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Announcement
Topic.
European Languages and Asian
Nations: History, Politics, Possibilities
Goal.
European languages have played a key role in the modernization process
in Asia. While European languages have served as an instrument of
colonialist rule, they have also been welcomed as tools for the introduction
of modern technologies and ideas from the West. Now, several centuries
after the process began, a number of European languages have taken root
in Asian countries, while other languages have largely lost their former
leading positions. European languages have thus become part of Asian
history and an integral part of the Asian present.
The symposium will explore the historical and contemporary role and future
perspectives of European languages in Asia. It will also raise the question
of whether it is possible to formulate an international language policy
that is uniquely Asian, given the firm establishment of European languages,
or whether each Asian country should simply go its own way. As far
as language policy is concerned, are the words “Western” and “global”
mere synonyms, or do the Asian languages have a role in international language
policy and does globalization have its uniquely Asian aspects?
Questions to be addressed include
the following:
- How have European languages influenced, and how do they continue
to influence, communication in Asia? What aspects of life are most
dependent on them; what aspects make most use of Asian languages?
- What are the consequences for Asians and Asian societies of the
present language system, in which European and Asian languages divide between
them various functions (communication, culture, identity, policy)?
- Do European languages contribute only to globalization, or also
to development of national and regional identities? How do they influence
cultural development?
- Who are the owners of these European languages? To what extent
have the peoples of Asia made these languages their own?
- Can one point to an increase in the international (regional or worldwide)
significance of any Asian languages?
- What is the future of the English language in Asia? What role
does it play in the various individual countries? What factors will
influence its further expansion and integration?
- What other European languages have a significant role in Asia?
- What principles should guide realistic national or international
language policy in Asia?
- What place should European and Asian languages occupy in the education
system?
- Are language-policy models elsewhere in the world applicable to
Asia ? for example European multilingualism, Swiss plurilingualism, Canadian
bilingualism?
Program. (PDF)
The program will consist of lectures by invited lecturers, presentation of formal papers by other invitees, and general debate and discussion.
Abstracts.
More about speakers and abstracts you find
here.
Sub-topics.
2 August (9:30-17:30)
1.
Opening session
2. Keynote session: Problems and Challenges of Language Policy in Asia
3. Panel
Session 1: The role of European Languages in Modern Asia
3 August
(9:30-17:30)
4. Panel Session 2: English in Asia ? indigenization and objections
5. Panel Discussion 4: Identity, linguistic rights and transnationalism in
Asia
Materials of the
Keynote Session
Richard Baldauf
Jr.
Tove Skutnabb-Kangas PDF
Paper Presentations:
Hugo Cardoso (Univ. of Amsterdam) PDF
What do you mean, 'European'? The challenge
of high-contact varieties for linguistic taxonomy
Sergey ANIKEEV (Far Eastern State University, Hakodate branch)
(Esp)
"Russian Culture and Japanese Society:
The Russian Language in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century"
Marek KOSCIELECKI (Open University of Hong Kong) (Eng) PDF
“Cultivation of Foreign
Language Education in the Japanese Cultural Context”
Meeting location.
The Symposium will take place in the international conference room (2-1702) of Sophia University, Tokyo.
Access： http://www.sophia.ac.jp/E/E_universityinfo.nsf/Content/railway
Languages.
Interpretation will be available in Japanese, English and Esperanto. Lecturers and presenters are asked to provide written texts in advance, where appropriate.
Accommodation.
Hotels near SophiaUniversity include:
Hotel New Shohei http://www.shoheikan.co.jp/index5.htm
Tokyo GreenPalace http://www.tokyogp.com/english/index.html
Tokyu Yotsuya Stay http://www.tokyustay.co.jp/e/index.html
Organizers.
The Center for Research and Documentation on World Language Problems (CED)
and the European Institute of Sophia University will be responsible for
organizing the symposium, in cooperation with the Japanese Esperanto Institute
http://www.jei.or.jp/ and Simul International, Inc. http://www.simul.co.jp
CED supports research, teaching and publication on international language issues and publishes the scholarly journal Language Problems and Language Planning.
Proceedings.
There are plans to publish the proceedings of the symposium.
Origins.
The Nitobe Symposium is named after Nitobe Inazo (1862-1933), Deputy Secretary-General
of the League of Nations, who worked for language equality and linguistic
justice in that organization. The first Nitobe Symposium took place
in Prague in 1996. Since then, symposia have been organized in Berlin
(1999), Beijing (2004) and Vilnius (2005).
Informations on past Nitobe-symposia: http://en.nitobe.info/pri/nitobe-simpozioj.php
Conclusions of the fourth symposium (Vilnius): English Esperanto
Application. (from abroad)
Please contact us per e-mail or fax,
providing your name, professional / academic position, research interests,
address, telephone number and e-mail.
Applications should be sent before 15. July 2007. For spatial and organisational
reasons, we cannot guarantee participation for applications after the deadline.
Symposium-URL:
Esperanso: http://www.info.sophia.ac.jp/g-areas/nitobe2007esp.htm
Japanese: http://www.info.sophia.ac.jp/g-areas/nitobe2007-j.htm
For further details, please contact:
European Institute, Sophia University, Kioi 7-1, 102-8554 Tokyo, Japan
Tel.+81-(0)3-3238-4341/ Tel.& Fax +81-(0)3-3238-3902
e-mail:
nitobe2007 @ gmail.com
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