National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations
LightNews LightNews
banner
nfmlta.bsky.social
National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations
@nfmlta.bsky.social
22 followers 35 following 70 posts
The NFMLTA promotes the rich diversity of languages by supporting scholars and educators at every level, and by connecting research to teaching practice.
https://nfmlta.org/
Posts Replies Media Videos
nfmlta.bsky.social
"Organizations like SIL International track language speakers, but totals vary depending on whether dialects are counted separately and how language proficiency is measured."

#languages #languagelearning #languageeducation #languageresearch #langchat

people.howstuffworks.com/most-spoken-...
10 Most-spoken Languages in the World (2 Are From India)
If you are searching for the most-spoken languages in the world, you are really asking how people communicate across culture, history, and geography.
people.howstuffworks.com
January 21, 2026 at 2:59 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
We are honored to announce the recipients of the 2026 NFMLTA/MLJ Roundtable Conference Grant: Sheilah Nicholas (University of Arizona), Tiffany S. Lee (The University of New Mexico), and Terese L. McCarty (UCLA)!

Visit nfmlta.com for more information about our grants.
January 20, 2026 at 5:03 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"The puzzle of the origin of Basque and of the pre-Roman languages of the peninsula may be, piece by piece, beginning to fall into place."

#language #languageresearch #languageeducation #languagelearning #langchat

www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/01/n...
New Connections Discovered Between the Ancient Iberian Language and Basque, Beyond Numbers
A recent study carried out by researcher Eduardo Orduña Aznar of the University of Barcelona provides new data on one of the most persistent enigmas in the linguistic history of the Iberian Peninsula:...
www.labrujulaverde.com
January 19, 2026 at 5:48 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"This initiative prepares student linguists to visit local state primary and secondary schools to breathe new life into language learning."

#languages #languagelearning #languageeducation #languageresearch #langchat

www.nationalworld.com/education/st...
Student Superheroes Launch Bid To Save Modern Languages
A hand-picked team of multilingual superheroes is on a mission to show the next generation that learning modern foreign languages can be fun — and open the door to future success.
www.nationalworld.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:05 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
Periodic reminder: We are now accepting applications for three of our grants. Visit nfmlta.org for more information.
January 9, 2026 at 2:57 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"The English Learner Education Support grant program facilitates the development of alternative bilingual education programs, enriches curricular materials, and fosters resources like bilingual education hubs."

#languageeducation #languageresearch #langchat

www.wwlp.com/news/massach...
www.wwlp.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:54 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
NFMLTA is pround to help sponsor this event. Register now!
January 7, 2026 at 5:08 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"Parents clearly recognise that languages open doors, whether that’s to future careers, cultural understanding, or simply the ability to communicate confidently in an increasingly interconnected world."

#languagelearning #languageeducation #langchat

www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/2573958...
Revealed: 84 of Londoners want more languages despite decline in entries
Residents in London say languages matter despite a 35 drop in students taking GCSE MFL and universities cutting degrees.
www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 2:45 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
Open for applications now!! Visit nfmlta.org for more information.
January 2, 2026 at 5:38 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
In this episode of Research in Action, Professors Darren LaScotte, Colleen Meyers, and Elaine Tarone discuss common classroom approaches to copying another person's speech in language education.

youtu.be/43qkhatsufs?...
Research in Action: Tracking, Shadowing, and Mirroring
YouTube video by NFMLTA
youtu.be
December 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"The danger lies in embedding the value of our discipline—and of academia in general—within the logic of profit, as it is precisely this logic that threatens its very continuity."

#languages #languagelearning #languageeducation #languageresearch #langchat

languagemagazine.com/2025/12/29/t...
The Road (Many Times) Taken
Gorka Bilbao Terreros argues that we need to look beyond the practical, career-focused benefits of world language education and stress the personal and societal positivity to inspire prospective stude...
languagemagazine.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:22 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
Important reminder: Three NFMLTA grants open for applications to start the new year. Visit nfmlta.org for details. (And help us spread the word!)
December 22, 2025 at 3:12 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"It champions the desire to recapture a vanished human origin, the faith that literary and linguistic scholarship can address questions of cultural differences, and the confidence that questions about...the meaning of life can be addressed through a study of texts."
utdailybeacon.com/95007/news/s...
Study of languages finds new life
Lacey Milam Staff Writer Philology, a study long considered dead by most scholars, is not as dead as it seems, said Geoffrey Harpham, director of the National Humanities Center, at a lecture on Thursd...
utdailybeacon.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:58 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"Key measures include expanding the foreign-language teaching workforce, recruiting foreign teachers, updating curricula and textbooks, reforming testing and assessment, applying digital technology and strengthening international cooperation."

#languageeducation

e.vnexpress.net/news/news/ed...
Vietnam to pilot Chinese, Japanese and Korean education for preschoolers - VnExpress International
Vietnam will pilot Chinese, Japanese and Korean lessons for preschoolers under a new national plan to strengthen foreign-language skills and future workforce competitiveness.
e.vnexpress.net
December 19, 2025 at 3:46 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
Congratulations to the NFMLTA's 2026 president, Sheri Spaine Long, winner of the @modernlanguage.bsky.social 2025 ALD award for Distinguished Service to the Profession.
December 17, 2025 at 3:52 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
Congratulations to Olúwáfúnkẹ́ Ògúnyá of Howard University, recipient of one of this year's Conferene Presentation Support grants!
December 12, 2025 at 8:50 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"Inform families very straightforwardly that speaking their first/family language and reading in that language at home is not only okay, but also crucial to a child’s successful overall development and English learning."

#languagelearning #languageeducation

www.smartbrief.com/original/why...
Why honoring home languages matters in education - SmartBrief
Many students maintain their identity through their home languages, writes Elena Schmidt.
www.smartbrief.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:08 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"The dramatic decline in the uptake of language qualifications can be explained by two key factors: the push of STEM subjects and an overreliance on Google Translate and AI."

#langchat

theboar.org/2025/12/lang...

Language learning at ‘breaking point’ as Nottingham cuts signal wider MFL freefall
The Boar
theboar.org
December 11, 2025 at 3:22 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"The flagship will, however, see a number of world language programs end, including those in Chinese, Arabic, French and German."

#languages #languagelearning #languageresearch #languageeducation #langchat

www.highereddive.com/news/oklahom...
Oklahoma regents vote to cut 41 ‘low-producing’ academic programs
The state coordinating board also moved to suspend another 21 programs across Oklahoma's public institutions.
www.highereddive.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:49 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
“These disparate sources have never before been brought together in a way that offers such an insight into the nature of Celtic languages spoken in these islands at the dawn of the historical period."

#languageresearch #languagelearning #languageeducation

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Linguists start compiling first ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic
More than 1,000 words used as far back as 325BC to be collected for insight into past linguistic landscape
www.theguardian.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:39 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"It's like a kind of reboot, where the brain has processed a word it recognises, and then resets so it can start in on the next word."

#languageresearch #languagelearning #languageeducation #langchat

www.bps.org.uk/research-dig...
New study reveals why unknown languages sound like a blur | BPS
Two papers home in on a brain area responsible for spotting the separations between words, previously thought to only handle simple auditory processing.
www.bps.org.uk
December 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"Far from the curse of Babel, linguistic diversity might instead reveal how many different worlds can exist within the mind."

#languages #languageresearch #languageeducation #languagelearning #langchat

theoxfordblue.co.uk/do-different...
Do different languages change the way we think? - The Oxford Blue
Sophie Harrison explores how different languages shape our perception and how linguistic diversity reveals multiple cognitive worlds.
theoxfordblue.co.uk
December 5, 2025 at 5:39 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
Congratulations to Eugênia Fernandes, assistant professor at Florida International University, recipient of one of this year's Conference Presentation Support grants!
December 4, 2025 at 3:53 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
“[O]ur homegrown linguists are being disproportionately cultivated from selective schools...we’re missing out on the diversity of talent in our state schools. We believe every child...should have the opportunity to study languages to a high level."

#langchat

news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-h...
University of Exeter to lead national modern languages campaign in the region
A new campaign tackling the decline in the number of young people learning modern languages at A-level is being launched in the South West. Languages For All establishes a network of state schools in ...
news.exeter.ac.uk
December 3, 2025 at 3:53 PM
nfmlta.bsky.social
"[T]he Education Department’s decision' is disappointing on many levels, not least of which is the defunding of programs that have been pivotal in expanding access to knowledge in the US and globally.'"

#languagelearning #languageeducation #languageresearch

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Federal Cuts Force Harvard Programs To Suspend Language Study Fellowships | News | The Harvard Crimson
When a judge ordered the Trump administration in September to restore Harvard’s federal funding, programs receiving grants through the Education Department’s International and Foreign Language Educati...
www.thecrimson.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:48 PM