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Header: Anna Loh

Maarten Mous: ‘Your language is part of the world’

In the new video series 'The World of Linguistics', alumni and researchers talk about their passion for their field. Professor of African Linguistics Maarten Mous explains the importance of hearing your language at school.

‘I remember a village in Tanzania that I visited with a colleague. The teachers gave us permission to read a story in Alagwa to the oldest children. They were so excited. All these children speak Alagwa, but at school they have to use Swahili. They suddenly found out they could read in their own language and that this language is also a part of the world.’

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