BALI HLD Model: Launching on the International Day of Multilingualism, 27.3.2025

Thomas Bak and Dina Mehmedbegovic-Smith are excited to introduce their enhanced HLD model on this important date. The establishment of the International Day of Multilingualism on 27.3.2019. was the initiative led by Thomas Bak and supported by many colleagues. 27.3. was selected as the date when Rosetta Stone was engraved in 196 BCE.

HLD Origins

The origins of the Healthy Linguistic Diet (HLD) interdisciplinary partnership can be traced back to an experts’ meeting in September 2015 at a European Commission Multilingualism Panel in Brussels, facilitated by Kristina Cunningham, the Head of Multilingualism Unit at the  time. Dina Mehmedbegovic-Smith was invited to present her concept of  Healthy Linguistic Diet (Mehmedbegovic, 2011), a powerful analogy that framed multilingualism as essential nourishment for cognitive, social and emotional well-being, much like a balanced diet is for physical health. This idea struck a chord with one of the invited panellists, Thomas Bak, who, despite working in a different area of research—focusing on multilingualism and language learning in later life—had independently been considering the same metaphor. The realisation that they shared this perspective, despite approaching multilingualism from different life stages, sparked a conversation that would soon evolve into a productive collaboration.

As a result of the “Healthy Linguistic Diet” (HLD) presentation in Brussels, the concept was cited in both the 2017 interim report, Rethinking Language Education and Linguistic Diversity in Schools, and the 2019 final report, Migrants in European Schools – Learning and Maintaining Languages.

Inspired by the interest and recognition received, Healthy Linguistic Diet website was launched in 2016: www.healthylinguisticdiet.com. HLD website has been funded by Martin Smith, Director of an international recruitment agency and Dina’s husband, who continues to generously support the development, maintenance and activities of HLD website.  In 2017 the interdisciplinary work on HLD model was outlined in two academic papers (Bak & Mehmedbegovic, 2017; Mehmedbegovic & Bak, 2017). Further recognition came in 2018 and again in 2022 when the European Commission and European Schoolnet promoted HLD through a MOOC on the Gateway’s Teacher Academy, titled Embracing Language Diversity in Your Classroom. The course attracted approximately 2,500 participants from 55 countries, achieving a completion rate well above average and receiving 99% positive ratings. During the pandemic in 2021 INDIRE (Italian National Institute for Documentation, Innovation and Research in Education) funded an HLD pilot facilitated by Letizia Cinganotto with three schools, where 95% of participating teachers and students wanted HLD to continue beyond the funded phase.

Over the past decade, this collaboration has led Dina and Thomas to deliver joint presentations at national, international conferences and events, including invited presentations at the British Academy hosted by MEITS https://meits.org/  and the House of Lords hosted by Baroness Coussins. Jointly and individually, Dina and Thomas, have been consistently promoting HLD through their website, academic discussions, their teaching, social media, voluntary work with parents and community groups and public engagements, expanding its reach and impact.

This year, in February, a unique opportunity to reflect on a decade of HLD collaboration was planned during an academic retreat in Bali. This included giving joint lectures at four universities in Bali and contributing to a multidisciplinary international roundtable on the theme of belonging in education in Lovina, Bali. These discussions continued thanks to Thomas H Bak’s Visiting Scholarship at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, linking them to earlier work of the AHRC Project MEITS (Multilingualism: Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies). These retreats facilitated important face to face discussions and reassessment of HLD evolution and its alignment with current global challenges.

On one hand, the central idea of the Healthy Linguistic Diet (HLD)—the intrinsic value of multilingualism and language learning for cognitive, mental, and social well-being—remains as relevant as ever. On the other hand, there have been exciting developments in the relevant fields of research, reinforcing the vision that HLD is deeply interconnected with two crucial themes: ecology/sustainability and social justice.

Sustainability and Multilingualism

A common misconception about linguistic diversity is that local languages are parochial and stand in opposition to global communication. They are often viewed as obstacles to progress, relics of the past or even liabilities in a modern, interconnected world. In contrast, the HLD model promotes linguistic diversity as a key component of sustainability and global citizenship. Rather than being a barrier, the cultivation of local, minoritised, vulnerable and endangered languages strengthens both individual identity and global understanding. Just as biodiversity is essential for a healthy environment, linguistic diversity enriches our cognitive and cultural ecosystems. When local languages thrive alongside global ones, they foster a sense of rootedness, belonging and intercultural competence.

In Bali, we witnessed this first hand. The dynamic interplay between Bahasa Indonesia, Balinese and English illustrated the complex relationship between languages in regional, national and international contexts. Bahasa Indonesia served as the unifying national language, fostering communication and cohesion across the archipelago, while Balinese remained deeply embedded in local culture, religion and tradition. Meanwhile, English played a crucial role in tourism, global trade and higher education, demonstrating how multilingualism supports both economic opportunities and cultural preservation. All three languages playing important and different roles in Bali’s linguistic habitat. The same principles apply globally, rather than seeing local languages as obstacles to progress or global languages as ‘killer languages’, we must recognise each for in their  distinct roles as pillars of linguistic and environmental sustainability, as well as global interconnectedness.

Social Justice and Decolonisation

Another theme that has gained increasing attention in recent years is the connection between linguistic justice, inclusivity and decolonisation. These issues are not separate from multilingualism, but rather central to the way languages shape power, identity and access to knowledge.

The dominance of colonial languages—such as English, French, and Spanish—has often marginalised indigenous and local languages, reinforcing systemic inequalities. In education, this leads to epistemic injustice, where certain ways of knowing are privileged while others are devalued, silenced or erased. This is where Healthy Linguistic Diet model provides a framework for academic multilingualism and epistemic diversity as pathways to social justice and decolonisation. Here are the additional categories of HLD model and their rationale:

1. Academic Multilingualism – promotes education models which value local, indigenous and minoritised languages, by facilitating access to knowledge and academic discourse in a range of relevant languages.
2. Epistemic Diversity –emphasise that language is not just a tool for communication; it is a vessel of knowledge, history, culture and insights into localities/environments. When we embrace epistemic diversity, we acknowledge that different languages carry unique ways of understanding the world. This is particularly relevant in decolonising education, where indigenous knowledge systems have often been overlooked or dismissed.

During our time in Bali, we saw first hand how these dynamics unfold in academic spaces. Universities are actively grappling with how to integrate local knowledge, indigenous languages and linguistic traditions into their curricula while maintaining global relevance. The challenge is not just about preservation, but about recognition and empowerment—ensuring that local epistemologies are not overshadowed by dominant global narratives, but instead celebrated as equally valuable.

Healthy Linguistic Diet (HLD) model offers a framework that moves beyond the outdated binary of global vs. local, instead emphasising how these dimensions can be mutually enriching. When linguistic and knowledge diversity is actively fostered, education becomes more than just a transmission of dominant perspectives—it evolves into a truly inclusive, representative and just system that reflects the richness of human experience.

A beautiful symbol of this harmony between tradition and academia is captured in the title photo taken with the Balinese colleagues at Ganesha University in Singaraja, gathered around the statue of Ganesh, the Balinese god elephant, protector of education and wisdom, also the symbol and namesake of this university. Just as Ganesh embodies both knowledge and cultural heritage, the collaborations in Bali shone a light on the idea that academic inquiry and local traditions need not be in opposition, but can coexist and strengthen one another. These moments, shared across languages, disciplines and cultural perspectives, are an important reminder that true learning flourishes when it is rooted in both respect for the past and openness to the future.

Looking Ahead: HLD as a Global Model of Wellbeing for Individuals and Societies

Reflecting on the past decade, Healthy Linguistic Diet model has evolved beyond its initial cognitive and educational foundations. It has become a model that addresses the vision of wellbeing,  sustainability and social justice through concepts of  academic multilingualism, belonging, epistemic diversity, rootedness in linguistic habitats and intercultural competence, Figure 1: HLD diagram.

Our time in Bali reinforced the urgent need to continue advocating for linguistic justice in education, policy and society. Multilingualism is not just a skill; it is a form of resistance, empowerment and transformation. As we move forward, we hope that HLD will continue to inspire educators, policymakers and communities to see language as a force for social change.

The rest of the 21^st century will be crucial in supporting diversity of linguistic habitats through relevant education policies and models. According to the estimates on Sustainability for All website (https://www.activesustainability.com ): 90 percent of 7000 world languages are considered endangered and heading for extinction within next 100 years, Indonesia being one of eight countries with the highest percentage of vulnerable languages.

As we work towards a more sustainable and just world, we remain committed to promoting a truly healthy linguistic diet—one that nourishes not only individuals, but societies as a whole.

References:

Bak, TH and Mehmedbegovic D (2017) Healthy Linguistic Diet: the value of linguistic diversity and language learning across the lifespan, Language, Society and Policy, Vol DOI: doi:10.17863/CAM.9854.

Microsoft Word – Bak Mehmedbegovic  JLSP 2017.docx

Mehmedbegovic, D and Bak, TH (2017) Towards an interdisciplinary lifetime approach to multilingualism: From implicit assumptions to current evidence, European Journal of Language Policy, Vol. 9, Issue 2: Pages, (149-167 pp)

Engaging_with_Linguistic_Diversity_in_Global_Citie.pdf

“Migrants in European schools: learning and maintaining languages” report: https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/c0683c22-25a8-11e8-ac73-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-67513028

“Rethinking language education and linguistic diversity in Schools” report : https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/de1c9041-25a7-11e8-ac73-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-69196245