My own qualifications for this research are the following:

Name Jørgen Dalsgaard.

Born 3/10 1939.

Married  to Eva Elise Schmidt (born Sørensen)

We have 5 children born 1964-73.

Master of Science (cand. mag.) in mathematics, physics and chemistry from University of Copenhagen 1963.

I started teaching in the Danish secondary school in 1963.

 In 1976-78 I taught in Zambia (Luanshya Girls Sec School – DANIDA), where I experienced the problems in using a foreign language as the medium of instruction. I made a big effort to learn Bemba, the local language.

In 1981-84 I taught in Tanzania (Institute of Development Management, NORAD), where I learned Swahili through private teachers.

In 1991-93 and 1995-98 I taught in Mozambique (Instituto Industrial de Maputo. SIDA). There I studied Tsonga at a university course. Later on I took private lessons in Shangana. I also made contact with some institutions, who were involved in the development of the national languages ( INDE, DINAME, UEM, Radio Mozambique and others).

From 1 Jan 2005 Associate Researcher at "Institute for Antropologi, Arkæologi og Lingvistik, Århus Universitet"

My interest in and knowledge of the linguistic problems in teaching has been the base for the following activities:

a. For a workshop in Tanzania I made a paper ”Language of development/development of language” based on my experience of the status of the languages in Zambia and Tanzania.

c. I gave a lecture at the Swedish Embassy in Maputo in May 1993 on Shangana, the language used in Maputo.

c. I made a paper for a NORAD-workshop in Oslo in May 1994 and presented it there.

d. I have several times giver lectures on ”Language and Culture” at  DANIDA’s courses in Hornbæk.

e. I wrote an article on the languages of Mozambique for the DANIDA magazine  ”Udvikling” nr 10 94/95.

f. I had an article ”Hvad sprog også kan bruges til” accepted in a competition on development problems (by Dansk Ingeniørforening 1996).

In February 2004 we visited Mozambique and took up some of the old contacts, and my experience from this visit is the direct cause for my wish to make this research project.