The symbiotic relationship between Language and Nature in southern and eastern Arabia

This interdisciplinary project addresses the significance of local languages in valuing and conserving biodiversity in Southern Arabia.

The third University of Leeds Endangered Languages workshop examined the effect of people movement in all its forms on endangered languages. The workshop was held at the Leeds Humanities Research Institute at the University of Leeds on 04 July 2017 from 9am – 1.30pm, and then from 1.30pm – 5pm in Clothworkers North Building LT (Cinema) (2.31). 

Programme

9.00 – 9.30 Tea and coffee 

9.30 – 10.10 Introduction: Janet Watson & Diane Nelson 

10.10 – 10.50 Professor D. Chatty, Emerita Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration, and former director of the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford: ‘The Harsusi Language and Transregional Migration’ 

10.50 – 11.10 Tea and coffee 

11.10 – 11.50 Professor G. Khan, Regius Professor of Hebrew, University of Cambridge: 'The Aramaic-speaking Communities of the Middle East' 11.50 – 12.30 Professor J. Watson & Ali al-Mahri: ‘People movement in Dhofar, Oman’ 

12.30 – 1.30 Lunch @ LHRI

Clothworkers North Building LT (Cinema) (2.31) 

1.30 – 2.10 Professor Rosaleen Howard, Chair of Hispanic Studies & Director of Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), University of Newcastle: ‘ Language Rights for Indigenous Peoples in the Andes-Amazon region’ 

2.10 – 2.30 Ernesto Contreras, Mexican film director, to introduce Sueño en otro idioma (I Dream in Another Language) ‘When a language dies, a unique vision of the world is lost forever.’ Winner of the Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival 2017. 

2.30 – 4.30 Sueño en otro idioma (I Dream in Another Language) 

4.30 – 5.00 Discussion

The workshop was followed by a wine reception hosted by the Network for Hispanic and Lusophone Cultural Studies.