Swansea
The Bilingualism Matters Branch at Swansea University seeks to enhance public engagement and expand research opportunities on bilingualism and multilingualism, both in Wales and in other minority language contexts. Bwriad cangen Bilingualism Matters ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe yw methrin perthynas â'r cyhoedd ac ehangu cyfleoedd ymchwil ar ddwyieithrwydd ac amlieithrwydd, yng Nghymru ac mewn cyd-destunau ieithoedd lleiafrifol eraill.
24 Mar 2025
The Bilingualism Matters Symposium (BMS) is an interdisciplinary conference organised by Bilingualism Matters. It is open to researchers as well as practitioners, irrespective of their affiliation with Bilingualism Matters. The BMS aims to stimulate a productive dialogue between researchers in different academic disciplines and practitioners in different sectors of society. BMS will take place in Edinburgh from March 24-25, 2025.
Wales / Cymru
Wales is a bilingual nation, with both Welsh and English as official languages. Bilingualism is common in daily life, education, and public services, with a focus on increasing Welsh-medium education and bilingual communication in government and local institutions. The Welsh Government has had devolved powers over certain areas of public life in Wales, including language and education. ‘Cymraeg 2050’ is the Welsh Government's latest language strategy (2018) with the aim of creating a million Welsh speakers by 2050. Furthermore, the New Curriculum for Wales, introduced in 2022, supports multlingualism by emphasising the need for learners to communicate effectively in international languages as well as Welsh and English.
Swansea / Abertawe
Swansea exemplifies a diverse linguistic environment, where both Welsh and English languages coexist in the community, education, and local authority, reflecting the broader commitment to maintaining and celebrating the linguistic heritage of Wales. 11.2% of Swansea’s inhabitants are Welsh speakers while the nearby county of Carmarthenshire has nearly 40% Welsh speakers. Swansea is also proud to be the only official ‘City of Sanctuary’ in Wales welcoming migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to Wales.
Swansea University / Prifysgol Abertawe
Swansea University is also proud to be a bilingual university and is committed to the Welsh Language Standards which came into operation on 1 April 2018.
BM@Swansea's main aims are:
- Bridge the gap between our research on bilingualism and multilingualism and different sectors of society.
- Enable people to make informed professional or personal decisions on bilingualism and multilingualism that are based on facts rather than prejudices, misconceptions, or misinterpretations of current research findings.
- Support research and public engagement on multilingualism and language learning and making it relevant, available and accessible to wider audiences.
- Develop skills, tools and opportunities to enable Swansea University academics as well as students, professionals, policymakers and community members to effectively communicate and collaborate, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of language diversity.