This Friday, the 2022 edition of Formentera's series in lifelong learning closes with a lecture from linguist Joan Albert Ribas titled 'Surnames of Formentera: History and linguistic curiosities'. The talk will be held at 5.00pm in the seniors' social centre in Sant Ferran. Organised by the Formentera Office of the Elderly and the Open University for Older Adults [Universitat Oberta per Majors, UOM], the series of seven lectures began on February 7 and is open to people over 50.

11 May 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Language Advisory Service (Servei d'Assessorament Lingüístic, SAL) of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to announce the resurrection of a language volunteer programme that connects people eager to share their Catalan with individuals who are keen to learn it better, gain confidence or simply practise it.

Volunteers and beneficiaries need only be 18 years old and willing to dedicate an hour a week, and to commit to meeting a minimum of five times. The first meeting is always arranged by the SAL and takes place, after an initial encounter, in a local bar. In fact, refreshments at the first meeting are paid for by the SAL.

Raquel Guasch, Councillor of Language Policy, said the initiative was about "creating new spaces for conversation where learners can use Catalan with more confidence".

Interested parties should send an email to sal@conselldeformentera.cat and a first meeting with the language partner will be arranged based on availability.

29 April 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Language Advisory Service of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that Carme Junyent will give a talk titled "Catalan in 2022: Current perspectives, challenges and the question of inclusive language" at 7.30pm Thursday 5 May in the Consell de Formentera auditorium next to the Formentera Day Centre (Centre de Dia de Formentera). The lecture is open and reservations are not required.

Junyent is a professor of linguistics at the University of Barcelona and a founding member of the Endangered Languages Study Group (GELA). She is the author of an extensive body of work on the diversity and current situation of the world's languages and has published works and educational articles on the distinctly timely subject of inclusive language. Junyent has edited and collaborated in works that have become bestsellers, such as El català, la llengua efervescent: 77 visions sobre el terreny (Ed. Viena, 2021), Som dones, som lingüistes, som moltes i diem prou (Eumo, 2021) and El futur del català depèn de tu (La Campana, 2020).

In March 2022, Junyet was appointed president Language Advisory Council (Consell Lingüístic Assessor), a newly created body within the Department of Education of the Generalitat de Catalunya which aims, among other things, to strengthen the use of the Catalan language in education.

27 April 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

This Friday 29 April, Formentera's Open University for Seniors (Universitat Oberta per a Majors, UOM) will host Dr. Santiago Colomar, teacher at Marc Ferrer Secondary School, for 'Historical notes on bread, wine and meat on Formentera', the second-to-last instalment of the UOM lecture series this season. The talk will be at 5.00pm at the Sant Francesc Retirees' Club and is open to individuals aged fifty and over.

26 April 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera