Teaching Heritage Languages: Building Bridges Across Generations

Language: English

Is perfect bilingualism achievable when one language is spoken primarily at home and lacks sufficient input from the broader social environment? This talk explores the complexities of teaching heritage languages, focusing on both children and adults.

We’ll examine the phenomenon of “fossilization” in heritage speakers—why certain grammar features remain underdeveloped, how dominant vocabulary from early childhood persists into adulthood, and the role of code-switching when the heritage language differs from the dominant one.

Additionally, we’ll discuss the role of parents in heritage language acquisition, the challenges faced by learners due to the lack of formal education in their heritage language, and the impact of reduced interest or motivation when (re)learning it.

Drawing on real-life experiences teaching Macedonian to heritage speakers, I’ll share key findings, unique challenges, and perspectives for both teachers and learners. This session is for parents, educators, heritage speakers, and anyone interested in the journey of heritage language learners. Join us to discover how we can support the preservation and development of heritage languages across generations!

Andrijana Smiljkovska

Andrijana is passionate about researching heritage languages and bilingualism. Holding an MA in Applied Languages, she founded Macedonian Language Corner, where she teaches Macedonian and offers resources to a diverse audience. Her academic focus includes the acquisition of heritage languages, bilingualism, and the unique challenges encountered by heritage speakers.

macedonianlanguagecorner.com

Polski jest łatwy! Podstawowy polski w 30 minut

Language: Polish

Polish is easy! Let's learn together basic Polish phrases in 30 minutes in a fun and interactive way. After this course, you will know the most common greetings, you will be able to present yourself and have a short conversation with a Pole. And you will certainly feel encouraged to continue to learn the Polish language!

Anna Mathieu

I'm Anna, a Polish polyglot and a teacher of Polish as a foreign language. A few years ago I started my project "Płynnie po polsku - Speak Polish Fluently" on YouTube and since then I helped thousands of foreigners to learn Polish and to feel confident in speaking this language.

YouTubeInstagramplynniepopolsku.pl

Turkish Series as Tools for Language Learning

Language: English

Turkish series and films have constituted a remarkable increase in attention over the past years by intriguing audiences not only within Türkiye but also around the globe. One of the most prominent aspects of Turkish series is their captivating plot. Shows such as Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century) and Diriliş: Ertuğrul have attracted international viewers because of their narratives, rich historical scenes, and characters. As viewers immerse themselves in these Turkish produced series, they become exposed to the Turkish language, hearing authentic dialogue and colloquial expressions in context. In this workshop we are going to explore the methods to learn the Turkish language through entertaining immersion in these rich series and films. We are going to endeavor to comprehend how these series acquaint foreigners with daily expressions of commoners in Türkiye and how they are utilized during natural speech. At the end, we will try to use some words and idioms in sentences while also connecting them to their context and gaining interesting facts about them. We will experience the interconnectedness between other languages and Turkish in an attempt to realize the cultural interactions of Turks! Get ready to take a profound look at Turkey and its culture!

Bahri Çağrı Toygar

Bahri Çağrı Toygar is a high school student at The Koç School in İstanbul, Turkey. Being intrigued by language learning methods and linguistics, he has endeavored to learn a plethora of languages by himself such as German, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Hebrew and Japanese! He is deeply interested in the way that distinct cultures express themselves through colloquial diction and how the cultural differences affect linguistics aspects such as grammar and idioms. He also bears a special interest in the way that foreigners learn the Turkish language.

Reviving Eroding Voices: How Technology is saving Endangered Indian Languages

Language: English

Artificial Intelligence lends a new lease of life to endangered languages and helps preserve them for future generations. It provides access to digital services such as translation applications in Indian languages, creating hope in humans against language loss and safeguarding precious linguistic riches. The present talk sheds light on the impact of artificial intelligence in bringing out digital services in Indian languages to reduce language loss. The work employs a qualitative methodology framework focusing on a survey method to determine the types of technological tools used for translation. And their usage in creating open-source datasets in local languages and finding how vulnerable languages can be stored and used for future generations through content creation. Further, it aims to showcase the influence of technological giants like Google Translate, Bhashini, Anuvadini and other applications that support Indian linguistic diversity and lead to the preservation of diversity by creating linguistic storehouses. In sum, the talk showcases the positive side of AI-driven translation applications that can influence the survival of vulnerable languages, leading to a diverse digital ecosystem.

Dr Devina Krishna

Dr. Devina Krishna works as an Assistant Professor at the Department of English, Patna Women’s College, India. She earned her PhD in Linguistics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, specializing in Phonetics and Phonology. Her main research interests revolve around phonetics, phonology, and language documentation. She presented her research on Lexical tones in Western Indo-Aryan languages at South Asian Language Analysis Roundtable-35 at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), in Paris, France. She has been a frequent guest speaker at various international symposiums and language festivals. She is the editorial board member of Vivid: Journal of Language and Literature, an international peer-reviewed journal published by English Department of Andalas University, Indonesia. She is also the editorial board member of Jurnal Arbitrer, an international Scopus Indexed journal published by Universitas Andalas, Indonesia. She has been associated with the research methodology teaching programme at institutions in abroad she has been affiliated with. The broad goal of her research is to uncover, analyse and preserve comprehensive linguistic data in prosody from speech communities within the Indian sub-continent.

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Agglutination and Verb Tenses of Malayalam

Language: English

This session breaks down Malayalam’s agglutinative structure and verb tense system, highlighting how words and meanings are built. Through interactive examples, participants will explore the mechanics of this Dravidian language and gain insights into its linguistic patterns. It's a perfect session for those curious about grammar and structure.

Eliza Keyton

After leaving her small town in Georgia, USA to teach elementary school in South Korea, Eliza fell in love with the challenges and thrills of language education, culture, and travel. Since 2009, she has worked across Korea, UAE, Vietnam, India, and the US, studied educational management, language acquisition, and instructional design, and embraced local languages and cultural nuances. While in UAE, she met her Malayalee husband, which encouraged her to start her journey as Elikutty, creating Malayalam learning resources.

elikutty.com

Conversational Latin

Language: Latin, English

At this workshop you will learn that even a “dead” language can have a conversational side! You will learn the basic Latin expressions for conversing with friends and family, for getting around the city, and for expressing your philosophical convictions! We will also look at where modern Romance words come from and find out what some seemingly scientific words like focus or lens really mean, all while using Latin, body languages, and some pictures!

This workshop is suited for beginners, or people interested in Latin who already know one or multiple Romance languages, as having the basic vocabulary will be a great help in learning the Latin words.

Ian Aleshkevich-Suslov

A polymath with a degree in chemistry, and a high-school chemistry teacher. Interests include the philosophy of science, language-learning, theology, sustainable development, and video games. Has studied mostly Indo-European languages, with a focus on Slavic and Germanic, also a few Romance languages, ancient Indo-European languages, as well as Japanese, Hungarian, and Biblical Hebrew.

Історична фонетика – простий шлях до словʼянських мов

Сучасні словʼянські мови дуже схожі та водночас дуже різні. Носії мов однієї гілки без зусиль розуміють один одного, але коли доходить до більш «далекого» родича, то процес помітно ускладнюється. Здається, що далі доведеться просто зубрити слова…

Однак вивчивши лише декілька простих і закономірних фонетичних змін, які відбулися з часів прасловʼянської мови, можна «розблокувати» цілий пласт лексики в будь-якій словʼянській мові, яку ви бажаєте опанувати. Незнайоме виявиться чимось прекрасно знайомим, але трохи затертим і замаскованим.

Історична фонетика стане тим самим ключем, якого вам могло не вистачати, щоб вивчити польську, сербську або іншу сучасну словʼянську мову. Крім цього, таке лінгвістичне занурення допоможе краще зрозуміти і своє. Своє рідне.

Illia Hryhorenko

Illia is a language and linguistics enthusiast, who studies international economic relations and English-Ukrainian professional translation at the first university and Arabic philology at the second one. Currently learning Serbo-Croatian and diving into South Slavic languages. Teaches German for beginners in his free time.

Basque through lyrics, easy and fun!

Language: Multilingual

Learning song lyrics is the easiest and most fun way to learn a language! Plus, I'll give you a certificate of aptitude to sing in a future karaoke at the gathering! Basque is easy!

Iñaki DPB

Musician, actor and performer. Teacher and museum guide in San Sebastian. Content creator talking about art and culture. And yes, he likes playing with the audience!

artdpb.com

Quechua: The Andes Language in the Modern World

“Quechua: The Andes Language in the Modern World” looks at the history and importance of the Quechua language, spoken by millions of people in the Andes of South America. It shows how Quechua has survived for hundreds of years, from the Inca Empire to today. The talk also discusses the challenges Quechua faces, such as the impact of globalization and the risk of the language fading away. At the same time, it celebrates the efforts to protect and revive Quechua. Through stories and examples, the talk emphasizes why it's important to keep this ancient language alive for future generations.

Joel Meza Baca

Joel is a computer programmer and a language learning enthusiast. His native languages are Spanish and Quechua, and he has become fluent in English. Joel is also learning Portuguese and German, continually expanding his linguistic abilities. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, combining his love for physical activity with his dedication to personal growth.

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A journey of scientific writing in social science using foreign languages (French and Chinese)

Language: English, French

You are a student and you would like to write academic essays or scientific articles? How to progress and to be able to learn quickly the necessary specialized vocabulary when you are not already totally fluent in a foreign language? By reflecting on communication competence and norms, I will share with you my own journey of a PhD student in China then as a lecturer who trained foreign students in French scientific writing and will make you do some exercises online.

Mylene Hardy

Mylene Hardy is an associate professor and the director of the Intercultural Communication Dept at Inalco, the French national institute for oriental languages. A former teacher of French language and a former public diplomat in education and language cooperation, she did her PhD partly in P.R. China as a French student, in Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management where she had to acquire scientific vocabulary and norms very quickly in Chinese language. She now conducts research on communication competence in diverse settings.

inalco.fr

Линкедин: мој омиљени уџбеник за учење српског! (LinkedIn: my favourite textbook for learning Serbian)

Language: Serbian with slides in English

Много од нас је зависно од својих смартфона и друштвених мрежа... Зашто не морамо изкористити своју зависност за убијене не само две муве једном ударцем, већ и ТРИ муве: (1) читаемо садржај, који је релевантан за наше каријере; (2) упознајемо нових људи и проширујемо своје мреже контаката и (3) учимо нови језик, на пример СРПСКИ! У овој презентацији желим да причам о својим искуствима на Линкедин. Друштвени мреже су идеални уџбеници, јер (а) пружају нам кратке текстове, који можемо да читамо када имамо слободан тренутак у току дана, на пример чекајући аутобус. Или можемо написати кратке текстове. Укратко, су идеалне за редовно вежбање (б) кратке текстове су повезани са нашим пословним интересовањама, зато садржај је занимљив (в) Линкедин је интерактивна: можемо да упознајемо изворних и неизворних говорника и иницирати дијалог са нима. Ја ћу говорити српски (са слајдима на енглеском) са многим грешкама, јер обожавам да причам овај језик! Много боље причати о учењу српског на српском!

Timothy Douglas

Timothy Douglas is passionate about using a scientific career to learn languages and learning languages to benefit his scientific career. He works as a university researcher in Biomedical Engineering in the United Kingdom: he is British and speaks German, Dutch, Russian and Polish in his work. He is addicted to language learning, but if there’s a cure, he doesn’t want it! He particularly enjoys the Slavic languages, like Serbian, not least because the people react so positively when you speak their language, and using social media to learn languages regularly and interactively.

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The Language Matrix Method

Language: English

I will talk about the Language Matrix Method, which I have developed over 15 years as a military linguist and language teacher to the Army, Navy, Air Force, FBI and NATO. The method is inspire by fractal geometry and allows a complete beginner to generate conversation instantly in any language.

Tony Marsh

Tony Marsh is a former Arabic Cryptologic Linguist for the US Air Forcer and creator of the Language Matrix method which he uses to teach the Army, Navy, Air Force, FBI, and NATO.

Habla como mexicano! – 10 expresiones coloquiales que te harán sonar como mexicano

Language: Spanish

Lo que la mayoría de los cursos de idiomas no te enseñan y lo que es lo más difícil de aprender si no vives en el país del idioma es el lenguaje coloquial. Ven a esta clase para aprender 10 expresiones coloquiales muy mexicanas para enteneder mejor a tus amigos mexicanos, las películas mexicanas y la cultura mexicana.

Tímea Judit Varga

Tímea Judit Varga is a dedicated language teacher and an enthusiastic language learner. She speaks seven languages and always wants more. She is a young Hungarian woman living in Mexico. In the mornings she teaches English to kids at school, and in the afternoons she teaches Mexican Spanish to foreigners living in Mexico.

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