Fascinating insights from Thomas Mayo about childhood, the Torres Strait, the referendum and what’s next for Indigenous policy.

Here we go again apnews.com/article/trum...

Terrific to talk to and develop projects with Myanmar educators this week, always cheerful and committed despite the very difficult conditions they face. I find it a privilege to work with them.

“The organisations on strike are collectively calling for a new funding model for Foras na Gaeilge and for the organisation to reverse the cuts if it receives additional funding from the governments.” www.bbc.com/news/article...

“…the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history…”. Art 30 protects children minority or Indigenous children, to practice their religion, use their language. The convention built momentum & change for years, but now needs boosting. www.unicef.org/child-rights...

This is so disappointing but not very surprising. Such a pity that basic electoral and democratic literacy is so poorly appreciated. “Australian students record worst ever civics result with 72 per cent not understanding the basics of democracy” www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02...

Meet ‘Solar’ Soe Win, moonlighting as spruiker of photo-voltaic cells, day job number 2 in a brutal military murderous junta. www.irrawaddy.com/specials/jun...

Finally it’s here. Our book is titled ‘Language Politics in Tunisia: A Study of Language Ideological Debates’, and my co-author is Dr Fethi Helal. Till the end of February you can get a 60% discount with the code LPT60 on the MM website: bit.ly/4aT6ycU lnkd.in/gsNr8zJG

The ‘scale of the misconduct is staggering’. It sure is, plus outrageous and predictable (and predicted by many of us). amp.abc.net.au/article/1049...

Disgust is one of the first words they’ve deciphered. Can’t wait to find out more. www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-02...

Are whales talking? Hmm, 'language-like' and 'language' are not the same thing, as the clarifying Dr Allen explains. amp.abc.net.au/article/1048...

Donald Trump Jr shoots a protected Venetian duck. www.repubblica.it/politica/202...

NB

In all spheres but in international politics specialised professional interpreting and translating are indispensable to being serious and yet our national effort in language teaching continues to erode.

On the 4th anniversary of the violent overthrow of the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, this Statement on Myanmar by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs. www.dfat.gov.au/news/media-r...

Welcome to the blue skies AAH

Hey everybody, Kristof has very helpfully extracted a few highlights from his terrific new book.

“This discovery changes what we thought we knew about babies’ early language learning. It suggests babies start figuring out patterns at four months, well before they begin perceptually attuning to the sounds of their native language between six and 12 months.” theconversation.com/babies-as-yo...

Coming up tomorrow. I’ll be hosting this seminar on the role of writers and writing in the Myanmar conflict, featuring Ma Thida and Michelle Aung Thin, please read their remarkable bios and stories in the attachment, and join if you can.

Saya harap Anda menikmati membaca laporan ini. It’s great to see the publication of the research by ACOLA and AAH on Mapping Australia’s Indonesia Research Capability. Below pls find the two-page summary for those with limited time, and the full report. www.linkedin.com/posts/joseph...

The splendid cover of our book is a painting by Habib Bouhawel depicting meetings of the Jama’at taht al-sur literary group at the Below the Ramparts Cafe, in which key figures of Tunisia’s literary and cultural elite debate independence.

It’s out! Ten years of long distance collaboration, much respect to my co-author & friend Fethi and all who collaborated. We feel the book makes a contribution to language policy (theory, critique and method), to language rights and problem-solving. www.bibdsl.co.uk/bds-images/l...

All welcome: seminar on activist literature & writers in Myanmar conflict. It will be my honour to host Ma Thida & Michelle Aung Thin who will discuss the ongoing conflict, prospects for success of the revolution & solidarity we can offer democratic forces & democratic culture of civil society.

Latest ABC feature on bilingual homes and challenges/support for raising children bilinguals. Keep it up ABC. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...

Trump making parliamentary Danes smile. x.com/thefl0orisla...

Join us on January 22 for this important discussion on the role of writers and writing in the Myanmar conflict, featuring Ma Thida and Michelle Aung Thin, please read their remarkable bios and stories in the attachment. www.linkedin.com/posts/joseph...

Here’s the link to the Special issue of the Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 47:3 (2024): Decolonizing or recolonizing? AI through the eyes of applied linguists, language teachers, and language learners. benjamins.com/catalog/aral...

ARAL Special Issue: "Decolonizing or recolonizing? AI through the eyes of applied linguists, language teachers and language learners", eds Dobinson, Chen & Steele, Curtin U, perspectives and research on AI affordances and threats in lang learning/teaching. Find out more: 🔗 Find out more:

Funding for Asia Pacific professionals to attend Oct 2025 activity in Melbourne on combattibg gender based violence. Pls read eligibility etc carefully. x.com/josephlobian...

World Endangered Writing Day coming up, 23 January.

HNY

“…once formidable Myanmar military is cracking from within - riddled with spies secretly working for the pro-democracy rebels”, report and data set worth close study www.bbc.com/news/article...

Crossing boundaries w language laws and territory www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

Vale Bill Labov, few scholars will ever have his impact and originality

Congratulations to Dr Susanne Stanyer, 2024 winner of the Penny McKay Award  (PhD UNSW) Teacher assessment literacy: The relationship between language awareness and writing assessment behaviour.

Who said: My battery is low and it's getting dark?

Important to note that Malaysia’s Federal Court was called on adjudicate on the legality of MT education recently. In Feb 2024 it ruled in support of vernacular schools, effectively endorsing the constitutional right to mother tongue education and Malaysia’s multi-stream education system.

It’s out. MLE in SE Asia. Congratulations Dr Helen Ting Mu Hung, Dong Zong, and all contributors: Cambodia, Philippines, S Thailand, Sabah, Sarawak, Orang Asli + Chinese, Malay, English issues in peninsular Malaysia. Recommend this book.

End 2024 looms, pls check out our Springer LP books. Terry Wiley (co-editor) and I are steering several new volumes thru the pipeline, widening research, author backgrounds/interests, critical concepts and analysis.

It’s OECD survey release time. The Survey of Adult Skills (part of the PIAAC), measures literacy proficiency + numeracy and problem solving among adults (2nd Cycle 31 countries 2022-2023 results Dec 2024), lots of countries will be and should be concerned. www.oecd.org/en/about/pro...

"I'm 37 years old and I don't speak a word of my language," he read. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12...

The amazing Julie Choi has just written a book about Kimchi, and it’s amazing (the book, kimchi and Julie are all amazing), here we are at Footscray Language in Community Festival (VietSpeak), which is great.

The postie just delivered the fruit of over 2 years effort, always a pleasure when the published volume turns up: and this is more substantial than it seemed when we conceived the book, requested the contributions, reviewed and revised the chapters. Thanks so much Elizabeth, Mark and authors.

The word cuts doesn’t come close to describing this slash and burn, solidarity to NZ/Aotearoa colleagues and an ominous signal to us. 😢 www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Thanks Sophie Loy-Wilson, Adrian Vickers & Giorgia Alù for inviting me to launch Australian Historical Studies issue & project Australia’s Multilingual Archive, here at Sydney University. Impressive & important, archive enriches history studies w non-English sources. omaa-arts.sydney.edu.au

“…reasonable grounds to believe…Min Aung Hlaing… bears criminal responsibility for the …deportation and persecution of the Rohingya….This is the first application for an arrest warrant against a high-level Myanmar government official….More will follow.” www.icc-cpi.int/news/stateme...

Sirajul is citing my praise of his poetry, grateful to promote it again; it’s inspirational work but asks for more effort to end the dictatorship, defend innocent civilians/minorities, end persecution of Rohingya,extend civil rights to all, release political prisoners. x.com/ro_sirajul/s...

Redoubled efforts needed to support return of democracy in #Myanmar and end military impunity, as junta continues its brutal violence against its people. Met w National Unity Government (NUG) delegates & other pro-democracy reps past days, great to see ethnic and lang rights high up in NUG policy.

Announcing the Linguapax Award for 2024, ‘for actions on behalf of linguistic diversity’, pls study the eligibility and processes (who can nominate/who can be nominated), and send documentation to [email protected] by Feb 21, 2025. More information at Linguapax Award Terms of Reference.

After years of solid work on Greek language education we took the big step of incorporating the Pharos Alliance, pictured here at our first meeting. Honoured to be asked to serve as president. 1 Dec at La Trobe Univ is our first national symposium, join us there or online.