We Do Language

Did you know that there are 1.4 Billion English speakers worldwide? That's more than Chinese's 1.1 Billion.

However, despite English being considered to be the most widespread language, only 31 out of 112 countries on the Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) achieved a score of Very High or High in 2021.

Singapore is also the first non-European country to top the list, coming in 4th.

https://www.statista.com/chart/26344/english-proficiency-levels-by-nation-according-to-ef-epi/

Languages with either a complex tone (4 or more tones), or complex consonant clusters, tend to be slower while languages with no tone, or a very simple tone system (e.g., a 1 tone vs no tone contrast like most dialects of Japanese) and primarily CV (consonant-vowel) syllable structure tend to be faster.

List of The 7 Fastest Spoken Languages in The World. List of The 7 Fastest Spoken Languages in The World. As native speakers, we all have assumptions about the particular speed of languages other than our own. And most of the time, our assumptions are correct. Empirically speaking, linguists measure the speed of languages by how many syllables are ar...

The tower of Babel story from the Bible. Humans tried to build a tower high enough to reach God. Then God, to punish them for their blasphemy, made them speak different languages. Since they couldn't communicate, they abandoned the plan and scattered all around the world.

Language is fun

“The old man was fluent in five languages, but the one he chose to speak now was one that virtually no one else in the world could understand.

“Awiri nuhã,” Aritana Yawalapiti, 71, said in the language of the Yawalapiti, an Indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest. “Take care of the people. Take care of the land. Take care of the forest.”

Tapi Yawalapiti, Aritana’s son, has sworn he will not let their language disappear.”

‘There are no words’: As coronavirus kills Indigenous elders, endangered languages face extinction Tribal leaders and linguists from Brazil to India to Australia race to record dying languages.

Bertha Catholique archived 3,500 stories, translating them from Chipewyan to English.

'I'm leaving a legacy': 1st translator completes stories for Indigenous archives project | CBC News Three years and countless hours of audio material later, Bertha Catholique is the first of 17 people to finish translating stories in her language for the CBC’s Indigenous languages archives project.

Most Spoken Languages of 2020.
How many do you speak?

生不带来，死不带去。

生不帶來，死不帶去。

shēng bú dài lái，sǐ bú dài qù 。

At birth we bring nothing; at death we take nothing.

MEXT Scholarship 2021 Applications are open!
https://www.za.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/MEXT_Scholarship.html

During school shut downs Audible are allowing children (and the young-at-heart) to listen to hundreds of story books, for free! To access the free titles, just visit https://stories.audible.com/start-listen from any web browser. No login or accounts needed. 📖

The MEXT(Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology) offers scholarships to foreign students who wish to study at Japanese universities under the Japanese Government Scholarship Program for 2020.

Scholarships & Bursaries | Article | University of Pretoria Scholarships, Bursaries, Tokyo University, MEXT, ashinaga, JET, JSPS

Chinese

On this day 63 years ago, Ghana gained its independence. Did you know that Ghana is a multilingual country and it has over 70 ethnic groups, each with its distinct language?
Ghanaians speak over 40 languages, throughout its 10 regions and the most spoken languages are Akan, Ewe, Dagbani and Dangme.

Salut ! Join us this Saturday, 7th March, at 11am for the opening of the Festival. Check out the day's programme and download the programme for the month!

https://pta.alliance.org.za/event/francophonie-festival-2020

Francophonie Festival 2020 | Alliance Française de Pretoria The annual Francophonie Festival, launched in 2010, is a platform available to Embassies, Institutions, Francophone and Francophiles

Department of Tourism is recruiting suitable tourist guides for Mandarin Language Training. Deadline: 29 February 2020, 16:00.https://www.tourism.gov.za/AboutNDT/Publications/Mandarin%20Language%20Training%20Opportunity%20for%20Tourist%20Guides_extended%20deadline.pdf

International Mother Tongue Day

Mothers Language is the first language people use to communicate, to Express their thoughts, emotions and their ideas.
We celebrate

[Japan Cultural Expo 2020 - Schedule]

From Friday, 6 March to Sunday, 8 March, the Embassy of Japan will once again be hosting the Japan Cultural Expo at the Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria! We will have several exciting demonstrations and exhibitions. Please see the flyer for details and the schedule, and be on the lookout for more information!

Planet Word is a museum with a mission: to inspire a love of words and language with immersive exhibits like a 22-foot-tall Word Wall with over 1,000 voice-activated words, lighting up and telling stories about how they made their way into the English language. Opening 31 May.

A museum dedicated entirely to words and language is opening in Washington, DC That’s the word on the street.

Apply for the Swedish Institute Scholarship for South Africans to study a Master’s Programme in Sweden NOW!

The application is open between 10-20 of February.

Please note that the scholarship application is only applicable for individuals who applied to Swedish universities via University Admissions before the 15th of January 2020 and submitted necessary documentation before the 3rd of February.

Find all you need about how to apply here: https://si.se/en/apply/scholarships/swedish-institute-scholarships-for-south-africa/

Here are som tips from the Swedish Institute Alumni Irshaad Wadvalla:

1. Spend maximum time preparing your responses to the questions.
2. Get someone else to review as a 2nd perspective is quite important.
3. Ensure that you are concise and to the point.
4. Incorporate only relevant information pertinent to the chosen field of study and future goals.

For more tips, visit the current student Lusanda's blog: https://blogs.studyinsweden.se/author/lusanda/?fbclid=IwAR0WWXguphJTX54a7vw-fn7imdRzIjgsz9-9hssajh8yaTz-QR_J-1ILAiU

Good luck with your application!

For other scholarship opportunities, please visit www.studyinsweden.se

Swedish Institute Scholarships for Studies and Research / Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs / Department of International Relations and Cooperation, SA / South Africa- Sweden University Forum - SASUF / International SA/ Study in Sweden / Utbildningsdepartementet / Swedish Society of South Africa / The Department of Higher Education And Training(DHET) Premises / Department of Science and Innovation / Sweden Alumni Network - South Africa / National Research Foundation

Join . APU Asia Pacific University Information Session!

Join .APU Asia Pacific University Information Session!

Japan’s leading international university, .APU Asia Pacific University is the only one of
the four institutions in Japan accredited by AACSB offering an undergraduate
curriculum in both English and Japanese as well as MBA program conducted entirely in
English. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is the Global hub of the Land of the Rising Sun with
over 90 countries on campus and 30% to 100% tuition-reduction Scholarships.

Ritsumeikan APU Learning in Motion Experience the most beautiful moments seen and felt by students here at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University—where through daily interactions they encounter b...

[🇯🇵 Japanese Language Course - Enterprises University of Pretoria 🇿🇦]

The Japanese Language Course Part 1 and Part 2 for the first semester commence on 5 and 3 March 2020 respectively.

Brief details of the courses:

1️⃣ Japanese Language Course Part 1
https://www.enterprises.up.ac.za/japanese-language-course-part-1-6
▶️ Commences 5 March 2020

Course fees for 2020:
- Student: R2250.00 (incl. VAT) (Proof of registration required)
- Public: R6360.00 (incl. VAT)

2️⃣ Japanese Language Course Part 2
https://www.enterprises.up.ac.za/japanese-language-course-part-2-6
▶️ Commences 3 March 2020

Course fees for 2020:
- Student: R2250.00 (incl. VAT) (Proof of registration required)
- Public: R6360.00 (incl. VAT)

Kindly contact the University of Pretoria's Client Information Centre at the details below for registration, payment enquiries, as well as venue details, course number, duration and completion dates, etc.

Client Information Centre
Tel: (012) 434 2500
Email: [email protected]

Enterprise Building
140 Lunnon Road
Hillcrest
Pretoria