Summer Institute of Linguistics

Sat Feb 19 18:46:50 UTC 2005

Dear Todd Hartch,

I am not from Mexico but I realize belatedly however, I should share with you and also write to other two linguists who have raised questions on my views about SIL [Summer Institute of Linguistics].

As far as I understand SIL has made a landmark contribution to documenting languages of the world. Language communities, particularly indigenous language communities, are always obliged to SIL as it has documented their languages which concerned nations have not been able to doing so. This is SIL’s one of the greatest achievements and I do hope this applies to your country Mexico also.

Scholars as well as other researchers from SIL have reached far and wide in the world and lived a very hard life in the concerned language communities [sometime persecuted by governments], researched and documented different languages. Unfortunately, I have never had any touch with SIL or its peoples in studying languages.

The impression of SIL to me is that it has also converted peoples into Christian faith. I personally don’t object it. But while in Nepal, for unity and strength of certain language community, we offered our differences collectively. To adhere to whatever religion is one’s religious right.  While advocating ethnic, linguistic and cultural rights of indigenous peoples in a broader national perspective in Nepal, we had also to come across this issue. We understand language and culture offer identity to a certain group of people. If a culture dies, language of the community also dies and vice versa. So, cultural heritage need preservation. Apparently, SIL did not seem to be attentive to cultural preservation. However, cultures in Nepal require modifications. They have hindered economic development.

I had presented a paper on ‘Revitalizing Kusunda Language in the Himalayas’ to a seminar in Helsinki University back in September 2001 in which my argument was that SIL’s researchers have differentiated one single language into many others. This has led to linguistic disintegration or lingual endangerment. Those researches have also professed Christianity and provoked ‘cultural dishonesty’ among disadvantaged communities etc. Prof. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas [tovesk at babel.ruc.dk or skutnabb-kangas at vip.cybercity.dk]. of Roskilde University, Denmark in her book LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION Vol. 17, No. 2, 2003 81 and a paper ‘Revitalisation of Indigenous Languages in Education: Contextualising the Papua New Guinea Experience’ has cited me otherwise. I can recall she and Prof. Robert Phillipson had offered an impressive lecture on "Language issues and Language policy” on November 6, 2001 in Kathmandu. I have great respect for both of them. But I beg to differ from Prof. Tove.

Please check how Prof. Tove has picked my argument below:

“4. ‘SIL study team in Nepal . . . “the SIL crusaders” . . . the result of whose acts Nepalese societies seem to be breaking up so we do not think it a welcome cooperation of the SIL peoples in Nepal. The acts as such have led to cultural degradation and lingual endangerment in the country’ (Rana, 2001)”.

But the fact is that she has just picked few words and phrases from my paper. The phrase “the SIL Crusaders” is not mine. I borrowed it from Chester Graham’s [email:Tradux at cherry.com.au] letter of March 27, 2001 which I have cited in the foot-note also.

Later on Dr. Landweer of Canada wrote to me” with a measure of embarrassment” in her email below.  But mine was not like that.  I have here typed few lines from my paper.

“In its 1996 edition Ethnologue reported that 125 languages are spoken in Nepal. And, in its 14th edition in 200, it has further reported that there are 128 languages in the country (Grimes 2000). In each of its editions, Ethnologue seems to be inclined to increase language numbers and which is not in the best interest of any country. It will sooner or later, weaken linguistic unity of a country. It will give birth to a new nation in the name of linguistic differences. Besides, the SIL study team in Nepal have also earned a reputation – ‘the SIL crusaders’ as the result of whose acts Nepalese societies seem to be breaking up so we do not think it a welcome cooperation of the SIL peoples in Nepal. The acts as such have led to cultural degradation and lingual endangerment in the country. Ethnologue gives more names for an individual language for example” ….

Nowadays, our country Nepal is in a horrible political mess.  Uprooting monarchy the Maoist rebels want to establish radical communist rule in Nepal and on the other hand the government wants to contain the rebels. Almost 12,000 people have been killed in 10 years’ conflicts.  For your information I should tell you the Maoists have also publicized that they would offer right to self-determination on the basis of linguistic diversity. A small Himalayan kingdom can’t afford it.

I don’t know what is there in your country Mexico.

Sincerely yours,

B. K. Rana

____________________________

>From: "Lynn Landweer" <mlland at essex.ac.uk>

>To: <bk_rana at hotmail.com>

>Subject: Helsinki 2001 Conference Paper

>Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 15:47:23 +0100

>

>Rana:

>

>I write to you again with a measure of embarassment.  Over two years

ago

>now

>(on the 31st of August 2001), I attended your presentation on the

>revitalization needs of Kusunda.  At the time you did not have papers

to

>distribute to those attending, but promised to send electronic copies

for

>those who would request a copy.  I did request a copy and you sent it

to

>me.

>Unfortunately, I did not move it from my e-mail inbox to a Microsoft

>document.  I say unfortunately becuase hard drive crashed taking with

it

>all

>of my e-mail.  Sigh.

>

>I was disappointed not to have your paper, but reconcilled myself with

the

>fact that I had the abstract your wrote, as well as my notes on your

>presentation.

>

>Since the 31st of August 2001, and our speaking together, I have

enrolled

>at

>the University of Essex as a PhD candidate.  Recently my supervisor

quoted

>someone who was supposed to have quoted your Helsinki paper.  However,

what

>he said was not consistent with what I remember in your oral

presentation

>or

>with your abstract.

>

>Thus, I am wondering if you might send me another electronic copy of

your

>paper.  This time I will move it immediately to a microsoft word

document

>and out of e-mail!!  The paper you presented was entitled:

"Revitalizing

>Kusunda Language in the Himalayas."

>

>I certainly would be grateful.

>

>M. Lynn Landweer

>

>P.S.  I am myself writing on language vitality issues as presaged by

my

>presentation on language vitality assessment in Papua New Guinea (the

paper

>I presented at the conference).  Hopefully, once this degree is

completed,

>I

>will be able to return to the South Pacific to work with the

incredible

>number of small languages there.  L.

Todd Hartch <todd.hartch at EKU.EDU> wrote: Linguists,
I am a historian of Mexico and am in the process of revising the manuscript
of my first book, which looks at the history of the Summer Institute of
Linguistics in Mexico (1930-1985). One of the anonymous readers of the MS
recommended that I add a short section assessing the linguistic prowess (or
lack thereof) of the SIL. As a non-linguist I do not feel particularly
qualified to evaluate the SIL in this way. I would be extremely thankful to
hear how non-SIL linguists view the SIL's linguistic work, especially their
work in Mexico from about 1940-1980. Also, do you know of any journal
articles that offer an analysis of SIL linguistics?
Any opinions and ideas you could give me would be very helpful.
Todd Hartch
Eastern Kentucky University

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/endangered-languages-l/attachments/20050219/fe6d5055/attachment.htm>