Editorial

 

Models and realities for the Linguistic Policy

Elvira Riera Secretariat for Language Policy

The publishing company introduces the articles|items of number 45 and the importance of the models theoretical and of the studies proposes that they near us to the reality.

 

 

Models

 

In support of a language policy for young people

Albert Bastardas i Boada University of Barcelona
Ignasi Genovés Secretariat for Language Policy
Joan Solé Camardons Secretariat for Language Policy

This article sums up the main conclusions and recommendations of the document drawn up from the Language and Young People conference chaired by Albert Bastardas, which was presented to and approved by the Plenary of the Social Council for Language on 24 March 2009.

 

Language assessment in the 21st century: new perspectives, new challenges

Berta Fortiana i Colomer Secretariat for Language Policy
Núria Jornet i Saló Secretariat for Language Policy
Blanca Pi Leoz Secretariat for Language Policy
Laura Puigdomènech i Farell Secretariat for Language Policy
Anna Sánchez Aurtenetxea Secretariat for Language Policy

This text offers an overview of the context of language assessment in Europe in the framework of the Council of Europe’s language policies and examiners’ associations, and the impact they have on certifying knowledge of the Catalan language.

 

 

Experiences

 

On the First Seminar on Computational Processing of Catalan

Gemma Boleda Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Montse Cuadros Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Cristina España-Bonet Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Maite Melero Pompeu Fabra University
Lluís Padró Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Martí Quixal Pompeu Fabra University
Carlos Rodríguez Pompeu Fabra University

This article sums up the Seminar on Computational Processing of Catalan. It describes the objectives and sets forth an overview of processing in terms of resources, research and the profile of participants, setting out the main discussion threads of the debate that took place and extracting conclusions from it.

 

Ni fàcil, ni difícil: the educational uses of intercultural education

Sílvia Romero-Galera Consortium for Language Normalisation
Daniel Lagartofernández Somni del Mico Productions

Based on the docu-drama Ni fàcil, ni difícil, directed by Daniel Lagartofernández and Marian Piper, a flexible, intercultural educational activity has been developed, NFND, that can be used in different educational fields. The article describes the NFND activity and gives examples of the educational use it has been put to in secondary schools and the organisations that have used it in the process of intercultural education. It also proposes uses in adult education, specifically in the Catalan courses given by the Consortium for Language Normalisation, adult education classes and official language schools.

 

From Donetsk (Ukraine) to Vilanova i la Geltrú (Catalonia). Understanding the Catalan language and culture in the context of training in the hotel industry

Queti Vinyals Consortium for Language Normalisation
Biel Senabre Consortium for Language Normalisation
Ignasi Massaguer Ramon Llull Institute

This article describes a social, cultural and language training project aimed at hotel staff that took place in 2008 and involved 17 students from the Ukraine who were training to work in the hotel industry. Part of the training took place in the Ukraine and part in Vilanova i la Geltrú.

 

 

 

Instruments

 

There’s definitely a CUB in ESLUB. New technologies for language assessment

Xavier Albons University of Barcelona
Àngels Egea University of Barcelona
Anna Grau University of Barcelona
Marta Juncadella University of Barcelona

In this article, the Language Services (SL) department of the University of Barcelona presents the products they have developed, which are available on their website of language resources (www.ub.edu/sl/rl). These resources have various different functions relating to language assessment (solving queries, helping with correction, verifying texts, searching for information, etc.) and share the common denominator of being completely open-use and interconnected between themselves and other resources that are also accessible to the network.

 

 

Towards an e-SLT: incorporating ICT in university language departments

Marta de Blas Polytechnic University of Catalonia
Jordi Pujol Polytechnic University of Catalonia

This article covers the evolution that has taken place in the last few years in the Department of Languages and Terminology of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia as a result of information and communication technologies. It outlines the challenges faced by the department and the products it has developed, which have involved significant changes in the way it works.

 

 

ICT in Parla.cat (II): technology platform and communication tools

Montserrat Montagut Montagut Secretariat for Language Policy

While the previous article described the characteristics of the Moodle platform on which the whole teaching and learning environment of Parla.cat is built, as well as the different actions and amendments that needed to be implemented to address the planned objectives and the needs identified by the institutions responsible for the project, this second part is geared towards communication tools in the learning environment with the aim of explaining their functionalities and educational use in the most detailed possible way.

 

 

Research

 

Languages in Catalonia: results of the 2008 survey on language use by the population

Secretariat for Language Policy

This article presents the results of the 2008 survey on language use, which is the second edition of the official statistics on the use made by people living in Catalonia of the different languages spoken in the region. In this second survey, 7,140 people aged over 15 were interviewed.

 

Language use in service companies in Catalonia, 2004-2007

Òscar Prieto Association of Political Scientists and Sociologists of Catalonia
Jordi Pujol Association of Political Scientists and Sociologists of Catalonia
Joan Solé Camardons Secretariat for Language Policy
Anna Torrijos Secretariat for Language Policy

This article is based on a specific analysis of the Survey on Language Use in Companies 2004-2007 to identify the language usage and strategies of service companies in Catalonia.

 

Language use in the Justice Administration, 2008

Josep M. Codinach ICC Consultors Culturals SL
Ignasi Genovès Secretariat for Language Policy

This text outlines the main results of the Survey on Language Use in the Justice Administration in Catalonia 2008, instigated by the Secretariat for Language Policy and the Department of Justice of the Generalitat de Catalonia.

 

 

Reviews

 

Grup Flaix. Diccionari del català col·loquial: dubtes davant del micròfon

Òscar Blades University of Barcelona

 

Neus Arnan, Jordi Bosch, Carles Palau, Marina Sagarra, David Vila. De la consciència a la conducta

Joan Solé Camardons Secretariat for Language Policy

 

Joan Lluís Marfany. Llengua, nació i diglòssia

Albert Fabà Consortium for Language Normalisation