Investing in Our Languages: Panel Discussion

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Investing in Our Languages Panel Discussion

• Itesh Sachdev (PhD, Psychology)
• Professor of Language Communication
• Director, SOAS-UCL Centre for Excellence in
• Languages of the Wider World, University of
  London

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Introduction
2005 - Collaborative SOAS UCL HEFCE-funded
Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning -
Languages of the Wider World .languages of
Africa, Asia, Middle East, Russia, Slavonic and
East European countries Hebrew and Yiddish
Netherlands Scandinavia Aim ..to promote,
provide, support research on Languages of the
Wider World www.lww-cetl.ac.uk

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Why Community Languages? Why Multilingualism?why
learn languages? .
(i) Linguistic Capital in UK - in diaspora and
globalised world (ii) INSTRUMENTAL benefits -
in diaspora and globalised world Cardiff
business schools study that UK companies lose at
least 9 Billion due to LANGUAGE SKILLS. (iii)
COGNITIVE benefits of being multilingual (iv)
SOCIAL CULTURAL benefits of language learning..
identity inter-community/cultural cohesion
understanding (v) HEALTH benefits of being
multilingual.. protects brain against mental
decline in old age.stronger bilingual ability
had a better mental health status..