Publications

What counts as a word in a newly written language is not a simple matter. This volume brings together ten new case studies from around the world that shed light on the complex process of determining word boundaries.   The Orthographic Word in Languages of the World 

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This guide presents up-to-date principles for language-in-education policies that recognize multilingualism as both a fundamental human characteristic and an essential educational approach.  Languages matter: global guidance on multilingual education

This book explores mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB MLE) as a strategy to improve educational outcomes while supporting non-dominant languages alongside dominant ones. It examines key issues such as language policy, the struggles of non-dominant language speakers in mainstream education, and the social and economic benefits of multilingualism. Focusing on experiences from the Asia-Pacific region, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of MTB MLE across various educational levels, offering insights into the complexities of policy and practice in different sociopolitical contexts.

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This volume summarizes decades of progress in participatory linguistics in the work of scholars affiliated with SIL International and other institutions. It includes three framing overviews which discuss the key role of community participation in language documentation and development of materials for languages. The rest of the volume outlines various new tools for phonological analysis and orthography design, sociolinguistic surveys, morphosyntax, lexicography and discourse analysis. Numerous case studies from around the world illustrate the implementation of these tools.  Participatory Linguistics: Methods and case studies from around the world

This new publication offers practical tools and strategies for policymakers, educators, and practitioners to assess multilingual learners effectively in diverse classrooms.  Guidance for the classroom-based assessment of multilingual learners

While many books have been written about basic literacy, few offer detailed information on how to plan and carry out a community literacy project. Fewer still give guidance in tackling the additional barriers of language, culture, and logistics in developing countries and in treating the local community as an active partner rather than a passive recipient in the literacy process. In Local Literacies: Theory and Practice, Glenys Waters includes these elements and presents a practical guide for developing a literacy program. 

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This study uncovers how Nuosu people, a thriving minority ethnic group in southwest China, choose to use digital technologies for reading and writing their traditional script.  The Interaction of Digital Technology and Literacy Practices

This second volume of Good Answers to Tough Questions addresses new issues and questions related to the implementation of local language-medium multilingual education programming. In this volume, we explore some of the more current multilingual education questions related to policy, school language mapping, orthographic challenges, digital tools for learning, early childhood education, education in emergencies, and more.  Good Answers to Tough Questions in L1-based Multilingual Education Volume 2

This publication of Good Answers to Tough Questions was written for education practitioners who are experienced in their field, but who have come up against some tough obstacles in implementing mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) programs in their contexts.  

Good Answers to Tough Questions in Mother Tongue–Based Multilingual Education (English) 

De bonnes réponses à des questions difficiles qui se posent en éducation multilingue fondée sur la langue maternelle (EML-LM) (français)

You can download individual chapters here in English or français.

This volume makes the case that multilingual learning offers a means of achieving both better learning outcomes in Sub-Saharan African schools and social justice in education.  Research in multilingual learning in Africa 

World Bank’s Language of Instruction (LOI) initiative, a proposal to facilitate “fact-based policy dialogue” within governments and encourage an expansion of languages offered in their national education systems. Executive Summary, Report and Event recording are available in a variety of languages.  Loud And Clear

This 2021 publication by the British Council contains selected proceedings of the 12th Language and Development Conference. (232 pages - 4 MB) Language & Sustainable Development Goals

The Patani Malay-Thai Multilingual Education Programme (PMT-MLE) documented in this publication is an action research initiative begun in 2007 which, over the past decade, has demonstrated the effectiveness of multilingual education on learning outcomes for children.  

Bridge to a Brighter Tomorrow: The Patani Malay-Thai Multilingual Education Programme 9MB

English (Summary) 1MB

สะพานเชื่อมโยงไปสู่อนาคตอันสดใส โครงการจัดการศึกษาแบบทวิ-พหุภาษา (ภาษาไทย-มลายูถิ่น) ในโรงเรียนเขตพื้นที่จังหวัดชายแดนภาคใต้  9MB

 ไทย (ฉบับย่อ) 2MB

A review of the literature published with reference to cognition and learning, especially as they relate to ethnolinguistic minorities. Davis, Patricia M., 2014 , SIL e-Books.  Cognition and Learning: A review of the literature with reference to ethnolinguistic minorities 

Davis, Patricia M.; Donald H. Burns, translator; Sean Scott, Illustrator, 2014 , SIL e-Books. (español)  Cognición y Aprendizaje: Reseña de Investigaciones Realizadas Entre Grupos Etnolingüísticos Minoritarios  

Davis, Patricia M., 2017, SIL e-Books. (français)  Cognition et apprentissage: Revue de la littérature scientifique relative notamment aux minorités ethnolinguistiques

Exploration of the Responses of Stakeholders to a Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) Program Being Implemented in Pilot Schools in Mindanao, Philippines. Skoropinski, Xinia, SIL e-book, 2013.  An Exploration of the Responses of Stakeholders to a Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) Program Being Implemented in Pilot Schools in Mindanao, Philippines. 

The Read Online PDFs include e-Books and  two Journals; the Series Publications is where the domain POD and ePUB books, including the Publications in Language Use and Education, are featured.

Larson, M. & Davis, P. M., eds. 1981. Bilingual Education, An Experience in Peruvian Amazonia. Washington, D.C.: Center of Applied Linguistics and Dallas, TX: SIL International.  Bilingual Education: An Experience in Peruvian Amazonia

Prado Pastor, Ignacio, editor, 1979. Mildred L. Larson, Patricia M. Davis, and Marlene Ballena D., compilers.  Educación bilingüe: Una experiencia en la amazonía peruana (español)