"Languages are indeed essential to the identity of groups and individuals and to their peaceful coexistence. They constitute a strategic factor of progress towards sustainable development and a harmonious relationship between the global and the local context. Only if multilingualism is fully accepted can all languages find their place in our globalized world.
UNESCO therefore invites governments, United Nations organizations, civil society organizations, educational institutions, professional associations and all other stakeholders to increase their own activities to foster respect for, and the promotion and protection of all languages, particularly endangered languages, in all individual and collective contexts." Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, Message for the International Year of Languages 2008.

The UNESCO program for the year includes projects in the fields of education, science, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information. There is a comprehensive brochure available at http://www.unesco.org/culture/files-languges/broch2008_en.pdf. and further materials on the UNESCO International Year of Languages website.

Labels: all languages, promotion of languages

I've been taking a lot of photos lately, so I've added a photo gallery to this website. The direct URL is http://www.germanteaching.com/gallery/index.php, or you can click on the Gallery link in the menu to the right. It is still under development (of course!), but so far, there are some photos of Australian birds, wildlife and fungi.

Feel welcome to browse! Images may be used, copied or linked to, as long as copyright acknowledgment is given and the images are not modified in any way.

Labels: Brisbane, photos, website

My Palm PDA goes almost everywhere with me, and one of its wonderful features is the ability to carry vast amounts of data, including many dictionaries. Sure beats the days when I would carry book-versions of dictionaries with me when travelling, and I like being able to look up words when out-and-about rather than having to wait until I get home or to a computer.

My currently installed dictionary for German is the one from Ultralingua. It has a reasonably clean interface and an excellent database of about 350 000 words. Some technical words are missing, as well as names of some trees and birds, but otherwise, I have found it to be adequate to my needs. It has a fairly extensive range of phrases associated with headwords, which is something that a number of competing mobile dictionaries did not offer. My purchasing decision was based on the database as well as their payment options, as I prefer using Paypal to credit cards online. My only other concern with the software is that the search feature is rather slow, and it is sometime quicker to use the Palm OS Global Find rather than the dictionary's own search.

Of course, if you are near an Internet-connected computer and want access to German dictionaries, then please make use of my collection of online German dictionaries.

Labels: dictionaries, german, software, website

Holidays over - time to get back to the weekly additions to the website!

I have hundreds of German tongue-twisters on this website, but (until now) none in English. Here is a great one that I found over the holidays:

There's a Cyprus citrus surplus
Citrus surplus Cypriotic.
No Sicilian citrus surplus,
But a Cyprus citrus surplus.
Not a Cyprus citron surplus,
But a Cyprus citrus surplus.
Not a Cyprus citrus circus,
But a Cyprus citrus surplus.
It's a special citrus surplus:
"Just a surface citrus surfeit,"
Says a cryptic Coptic skeptic.
But the bishop in his surplice
Certifies the surfeit citrus -
In his surplus Sunday surplice
Certifies the citrus surfeit.
Who'll assimilate the surplus;
Siphon off the Cyprus citrus?
Sipping at the citrus cistern,
Who'll suppress the Cyprus surplus?
Says the Soviet to Cyprus,
"Send us all your surplus citrus.
This is just a simple sample
Of Socialist assistance.
Should you show a similar surplus
In the simmering summer solstice
Send a summons to the Soviet
For surplus citrus solace."

Labels: ESL, tongue-twisters, website