| Goal. Among the many questions raised by the expanded membership
of the European Union is the question of languages. What
arrangements should be made for the use of languages in the
various EU bodies themselves, and what policies should be
introduced, for example regarding foreign language learning
in the educational systems of the various countries? The
relative lack of formal policies in this area is currently
leading little by little to informal arrangements which could
threaten the languages and cultural values of some of the
smaller states and could compromise the principle of equality
among EU members. The Vilnius symposium will explore the
various political alternatives and seek consensus on some
basic recommendations on EU language policy under the new
conditions.
Sponsors. The University of Vilnius, the Lithuanian Academy
of Sciences, the European Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian
Parliament, the Centre for Research and Documentation on
World Language Problems.
Invitees. The Symposium will be an invitational gathering.
Representatives of each of the new members of the European
Union will be invited to attend, along with specialists in
language policy and related fields, diplomats, representatives
of the European Union, and Members of the European Parliament.
Specialists in language policy and related fields who have
so far accepted include:
Detlev Blanke. Humboldt University. Germany.
Roland Breton. University of Paris 8 (Vincennes-St Denis).
France.
Duncan Charters. Principia College. USA.
Renato Corsetti. University of Rome. Italy.
Michael Cwik. European Union (Brussels).
Barbara Despiney. University of Paris I. France
Paulin Djité. University of Western Sydney. Australia
Ina Druviete. Minister of Education and Science. Latvia
Charles Durand. France / Viet Nam
Jane Edwards. Harvard University. USA
John Edwards. St. Francis Xavier University. Canada
Mark Fettes. Simon Fraser University. Canada
Federico Gobbo. Università degli Studi dell’Insubria.
Italy
David Graddol. Open University. UK
François Grin. University of Geneva. Switzerland
Margareta Handzlik. Member of the European Parliament. Poland
Wim Jansen. University of Amsterdam. Netherlands
Ilona Koutny. University of Poznan. Poland
Etsuo Miyoshi. Swany, Inc. Japan.
Seán Ó Riain. Irish Embassy in Berlin. Ireland.
Robert Phillipson. Copenhagen Business School. Denmark
Timothy Reagan. Roger Williams University. USA
Jozef Reinvart. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Slovakia
Humphrey Tonkin. University of Hartford. USA
Philippe Van Parijs. Université Catholique de Louvain & Harvard
Univ. Belgium /USA
Anna Verschik. Tallinn Pedagogical University. Estonia
Programme. The formal portion of the symposium will begin
on Saturday, July 30, at 14:00, with a formal opening by
the President of the Lithuanian Parliament. The symposium
will end on Monday. August 1, at 17:00. The program will
consist of lectures by invited lecturers, the presentation
of position papers by invitees, and general debate and discussion.
Professor Mark Fettes will coordinate the program. Dinners
will be arranged on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Location. The meeting will take place in the Constitution
Room of the Lithuanian Houses of Parliament.
Languages. Interpretation will be provided in Lithuanian,
English and Esperanto and possibly also in French (final
arrangements are now being made). Participants are encouraged
to provide written texts in advance where appropriate.
Accommodation. Accommodation will be arranged in hotels
or guest houses by the sponsors. Details will be available
in early July.
Organization. The Center for Research and Documentation
(CRD) will be responsible for the organization of the symposium,
along with the other sponsors and the on-site assistance
of the Lithuanian Esperanto Association. CRD promotes research,
teaching and publication on international language issues
and publishes the scholarly journal Language Problems and
Language Planning.
Proceedings. The proceedings of the symposium will be published.
Origins. The Nitobe Symposium is named after Nitobe Inazo
(1862-1933), Deputy Secretary-General of the League of Nations,
who fought for language equality and justice in that organization.
The first Nitobe Symposium was held in Prague in 1996. Subsequent
symposia were held in Berlin (1999) and Beijing (2004).
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