Mother Tongue Other Tongue is a multilingual poetry competition, celebrating cultural diversity and the many languages currently spoken and studied.
Local resident, Caroline Norman from Languages Sheffield, says, “Sheffield has a rich diversity of languages and our young people have amazing language skills, whether in a language spoken at home or a language learnt at school. Languages are so important for work, study and travel.”
School students aged 7 to 18 are invited to submit an original or ‘remembered’ poem or song in their mother tongue and a short explanation in English. Or they can write a poem in a language they are learning at school. Adults in an ESOL class can also submit entries.
Student from Parkwood Academy were the first to enter the competition (pictured above). Jodie Bamforth from Parkwood Academy says,
“The competition has provided students with a brilliant opportunity to explore and discuss their cultural identities and take pride in their multilingualism. It has promoted a real sense of pride and achievement.”
Winners will be invited to the national celebration in Manchester in November. The University of Sheffield will celebrate entries and winners at a special ceremony on 26 September, the European Day of Languages. An anthology of the poems will be available. A collection of the poems entered will also be displayed during the Off the Shelf Festival in October at venues across Sheffield. Prizes have been provided by Sheffield Hallam University. The top prize for each category will be a Kindle.
To enter, go to https://www.languages-sheffield.org.uk
Contact Caroline Norman: 253 6705 or e-mail mtot-yh@hotmail.com
The closing date is Friday 12 July 2013