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New faculty focus: Anthony Cerulli
Anthony Cerulli's fascination with world religions began in high school and led him to texts as diverse as the Bhagavad Gita and the writings of Jack Kerouac. He came to UW–Madison because of its international renown in South Asian Studies.
A century on, celebrating the first Yiddish-language college course
Louis Wolfenson started teaching Yiddish at the UW in 1916, more than 30 years before Yiddish classes originated in New York City.
Words jump-start vision, psychologist’s study shows
Cognitive scientists have come to view the brain as a prediction machine, constantly comparing what is happening around us to expectations based on experience - and considering what should happen next.
Linguist helps open doors to Wisconsin’s Pennsylvania Dutch communities
For German Professor Mark Louden, translation isn't just about language. Through outreach with Wisconsin's Amish and Old Order Mennonite ("Plain") communities, Louden is working to break down stereotypes of these misunderstood groups - and to build stronger bridges between the state's different cultures in the process.
UW-Madison language learning resource preparing to support bilingual preschoolers nationwide
Preschool teachers who work with bilingual or multilingual children in five states across the country, and as many as 13 additional states, soon will begin using new learning tools and receiving specialized training developed and provided by WIDA, an international nonprofit specializing in English and Spanish language development based at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Curiosities: Why are so many Hispanic names hyphenated?
The two surnames names are ancestral, with the father’s family name followed by the mother’s family name. In Colombia, for example, “Ernesto Escobar Vega” uses…
French master’s program opens doors to work opportunity
The Professional French Masters Program at UW–Madison is one of the only program in the country that offers a graduate degree that combines language skills with study in other academic areas.
Study debunks myth that early immigrants quickly learned English
Joseph Salmons has always been struck by the pervasiveness of the argument. In his visits across Wisconsin, in many newspaper letters to the editor, and in the national debates raging over modern immigration, he encounters the same refrain:
Notable graduates: Ryosuke Shibuya — Breaking through language barriers
When Ryosuke Shibuya came to Madison in 2002, he had more of an adjustment to make than the average freshmen. Arriving from his home country of Japan, Shibuya did not speak any English. Six years later, he's graduating with a degree in history.
Local competition exposes high schoolers to the study of linguistics
While the average U.S. high school may not offer classes in Turkish or Indonesian, an international competition will soon be bringing them to Madison's high school students.