21.11.19
Manchester City Council and University launch research into city's languages
The University of Manchester and Manchester City Council have formed a new research partnership to track Manchester’s languages.
New research is going into identifying the diversity of Manchester’s languages and public signage in the city.
Over 150 languages are spoken in Manchester including Urdu, Arabic, Chinese, Polish and Spanish, and residents are being invited to share their experience of multilingualism.
The collaboration comes as the council’s library service wont funding from the Engaging Libraries Programme.
The programme, run by The Carnegie UK trust, the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation, aims to bring research projects into the heart of local communities to promote the sharing of learning.
Technology in an app will map the concentration of different languages in the city, finding areas where more than one language is common.
Through photographs, public signage and help from the community, the aim is to engage with the public through workshops, debates, art activities and exhibitions to build a picture of language in this city across generations.
Professor Yaron Matras, who leads the University’s Multilingual Manchester unit said:
"Language diversity is about who we are and what kind of society we live in. In the current climate of increasing polarisation of the political debate surrounding immigration, identity, and our relations with other nations, we need to raise awareness of multilingualism as a way to build bridges and restore confidence.”
Neil MacInnes OBE, Head of Libraries, Galleries and Culture at Manchester City Council said:
“Many of the Manchester residents who enjoy using our citywide network of libraries speak multiple languages, making them the ideal places to help pursue this important research into language diversity. Through this project, we look forward to further developing our already strong relationship with the Multilingual Manchester team at The University of Manchester.”