Greek university lecturer wins Welsh language learner award
A Greek university lecturer has won a Welsh language learner award.
Eirini Sanoudaki, who is originally from Crete, in Greece, has won a national award for her use of Welsh in the workplace.
The senior lecturer in linguistics at Bangor University won the prize at the annual Work Welsh awards, run by the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
Her work looks at language in monolingual and bilingual speakers, focussing on children with developmental disorders such as Down syndrome and autism.
The academic, who first started learning Welsh during her lunch hour, 10 years ago, says that she went to work at Bangor University because she felt it was one of the best places in Europe to study the development of bilingual children.
‘Only natural’
She said: “When I moved to England, I learnt English and it was only natural then that when I moved to Wales, I learnt Welsh.
“I remember arriving in north Wales for the first time, seeing the sea in one direction, and the mountains in the other and thinking – I could settle here. It reminded me of home.
“Learning Welsh has been a long journey, and when I started 10 years ago, I only studied for an hour during my lunch break. But, today, I am working through the medium of Welsh and love the language.
“When you start learning, you must use every opportunity to practise your Welsh – maybe a few words or short sentences to start off with, but giving it a go and not being afraid to make a mistake is important.
“For me, as I love music, joining a local choir for Welsh learners and native speakers made a huge difference. I could then use the language while doing something I enjoyed.”
She has an 11 year-old son, who speaks Greek, Lombard, Welsh and English, and feels strongly that parents should pass on the gift of a second or third language to their children.
She added: “I have studied bilingual children for years and know that one of the best gifts you can give your child is a second language.
“I cannot understand why you wouldn’t. Numerous studies have shown that kids can cope with learning two, three or more languages.”
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A very encouraging story. Well done! Ardderchog!
Good stuff, encouraging multilingualism is key to breaking down some of the barriers people set up between themselves, whether at community, nation or personal levels. I knew a 3 year old who understood Welsh, Spanish, English and Icelandic simply because he was exposed to all of them in a natural family environment. I have seen other kids operate easily between spoken and sign languages from a young age.