LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Survey of 'non-specialist' language learners

LLAS with support from UCML are carrying out a survey on the motivations of 'non-specialists' studying languages in UK higher education and the languages and types of study on offer. The survey has been funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

PG certificate in teaching languages of the wider world

From October 2009 (SOAS) the School of Oriental and African Studies in association with the Languages of the Wider World CETL will be running a new Postgraduate Certificate in teaching languages of the wider world.

Call for papers - special issue of Language Learning Journal

Papers are invited for a forthcoming special issue of the Language Learning Journal, the official journal of the Association for Language Learning (ALL), on Languages of the Wider World: Valuing Diversity.

The ALCS Prize for Low Countries Studies
The Association for Low Countries Studies in Great Britain and Ireland invites entries for the ALCS Prize for Low Countries Studies, to be awarded to the best essay written in any area of Low Countries Studies (linguistics, literature, cultural studies, history, art history, politics, etc.).

Archived February 2003 ebulletin

The monthly Subject Centre e-bulletin gives information on events, news items and newly available resources.

Archived December 2002 ebulletin

The monthly Subject Centre e-bulletin gives information on events, news items and newly available resources.

Invitation to bid for funding for Less Widely Used and Less Taught (LWULT) languages

Download further information including project proposal form (rtf)

Invitation to bid for funding for Less Widely Used and Less Taught (LWULT) languages
Call for project proposals - deadline for submissions Friday, 31 January 2003

Languages for the 21st century: training, impact and influence
Event date: 1 September, 2010 - 2 September, 2010
Location: The Edge, University of Sheffield

New directions: how languages promote research and internationalisation in higher education
Event date: 23 April, 2010
Location: University of Glasgow - Gilmorehill G12 cinema - 9 University Avenue - G12 8QQ

Teaching Less Widely Used and Less Taught Languages (LWULT)
Event date: 1 June, 2009
Location: CILT, the National Centre for Languages, London

Language diversity in Scottish universities: practical strategies to support teaching and learning
Event date: 20 February, 2009
Location: Western Infirmary Seminar Rooms, Dumbarton Road, University of Glasgow, G11 6NT

Languages of the wider world: valuing diversity
Event date: 15 September, 2008 - 16 September, 2008
Location: School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London

Open meeting on less widely taught languages: projects and resources for teaching and learning
Event date: 15 January, 2008
Location: University of London, Senate House, Room N336

Less widely taught languages in the UK (20 June 07)
Event date: 20 June, 2007
Location: School of Modern Languages, University of Wales Bangor

Less Widely Used and Lesser Taught Languages (11 May 05)
Event date: 11 May, 2005
Location: CILT, London

Extending good practice in LWULT languages (20 Feb 2004)
Event date: 20 February, 2004
Location: CILT, London

Extending good practice in less widely used and less taught (LWULT) languages
Event date: 1 November, 2002
Location: CILT, London

Turkish for self study
Turkish for Self-Study, developed by Şenel Şimşek at the Turkish Studies of Oxford University, is a set of online tools and resources to assist learners of Turkish to improve their language skills and to learn more about Turkish culture, politics, literature and society. The main tools available are: a photo dictionary with high quality pictures for learning vocabulary (flash card like); a collection of adventure stories ranging from 'An adventurous journey into Turkish mystic music' for beginners to 'Nationalism in Turkey' on advanced level; and a variety of language games like image scramble or crosswords with particular themes (e.g. colours, fruits, clock times). Learners can test their progress in various quizzes and sentence jumble and word gap exercises which also allow them to improve any gaps in their knowledge. This website is also a useful resource for teachers of the language. A collection of cartoons by the Turkish caricaturist Piyale Madra for use in class and a directory of useful web resources for learners and teachers of Turkish are also available.

Bulgarian: Materials for an on-line course
The aim of the project was to produce materials that can serve to teach Bulgarian to students who have some knowledge of Russian. The materials are not intended to be used entirely for self-study, but rather as a source of auxiliary practice to support classroom work. The materials have been chosen as a sample of what could be offered in different study areas, eg general Bulgarian culture (with links to articles on leading Bulgarian writers, composers and painters, as well as to an extract from a short story), newspaper extracts on contemporary events and historical topics. The materials were compiled with the following groups of students in mind: (1) those studying Bulgarian as part of a degree course; the reading materials would supplement other classes where the skills of speaking, listening and writing would be developed; (2) those wishing to acquire a reading knowledge of Bulgarian as part of a social science undergraduate or postgraduate course; (3) evening class students, who could use the materials independently, as a back-up to work done in class.

Danish: Speak Danish website
An online Danish language learning site for beginners. This free interactive course includes lessons in pronunciation, grammar and common phrases.

The Languages of the Wider World CETL
The Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), Languages of the Wider World (LWW) is hosted jointly by the School for African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) and University College London (UCL). Funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), it was set up in 2005 and is one of only two CETLs in the UK devoted to language learning and teaching and learning.

Case study: The Cultural Twist Project: a language learning framework with cultural awareness activities

The Cultural Twist Project attempted to offer solutions to the problems of 'Less Widely Used Lesser Taught Language (LWULT)' teachers (i.e. academic isolation, lack of expertise and materials) by providing a Cultural Awareness Materials Development Workshop and the Cultural Twist Website. The workshop provided the participants with cultural experience and helped them discover for themselves their implicit assumptions and sense of values that underlie their language use. Using the evaluation criteria and materials development framework, teachers were guided to produce their own language teaching materials with cultural awareness elements in them. The website was designed to offer all the necessary tools, sample materials, and useful links.

An introduction to South Asian Studies in the United Kingdom
The efflorescence of South Asian Studies in Higher Education is evident in the range and number of taught and research degrees, the number of language courses, and the popularity of South Asian options within other courses that are offered by Colleges and Universities in the United Kingdom. This article gives an overview of the range of options available to a student at the undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree level, lists the major centres of teaching and research on South Asian Studies, indicates the range of resources available for research and highlights the principal networks of academic exchange and research in the United Kingdom and the world.

Promoting less-widely-taught languages. The outreach experience of the Foreign Language Awareness Group for Schools (FLAGS)

In the current downward trend in the uptake of languages, and especially of less-widely-taught languages, FLAGS aims at enthusing sixth-formers with an interest in either Italian, Russian and / or Portuguese through a series of language sessions delivered through the Virtual Learning Environment WebCT. Pupils' progress is aided and monitored by University students, who act as language facilitators on a weekly basis. This paper assesses the outcomes at the end of the first year of FLAGS' life, as well as the challenges met during the project's setting-up period and throughout its duration.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Extending good practice in less widely used less taught (LWULT) languages