South Africa: Dr. Neville Alexander of South Africa is the recipient of the 2008 Linguapax Prize

Posted on March 1, 2008.

Source: Don Osborn

Dr. Neville Alexander of South Africa is the recipient of the 2008 Linguapax Prize:

  22.02.2008

The South African linguist Neville Alexander will receive the Linguapax Award today in Barcelona, on the occasion of the Mother Language Day. The ceremony is framed in the Intercultural Week organised by the Ramon Llull University. Alexander, who coordinates the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa has devoted more than twenty years of his professional life to defend and preserve multilingualism in the post-apartheid South Africa and has become one of the major advocates of linguistic diversity.

http://www.unescocat.org/en/serveis/premsa.php

  For more information on the Prize, see:

http://www.linguapax.org/en/premisLPXang.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguapax_Prize

Foundation for Endangered Languages: CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Posted by sociolingo on February 6, 2008

Foundation for Endangered Languages: CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The Foundation for Endangered Languages is now accepting proposals for projects of work that will support, enable or assist the protection or promotion of one or more endangered languages. These endangered languages may be anywhere in the world.

Deadline: February 29, 2008

The Foundation for Endangered Languages is committed to raise awareness of endangered languages and support revitalisation and preservation of endangered languages through all channels and media. The Foundation awards grants to project that further its aims as an when the funds permit. The Foundation’s funds remain limited this year and only an exceptional award will be greater than US $1,000. Smaller proposals stand a better chance of funding

The research projects focusing on the revitalisation of the endangered languages and support the use of endangered languages in various spheres of community life (home, education, cultural and social life) will be given priority. Projects restricted to language documentation would not be eligible for funding this year.

Please go to http://www.ogmios.org/home.htm for full details of how to apply.

Foundation for Endangered Languages: CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Please note the application date is now past for submitting proposals. However, the fund does advertise every year and the information and application forms may be helpful to those preparing proposals for 2008.

Foundation for Endangered Languages: CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Posted by sociolingo on 10th January 2007

Foundation for Endangered Languages: CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The Foundation for Endangered Languages is now accepting proposals for projects of work that
will support, enable or assist the protection or promotion of one or more endangered languages.
These endangered anguages may be anywhere in the world.

Deadline: February 28, 2007

The Foundation for Endangered Languages is committed to raising awareness of endangered
languages and supporting revitalisation and preservation of endangered languages through
all channels and media. The Foundation awards grants to projects that further its aims as
and when the funds permit.
The Foundation’s funds remain extremely limited this year and only an exceptional award
will be greater than US $1,000.
Smaller proposals stand a better chance of funding

Research projects that focus on the revitalisation of the endangered languages and support
of the use of endangered languages in community life (home, school, education, cultural and
economic life) will be given priority.
Projects restricted to language documentation will not be eligible for funding this year.

Please pass on this announcement to your friends and colleagues in endangered-language
communities who may not have access to Ogmios, the Internet or e-mail.

**Format for Submissions:

Applicants must submit a short ‘Case for Support’ and a Application Form.
Guidance on how to write a Case, and fill out the form, is accessible at the Foundation’s
website: - http://www.ogmios.org/grant.htm

The Case for Support (CS) and Application Form (AF) are best submitted as Word files
attached to an e-mail message sent to FEL@chibcha.demon.co.uk <mailto:FEL@chibcha.demon.co.uk>

and hakimelnazar@yahoo.com <mailto:hakimelnazar@yahoo.com>
Non-ascii text should be in some form of Unicode. The two files should be named “languageCS.doc” 

and “languageAF.doc”, substituting the name of the language to be studied for ‘language’.
Copies printed on paper will also be accepted as an alternative. 

In general, it is not necessary to send a hard copy of an electronic proposal for confirmation, 

but FEL may request this if there are major difficulties in reading the file.
All proposals must be submitted in this format, to ensure comparability. 

Unless agreed with me in advance in writing, all proposals must be in English.
** Deadline:


The time-limit for proposals will be February 28, 2007. By that date, full proposals 

(consisting of Case for Support and Application Form) must reach FEL at the address below. 

All proposals received will be acknowledged on receipt.
The FEL Committee will announce its decision by 31st March 2007.


** Comments on Draft Proposals:




FEL tries to keep its procedures as simple as possible. But it recognizes that they may be 

especially taxing for those without training in a western university. In the case of proposals 

from communities or community linguists, FEL is prepared to comment on drafts, and suggest 

weaknesses and potential remedies (without prejudice) before the selection. 

Such draft proposals - clearly marked “DRAFT” - should reach FEL as soon as possible, 

and no later than February 1, 2007.
This commenting service is simply offered in order to help: it is never required 

to submit such a draft.  

If draft applications are received from applicants who are judged not to be members 

of endangered language communities or such communities’ designated linguists, 

they may be re-classified as final applications, at FEL’s discretion.
Nicholas Ostler


Chairman, Foundation for Endangered Languages




Registered Charity: England and Wales 1070616



172 Bailbrook Lane, Bath, BA1 7AA, England



nostler@chibcha.demon.co.uk



http://www.ogmios.org <http://www.ogmios.org/>




Note:

The Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) is not the same as
ELF, the Endangered Language Fund (http://www.endangeredlanguagefund.org/

<http://www.haskins.yale.edu/>). 
However, it is perfectly possible (and has indeed occurred in the past) that the same 
project be partially funded by both FEL and ELF.

African awards: Genographic project - endangered language grants and web maps

Posted by sociolingo on 18th February 2007

From Transient Languages & Cultures
Genographic project: endangered language grants and web maps

by Jane Simpson

8 February, 2007

A post by Valerie Guerin on the Research Network for Linguistics Diversity list leads to a new source of funding open to individuals, groups, and organizations for language work (the Genographic Legacy Fund) on endangered languages (grant application deadline June 15 and December 15).

Africa thesis award

The Africa Thesis Award

Are you interested in Africa and have you written your Masters thesis on an African-related subject? The African Studies Centre (ASC), the Netherlands institute for Southern Africa (NiZA) and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) are offering you the chance to win €4000 in The Africa Thesis Award.The award aims to encourage student research and writing on Africa and to promote the study of African cultures and societies. It is presented annually to a student whose Masters thesis has been completed on the basis of research conducted on Africa.The award consists of a prize of €1000 for the winning thesis and an additional €3000 for the writing of a PhD proposal or for fieldwork to update the original data for a wider audience. The winning thesis will be published in the ASC Research Report Series and a summary of the work will be proposed to a CODESRIA journal.

Who can apply

Any final-year student who has completed his/her Masters thesis with distinction (80% or higher or a Dutch rating of at least at a university in Africa or the Netherlands can apply. The thesis has to be based on independent empirical research related to Africa in one of the subjects listed in the following section and must have been examined within one year prior to the deadline for submitting manuscripts (see below).
The ASC, NiZA and CODESRIA specifically encourage students from Africa to submit their theses for this annual competition.

Subject of the thesis

Any thesis thematically related to socio-geographical, economic, political, juridical or anthropological issues or focusing on the humanities such as history, religion and literature (but with the exception of language and/or semiotic studies) can be submitted. For submission to the ASC, its geographical focus should be on Sub-Saharan Africa or its migrant communities elsewhere in the world. For submission to CODESRIA, the geographical focus of the thesis should be on Africa or its migrant communities around the world. The thesis must be socially relevant.

How to submit a thesis

If a student or his/her supervisor feels that a Masters thesis merits an award because of its high quality and originality, the thesis should be submitted either to the ASC-NiZA Awards Committee or the CODESRIA Awards Committee. Every submission must include:

• a signed letter of recommendation from the student’s supervisor containing the grade and details about the quality of the thesis and the educational institution from which the student has graduated, and
• a copy of the thesis as well as a summary of a maximum of 500 words.

Applicants based in the Netherlands are requested to submit 2 hard copies of their thesis. Those based in Africa are welcome to send an electronic version of their thesis by email. If a hard copy of the thesis is submitted, the applicant’s email address must also be included.

The application will not be processed if it is incomplete.
Please note that the initial selection for the award will be made based on the summary, the table of contents and the letter of recommendation.

Where to submit a thesis

Theses can be submitted to the ASC or CODESRIA (but not to both) depending on the following criteria:
- A thesis can be submitted to the ASC if it is written in English, French or Dutch. If the thesis is in Dutch, a five-page English or French summary should also be attached.
- A thesis can be submitted to CODESRIA if it is written in English, French, Portuguese or Arabic. If the thesis is written in Arabic or Portuguese, a five-page English or French summary should be attached.

Quality of the thesis

The ASC, NiZA and CODESRIA seek to attract theses that demonstrate a high quality with regard to the subject matter of the research as well as the way the research has been conducted. The jury attaches importance to an original approach and insight, and the relevance of the research to a scientific understanding of the issues covered. In addition, the jury will consider the significance of the thesis in relation to development-related issues and its interest for the general public.

Time schedule

This year’s deadline for the submission of theses is 15 June 2006. From all the entries submitted to both institutes, a shortlist of three theses will be drawn up from which a joint jury will select the winning thesis. The jury will announce its decision in September 2006. In November 2006, the winner will be invited to present his/her work at a seminar in Leiden and may also be invited to do the same at a seminar hosted by one of CODESRIA’s member institutes in Africa.

The jury

The following researchers are on the jury of the 2006 Africa Thesis Award:

1. Prof. Meine Pieter van Dijk (Erasmus University), (chair)
2. Prof. Eric Aseka (Kenyatta University)
3. Prof. Kwame Boafo-Arthur (University of Ghana)
4. Dr. Rijk van Dijk (African Studies Centre)
5. Dr. Gerti Hesseling (African Studies Centre)
6. Dr. Margreet de Lange (Utrecht University)
7. Mindanda Mohogu (independent economist)
8. Cyril Obi (Nordic African Institute)Ms. Gitty Petit (ASC) (secretary)
   Ms. Chifaou I. Josiane Amzat (CODESRIA) (secretary)

The jury’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Further information

For more information or queries regarding the submission of a thesis, please contact Ms Gitty Petit, the secretary of the ASC-NiZA Awards Committee:
African Studies Centre (ASC)
P.O. Box 9555
2300 RB Leiden
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)71 527 3376
Fax: +31(0) 71 527 3344
www.ascleiden.nl
E-mail: petitg@ascleiden.nl

or to Ms Chifaou I. Josiane Amzat, the secretary of the CODESRIA Awards Committee:
CODESRIA
Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop X Canal IV,
BP 3304 Dakar
18524, Senegal
Tel: +221 8259814
Fax: +221 8640143
www.codesria.org
E-mail: chifaou.amzat@codesria.sn or chifaou@yahoo.fr

For more information about the presentation of the award in November, please contact: Ms Nathalie Ankersmit
Netherlands institute for Southern Africa (NiZA)
P.O. Box 10707
1001 ES Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)20 520 6210
Fax: +31 (0)20 520 6249
www.niza.nl/scriptie
E-mail: Nathalie.Ankersmit@niza.nl

The African Studies Centre (ASC) is an independent scientific institute that generates and disseminates knowledge on Africa. The ASC’s main aim is to promote a better understanding and insight into historical, current and future societal developments in Sub-Saharan Africa. It publishes books and articles, organizes seminars and has an extensive library that is open to the general public.

The Netherlands institute for Southern Africa (NiZA) is a politically independent organization working towards a democratic southern Africa. NiZA cooperates with organizations in southern Africa that are striving for political, social and/or economic changes and links the southern problems strategically to lobby activities and public campaigns in the North.

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) was established in 1973 as an independent Pan-African research organization with a primary focus on the social sciences. It has its headquarter in Dakar, Senegal. It is recognized not only as a pioneer African social research organization but also as the apex non-governmental centre of social knowledge production on the continent.
Leslie Zubieta Calvert (l.), winner 2005