetry Prize 3. Jhalak Prose Prize BEHOLD THIS EXCELLENCE! #jhalakprizeat10
Graphic with logo on top with text in white and book jackets for longlisted books for the three awards below
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Letter to the University of Essex VC - please sign to save Languages and Linguistics from cuts to all but French & Spanish, and merger w/ another department tinyurl.com/SaveLingLang... #Langsky #Lingsky #HE #StopTheCuts #Essex #ModernLanguages #BSL
tinyurl.com
Save Languages and Linguistics at Essex
To add your signature to this letter, please complete this form: Save Languages and Linguistics at Essex (Google Form) Dear Prof Bowen and members of the Executive Committee, We, the undersigned, ...
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Highly recommended art exhibition!Of interest to linguists as many Igbo & Yoruba terms are explained, and indigenous graphic languages uli & nbidisi are showcased ❤️ Nigerian Modernism | Tate Modern share.google/LAdOHsGigPh6... #Nigeria #Igbo #Yoruba #art #Langsky #Lingsky #uli #nbidisi #London
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Nigerian Modernism | Tate Modern
Watch, listen and read
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Free talk and performances about multilingualism on 21 April (British Academy) - showcasing British Sign Language, Welsh and "an English shaped by isiZulu, isiXhosa, and German": How languages make us: www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/the-a... #London #multilingualism #lingsky #identity
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
How languages make us
How do languages shape our sense of self and our communities? Uncover the connections between language, identity, and society with a vibrant evening of talks, poetry, and songs performed in multiple l...
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Multilingualism, Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Africa @mccrafrica-essex.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Save the date! On Tuesday 24 March at 2pm UK time, Dr Paul Clist from University of East Anglia will present "Bilinguals in the Lab: Why Does Randomising Language Affect Cooperation?" It draws on experimental work in Uganda. Join us! Register here: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/k16YaHVH1U
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
‘The world’s top AI models can be prompted to generate near-verbatim copies of bestselling novels, raising fresh questions about the industry’s claim that its systems do not store copyrighted works.’ www.ft.com/content/e4b7...
ft.com
AI’s ‘memorisation’ problem: the novels it can’t forget
Research that shows LLMs memorise more training data than previously thought raises questions about copyright infringement
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UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies @uclssees.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
We are pleased to invite you to an evening talk with bestselling author and EU Prize for Literature winner Tatiana Țîbuleac, who will discuss how #Moldovan, #Romanian and diasporic history and identities reflect throughout her writing. 🗓️ 13 March at 5pm ➡️ www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...
Event poster for 'Literature and identities in Moldova, Romania and the diaspora with Tatiana Țîbuleac' with images of book covers by Tatiana Țîbuleac. In-person and online.
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Great blog by Denise Amankwah, highlighting how to involve young people in planning initiatives that explore and celebrate multilingualism: naldic.org.uk/internationa... #NALDIC #Multilingualism #RepresentationMatters #YouthVoices #Collaboration #Languages #Lingsky #Langsky
naldic.org.uk
International Mother Language Day: Youth Voices - NALDIC
On International Mother Language Day (IMLD), many of us working in multilingual education celebrate the day by developing, refreshing or sharing our resources
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
The daily barrage of misogyny, as encountered by a 15 year old on social media. #Misogyny #YesAllWomen #HateSpeech #StopHatingWomen #SocialMedia #VAWG #Discourse #UK The Guardian
theguardian.com
I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day | Anonymous
Objectification, hate, rape threats: the politicians debating online abuse mean well, but to truly understand, they need to see what I see
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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 26/01/2026
400 jobs at risk. A campus set to close. This film explains what’s happening at the University of Essex and why staff, students and the local community are organising to stop it. 📍 Southend rally | 5 February
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Excellent article about how language acquisition is positioned as a test of one's commitment to citizenship, disregarding the reality of language learning - and facilitating discrimination/abuse on linguistic grounds: theconversation.com/english-less... #lingsky #immigration #English #policy #ESOL
theconversation.com
English lessons shouldn’t be an immigration test – why the UK’s new policy risks deepening exclusion
The UK government says tougher English rules will aid integration. Esol experts warn they risk turning language learning into a tool of exclusion.
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Job opportunity for translator specialising in translating from an endangered language into English, in any genre. The endangered language can belong to oral or semi-oral traditions, collaborative or community-based practices, and non-standardised forms. www.wasafiri.org/news-and-eve... #langsky
wasafiri.org
Call for Applications: Wasafiri Translator in Residence – Endangered Languages
We are excited to open applications for a UK-based Translator in Residence working with/in Endangered Languages — and invite proposals from translators…
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Gabino Iglesias @gabino.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
It’s Sunday and the world is burning, but you can’t fight if you’re burned out, so take care of yourself. Read. Create. Check on your friends and family. Spend time with your pet. Go for a walk. Watch a movie. Eat tacos. Hope you have a good one.
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Abhorrent islamophobia from Reform UK, and as usual linguistic diversity is painted as un-British. We are all free to express ourselves in whichever language we please: shock, horror, "The signs are written in a different language"! #hatespeech #lingsky #multilingual share.google/9zKXeZTVQoaq...
share.google
Reform UK’s London mayor candidate condemned for burqa stop and search remarks
Laila Cunningham accused of endangering Muslims after saying it ‘has to be assumed’ people hiding their face for a criminal reason
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Gĩkũyũ word of the day: "ngarĩ" (meaning leopard in English). According to the Rebel Girls book about the late Kenyan activist Dr Wangarĩ Maathai, Wa-ngarĩ means "belonging to the leopard". Gĩkũyũ is a tonal language spoken by over 4 million people in Kenya. #Gĩkũyũ #Bantu #Kenya #langsky
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
! Murcia Today - Spain Decides Spanish Is Too Hard, Makes English Official Language share.google/WXmXiThI8EXj... #Langsky #España
share.google
Spain decides Spanish is too hard, makes English official language
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Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 18/12/2025
New article from me today about the new study of Finland's basic income experiment that found recipients of unconditional income had 33% better mental health than the control group that got the same amount of money with conditions. I also dive into a lot of other evidence about UBI and mental health
open.substack.com
Finland Gave Two Groups Identical Payments. One Experienced 33% Better Mental Health.
New research from Finland's basic income experiment proves that simply trusting people with money—not just the money itself—significantly improves mental health
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
My 5 y.o. asking a family member, in English : "What Greek word is the same in French?" Received the answer : "McDonald's!" 🤣 Of course, he was hoping to elicit the word κακά / caca... C'est kif-kif! 🤣 #translanguaging #langsky #Greek #French #English #humour
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Please support staff at the university of Essex, who are at risk of massive redundancy in particular in my former department of Language and Linguistics, by sharing this letter and writing to your MP to express concern if you live in any of the constituencies near the University. #Essex #HE #Lingsky
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Multilingualism, Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Africa @mccrafrica-essex.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
📣We're launching the MCCRA research workshop series! 🎓The inaugural talk, 27 January at 2pm UK time, will be by Prof. Kristian Gleditsch. ✏️Sign up below to get invited to our monthly online research talks on armed conflict and/or language in African countries. forms.office.com/e/k16YaHVH1U
forms.office.com
Microsoft Forms
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Babel: The Language Magazine @babelzine.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
📯 Babel No53 is online now! Trinidadian English Creole, Estonian humour, the roots of fruits, and much more 🖥️ Digital subscribers can read on at: cloud.3dissue.com/18743/41457/... ✉️ Print copies will be posted out through December 🏪 Subscribe at babelzine.co.uk
Babel No53: Out now!
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Guess which historical figure learnt ancient and modern languages? Part of a festive trail at the Queen's House, in Greenwich. Merci, Royal Museums Greenwich, for highlighting language learning as a human endeavour throughout the ages!👏🏻 #Langsky #mfl #ancientlanguages #history #Greenwich #UK #quiz
Poster for a festive trail at the Queen's House, Greenwich, London, UK. Features two paintings and an image of a stocking, plus text explaining how to take part in the trail until 4 January 2026. Partial photo of a blue and white Christmas stocking with a sign bearing the number 2 and the question "Who learnt ancient and modern languages?". Part of a festive trail at the Queen's House, Greenwich, London, UK.
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Allez, on fait monter l'aïoli! 🔥 #Provençal #France #langsky #mfl
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UCU Essex @ucuessex.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
It's official: 400 redundancies and a campus closure. At-risk staff will get a letter next week. Absolutely no serious consideration of any of the union's counterproposals. Please share widely.
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
🔊 Denise Amankwah (University of Essex): 'The Languages we Keep: African Parents’ Perspectives on Heritage Language Maintenance in the UK' 📅 Thursday 04 December 2025, 12-1 pm 💻 lnkd.in/eZKHWecX #multilingualism #UK #lingsky #langsky #Africa
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Today, I receptioned (also a gallicism!) a pair of snow mittens & briefly thought of them as "muffles" (-> French "moufles")! 🤣 Am I in bilingual mode, translanguaging or just sleep-deprived? This after a morning of writing in English, whereas snow is very much in my French domain, QED mash-up! ❄️
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Cate Hamilton @cateh.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Our @education.ox.ac.uk Applied Linguistics Lunchtime Seminars continue Tues 4th Nov 13-14:00GMT with a review of the research on Arabic as an additional language by Drs @robertwoore.bsky.social and Anna-Maria Ramezanzadeh. Join us online via Teams - details: www.education.ox.ac.uk/event/review...
education.ox.ac.uk
Reviewing Research on the Teaching and Learning of Arabic as an Additional Language: Challenges, Opportunities and Implications
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Elizabeth Stokoe @lizstokoe.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
"it is striking how many of the key players we have looked into — the people who have gone out of their way to put up hundreds of flags — seem anything but ordinary." manchestermill.co.uk/the-men-who-...
manchestermill.co.uk
The men who raised the flags
Nigel Farage says this summer’s movement was led by ‘ordinary people’ expressing their patriotism. That’s not what we found
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BookTrust @booktrust.org.uk · 02/11/2025
"The discussions or reflections that books inspire can change lives for the better. I know because I’ve seen it." Author Nathanael Lessore believes fiction can play a big role in supporting positive attitudes to boyhood and masculinity. Here's how 👇 bit.ly/3JqsAug
An illustration by Tosin Akinkunmi from the front cover of What Happens Online - a boy smiling and leaning his face on his fist as he wears a gaming headset. Plus a quote from author Nathanael Lessore: "Fiction teaches empathy and creativity, and can be a powerful tool in the fight for a more positive masculinity"
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
📣 PhD studentships for UK/Home students: research interests inc. English Linguistics! At least one studentship at @mybcu.bsky.social will be dedicated to a candidate from a *Global Majority background*. Apply by 27/01/26👇🏻 www.bcu.ac.uk/research/doc... #linguistics #BAME #PhD
bcu.ac.uk
Doctoral Landscape Awards
The AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award is a major new funding scheme from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Its aim is to grow the UK’s capacity for doctoral research in the arts and humanit...
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Dr Keighley Perkins @perkinskeighley.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Most large language models today speak only a handful of the world’s 7,000+ languages. Across Africa, researchers & technologists are tackling this imbalance head-on — collecting ethically sourced, high-quality speech data & building AI that understands African languages. 🔗 tinyurl.com/3689x8bu
tinyurl.com
African languages for AI: the project that’s gathering a huge new dataset
When a language isn’t in the data, its speakers aren’t in the product – and AI cannot be safe, useful, or fair for them.
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
The Voiced festival went out with a bang of #multilingual #poetry last night! We heard extraordinary performances in Spanish, Finnish, Galician, French, German, Scots, an endangered language from the Philippines, Dutch, English & more, before joining voices on 'The silence ends', by John Farndon 👏🏻
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
"Graffiti is the language of the unheard". A great project inviting marginalised groups to dialogue with the church. Canterbury Cathedral installation, from 17 Oct. (Not sure why BBC focused on a foreign politician's diatribe) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #graffiti #church #art #Canterbury
bbc.co.uk
JD Vance slams Canterbury Cathedral art installation
The US Vice President says it has made a
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood: "If you come to this country, you must learn our language and play your part." What if they speak Welsh, Gaelic, Scots, Irish, Ulster Scots or Cornish? Migrants will need A-level standard English to work in UK - BBC News share.google/bYp1cjhiE40l... #lingsky
share.google
Migrants will need A-level standard English to work in UK - BBC News
The tougher rules will come in force in January as part of wider plans to cut immigration.
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Dr Ian McCormick @wokestudies.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Banned books staircase created by Gary M. Herd / Kraken Studios. Newport Public Library.
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Dr Keighley Perkins @perkinskeighley.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
In his new Welsh-language album Dim Probs, Gruff Rhys - frontman of Super Furry Animals - celebrates the beauty, humour, and resilience of his first language. 🔗 www.theguardian.com/music/2025/o... TLDR 👇 #langsky #linguistics #Cymraeg #Welsh #Welshlanguage
theguardian.com
Gruff Rhys: ‘Welsh is still being invented as a pop language’
The Super Furry Animals frontman is back with his ninth solo album. Before a tour of regional village halls in Wales, he talks creating songs in his first language – and why English is the best for sw...
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
🗓️ 29 October 2025: Modern Poetry in Translation at 60 | Southbank Centre. Readings and reflections on poems featured in the magazine during this turbulent period in world history, alongside new poems from Gaza. share.google/P2Tn273AkPGe... #poetry #translation #Gaza #London
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Margo Van Poucke @mlvp7.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
How great is the title of this book? My book chapter: 'Revisiting the Australian literacy wars: Authorial stance in shaping contemporary educational strategies.' Sneak peek ahead of publication. www.google.com.au/books/editio...
google.com.au
Unlearning Languages that Control the Mind
The edited collection Unlearning Languages That Control the Mind (ULCM) is to be read as a continuous multi‐voiced work on what takes place when we forget that unlearning is a part of our existence as...
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Louise Rolland @lrollandmulti.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
"the feuding families at the centre of the drama are divided in this retelling by language, with the Capulets speaking English and the Montagues Cymraeg. It means the way the lovers communicate and grow to understand each other is all the more charged." #Welsh #Cymraeg #BilingualTheatre #Langsky
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Dr Keighley Perkins @perkinskeighley.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
For the first time in history, Cymraeg (the Welsh language) will echo through Shakespeare's Globe — in a groundbreaking bilingual production of Romeo a Juliet by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. 🔗 tinyurl.com/yhw22wua TLDR 👇 #langsky #linguistics #Cymraeg #Welsh #Welshlanguage #Shakespeare
tinyurl.com
‘The language adds a whole new level’: Welsh-English version of Romeo and Juliet heads for the Globe
Bilingual production by Theatr Cymru is expected to be first time Welsh will be heard at South Bank venue
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International Association for the Study of Child Language @iasclchildlang.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
In the latest Child Lang. Bulletin, we introduced IASCL's Repository of Research Papers on Underrepresented Languages, a resource designed for easy access and sharing of research on the acquisition of children learning underrepresented languages. Read more here: www.childlanguage.org/underreprese...
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