Education
Guyana moves to put Lokono into the primary curriculum
Amerindian Affairs is working with Education on Lokono, named as the country’s most at-risk Indigenous language. Early stage, not a finished plan.
Language news
The language news from today.
What is happening to the languages people actually speak: policy, schools, revival, and the technology arriving on top of them. Filed each morning at 7am London time, sources linked.
Policy
Gwynedd approves 20 homes in Chwilog despite Welsh-language harm fears
Gwynedd planning committee voted 10-5 for the scheme in an 80% Welsh-speaking village after a 160-name petition warned of linguistic harm.
Education
Dutch primary schools must make space for pupils’ home languages
New national kerndoelen for Dutch require room for Turkish, Arabic, Polish and regional varieties such as Frisian and Twents. Schools have until 2031.
Culture
Grand Bard awards first sung Eucharist entirely in Cornish
Gorsedh Kernow gave the Grand Bard’s Award to Oferen an Dasserghyans, premiered at Truro Cathedral in June. A first liturgical setting in the revived language.
Policy
Mexico’s Supreme Court makes indigenous interpreters non-waivable
SCJN Pleno ruled unanimously that indigenous people have a right to an interpreter from first contact with criminal-justice authorities, including as witnesses. Maya amparo. Ruling to be translated into Maya.
Policy
Spain seeks Catalan, Basque and Galician as official EU languages
Spain asked the Irish EU presidency to put the three languages back on the 22 September General Affairs Council agenda, tying timing to enlargement. About 20 million speakers. Unanimity still required.
Policy
Commons defeats ban on foreign-language election leaflets
MPs voted 410-105 against a Conservative amendment to ban election materials in foreign languages. Reform’s stricter rewrite was not called. The elections bill cleared the Commons.
Policy
Tamil Nadu urges Tamil as principal language of Madras High Court
Assembly resolution cites real-time AI Tamil-to-English speech translation. A 2006 bid failed after the Supreme Court Full Court said no in 2012. Still needs Centre action under Art. 348(2).
Business
German voice actors take Netflix AI training clause to cartel office
Verband Deutscher Sprecher:innen filed a Bundeskartellamt complaint, with a parallel Berlin GDPR complaint, over a rights deal that makes AI voice-training consent a condition of work.
Policy
US sanctions pull TOEFL, GRE and Duolingo English tests in Iran
After OFAC suspended education licences, ETS paused TOEFL and GRE sittings in Iran and Duolingo blocked its English Test for Iranian IDs from 1 September.
Revival
Siraya returns to Taiwanese classrooms after a century written off
Taught in 26 schools, with children teaching parents. Activists prefer dormant to extinct. The revival helped recognition as Taiwan’s 17th Indigenous people.
Tech
Winnipeg police put live AI translation on Axon bodycams
Axon speech-to-speech covers 50-plus languages. Indigenous languages are not in the pack. Winnipeg asked. The vendor said they were the first.
Policy
Meghalaya makes Khasi and Garo full official languages
The Official Languages Bill elevates Khasi and Garo from associate status since 2005 to full official status alongside English. The April ordinance is now an Act.
Education
Syria puts Kurdish on the national curriculum in Kurdish areas
Education Ministry Decision 493 makes Kurdish a graded subject, three lessons a week, in Kurdish-majority schools, and ends about 15 years of Kurdish-medium instruction in Rojava after a one-year transition.