Experts to gather at Âé¶čAV to discuss the future of language planning

Experts are set to gather at Âé¶čAV on Friday, 8th March for a one-day symposium on the future of language planning.

‘Beyond the Classroom: the future of Language Planning’ comes in the wake of the 2011 Census results, which reveal a decline in the number of Welsh speakers over the past decade.

Professor Stephen May of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, is one of several experts who will be presenting at this topical event, which will bring together language policy and planning practitioners and professionals from related fields throughout the world.

Professor May, Deputy Dean of Research at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education, will join Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner Gwenith Price; Professor Rob Dunbar of the University of the Highlands and Island, Scotland; and Meirion Prys Jones from the Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity in delivering presentations at the symposium, organised by Âé¶čAV’s School of Social Sciences in association with the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

The School of Social Sciences has already established itself as a major figure in the field thanks to its innovative Masters programme in Language Policy and Planning, which is designed to train students to implement successful systems of language planning in the workplace, community and family. Staff at the School are also making crucial contributions to research and building networks with universities and minority language organisations in the Basque country of northern Spain.

“It is a pleasure to welcome some of the world’s leading Language Planning academics and practitioners to Âé¶čAV with the support of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol”, said Dr Rhian Hodges, Director of the MA in Language Policy and Planning, Âé¶čAV and Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. “The symposium’s theme will be the use of language beyond the education system – a very timely subject in light of the disappointing results of the 2011 Census. This is a golden opportunity to evaluate and measure the value of Wales’s present Language Planning strategies whilst discussing crucial future developments.”

The symposium will be held at the University’s Neuadd Reichel on Ffriddoedd Road, Bangor, between 9.30am and 4.00pm on Friday, 8th March 2013. To register, please email meinir.llwyd@bangor.ac.uk by Friday, 1st March. The event is free of charge to attend and translation facilities will be provided.

Publication date: 20 February 2013