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<DIV>Dear endangered languages community,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>just a short comment on the debate re the “language death” metaphor in the
context of the posting by Lena and her exhibition:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The coffin might maybe not be the best choice for raising awareness for the
continuing endangerment of many languages in this world, in particular in a
children’s museum.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Yet, what I am missing very much in this discussion is the support and
encouragement of Lena and her idea to draw attention towards language issues in
general and endangered languages in particular.</DIV>
<DIV>Let’s not forget, dear colleagues, that for the overwhelming majority of
people (in Germany or elsewhere), languages, linguistics and questions of
language endangerment are a rather exotic topic. Even many well-educated people
are not aware of the fact that, in spite of revitalisation efforts around the
globe, many languages in this world are spoken less and less by fewer and fewer
people every day. Even further, many people would are not even aware that there
are good reasons for trying to reverse these processes.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In this sense, the discussion whether “language death” is actually a useful
metaphor or not doesn’t seem to meet the purpose – it is, quite contrary, an
academic discussion seemingly far beyond Lena Terhart’s target audience.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I would like to thank Lena for raising awareness towards linguistics in
general, and language endangerment, language death, reversal of language shift,
language revitalization or whatever you prefer to call it in particular, among
children, their parents and other members of the general public, for many of
whom this is probably a topic about which they hardly ever think at all. I wish
you many constructive comments by the academic community which may really help
you to develop an interesting exhibition, and hopefully many interested
visitors! Good luck!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Best wishes to all,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Heiko F. Marten</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">----------------------------------------------------<BR>Dr.
Heiko F. Marten<BR>Tallinn University<BR>Dept. of German<BR>Narva mnt
25-29<BR>EST-10120 Tallinn<BR>Estonia</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000"><A
href="mailto:heiko.marten@tlu.ee">heiko.marten@tlu.ee</A><BR></DIV>
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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=js72@SOAS.AC.UK
href="mailto:js72@SOAS.AC.UK">Julia Sallabank</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, August 31, 2013 1:09 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=ENDANGERED-LANGUAGES-L@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
href="mailto:ENDANGERED-LANGUAGES-L@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG">ENDANGERED-LANGUAGES-L@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: Endangered Languages in Museum</DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr>I agree that the coffin is gruesome, pessimistic and
unconstructive.
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>How about something about ways in which children themselves are helping to
maintain and revitalise languages? e.g. language nests, language clubs,
songs, dance/s, crafts, storytelling, drama, the Manx-language football team at
the Bunscoill Ghaelgagh? The TWF childcare initiative in Wales?
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif">Best
wishes</SPAN><BR style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif">
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial,sans-serif"><BR>Julia
<BR><BR>Dr. Julia Sallabank<BR>Senior Lecturer in Language Support and
Revitalisation, <BR>Endangered Languages Academic Programme, <BR>Department of
Linguistics,<BR>School of Oriental and African Studies, <BR>Thornhaugh Street
<BR>London WC1H 0XG<BR>UK <BR><BR>Tel. <A
href="tel:%2B44%20%280%2920%207898%204326" target=_blank
value="+442078984326">+44 (0)20 7898 4326</A> (I can access
voicemail)<BR>E-mail <A href="mailto:js72@soas.ac.uk"
target=_blank>js72@soas.ac.uk</A></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_extra><BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On 31 August 2013 10:18, Anne Dykstra <SPAN
dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:dykstraanne@gmail.com"
target=_blank>dykstraanne@gmail.com</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Hi
there,<BR><BR>There is a monument to dead languages at Vilnius University.
Maybe you could use that for your museum?<BR><BR><A
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wingedthing/6124678274/"
target=_blank>http://www.flickr.com/photos/wingedthing/6124678274/</A><BR><BR>Best,<BR>Anne<BR><BR>Verstuurd
vanaf mijn iPad<BR><BR>Op 31 aug. 2013 om 10:36 heeft "King, Dr Alexander D."
<<A href="mailto:a.king@ABDN.AC.UK">a.king@ABDN.AC.UK</A>> het volgende
geschreven:<BR>
<DIV class=HOEnZb>
<DIV class=h5><BR>> I find the coffin metaphor repulsive and offensive. I
know that many of my Koryak friends share that opinion because I have been
talking to them a lot about "language death" metaphors versus shift and
other terms. I know other Koryaks, though, would agree that the language is
"dying", but those people tend to be purists, whose attitude does nothing to
help revitalization efforts.<BR>><BR>> Now is the time for those people
in control of the terms of discourse, such as this exhibition curator, to work
harder to come up with more imaginative metaphors to create a wider and more
sophisticated public discussion about language shift, revitalization and
indigenous peoples.<BR>><BR>> Just getting the word out to ignorant
elites in western Europe is not food enough. It is bad
politics.<BR>><BR>> Sincerely,<BR>> Alex King<BR>> (just back from
Kamchatka, Russia)<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> Sent from my
iPhone<BR>><BR>> On Aug 30, 2013, at 18:17, "Margaret Ann Noodin" <<A
href="mailto:noodin@UWM.EDU">noodin@UWM.EDU</A>> wrote:<BR>><BR>>>
Ah! What a relief to hear others find the coffin scary. I can see
the power of the metaphor but if this display is for children at your museum I
hope coffins are not familiar to them (as they might be for some children in
the world right now).<BR>>><BR>>> Have you considered the metaphor
of the children themselves? Or of something comforting? Maybe a
rocking chair with words painted all over it? Or a swing with words
entwined in the ropes that hold it up? Or a rocket ship to the stars
built of panels with different phrases from earth?<BR>>><BR>>> For
any of those I would be happy to contribute something in Anishinaabemowin
(Ojibwe).<BR>>><BR>>> Here is a poem of mine which is also a song.
Feel free to use words, lines or the entire poem. Let me know if you would
like an MP3 of the audio.<BR>>><BR>>> No matter what you do - keep
us posted and thanks for sharing a concern for languages with the
public!<BR>>><BR>>> Waawaatese by Margaret
Noodin<BR>>><BR>>> Aanii ezhi pagozi dibikgiizis? / How does
moonlight taste?<BR>>><BR>>> Aanii ezhi noodin pagwad / How much
does the wind weigh?<BR>>><BR>>> Aanii ezhi ezhichigeyaamba / What
do I need to do<BR>>><BR>>> Ji-nsostaawaag waawaateseg / to
understand the fireflies?<BR>>><BR>>> Jiimaanan ina n'ga pagadanan
giizhigong / Throw kisses or canoes to heaven?<BR>>><BR>>> Maage
mikzhaweyaanh gdo'wiikweodenong / Or row to a heart's
shore?<BR>>><BR>>> N'wii bodewaadiz gonemaa / Perhaps I will set
myself alight<BR>>><BR>>> Miidash tonaanan shkodensan shpemsigong
/ then place the flames in the sky<BR>>><BR>>> Anongziibike
minajiwong dibikong / making a river flowing through
night<BR>>><BR>>> Miidash wii baashkaazoying dibishko / where
explosions echo<BR>>><BR>>> Zaagigaabaag ziigwaning. / the
bursting leaves of Spring.<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>><BR>>>
----- Original Message -----<BR>>> From: "Peter Austin" <<A
href="mailto:pa2@SOAS.AC.UK">pa2@SOAS.AC.UK</A>><BR>>> To: <A
href="mailto:ENDANGERED-LANGUAGES-L@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG">ENDANGERED-LANGUAGES-L@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG</A><BR>>>
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2013 11:56:21 PM<BR>>> Subject: Re:
Endangered Languages in Museum<BR>>><BR>>> Will there be a day
when this death and dying metaphor can be put to rest? A coffin? My goodness,
can't we be a little bit more creative? And a little bit more
sensitive?<BR>>><BR>>> How about sharing some lessons from
communities working to revitalise their languages? There are lots of games,
apps and other fun interactive things for kids to do that are freely available
on the internet now. Put a nice package of them together and sensitise the
kids to how languages are threatened but communities are responding to
strengthen their languages. You could start by looking at <A
href="http://www.firstvoices.com" target=_blank>www.firstvoices.com</A> and
moving on from there.<BR>>><BR>>> That's my 2p
worth.<BR>>><BR>>> Peter
Austin<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>> On Friday, 30 August 2013, Lena
Terhart < <A href="mailto:lena.terhart@gmx.de">lena.terhart@gmx.de</A> >
wrote:<BR>>>> Dear Colleagues,<BR>>>><BR>>>> the
UNIKATUM children's museum in Leipzig, Germany, is preparing an exhibition on
language ( <A href="http://www.kindermuseum-unikatum.de/papperlapapp.html"
target=_blank>http://www.kindermuseum-unikatum.de/papperlapapp.html</A> in
German). I thought it would be nice to present language endangerment as part
of the exhibition and together with the responsible people of the museum, we
are now thinking about one exhibit, probably a coffin that shall be filled
with words that may die out.<BR>>>><BR>>>> In order to
present a big variety of endangered languages, I would like to ask you to
contribute with<BR>>>> - a list of max. 5 words in the endangered
language (basic vocabulary, something that may be interesting for children,
e.g. animals, plants, natural phenomena, or maybe also simple
verbs)<BR>>>> - in the orthographic convention you
use<BR>>>> - together with a translation<BR>>>> - and some
basic info about the geographic location and number and age of speakers or
alternatively a link to your website where I can find the
information<BR>>>><BR>>>> Additionally, photographs of the
speakers and/or environment could be very nice, and ideally also recordings of
the words (MP3), but that is not a requisite - I know that the search for
individual words and cutting process may be too
time-consuming.<BR>>>><BR>>>> The mounting of the exhibition
will start on the 16th of september already so that I need the word lists
until the 13th latest.<BR>>>><BR>>>> Thanks!<BR>>>>
Lena<BR>>>><BR>>><BR>>> --<BR>>> Prof Peter K.
Austin<BR>>> Marit Rausing Chair in Field Linguistics<BR>>>
Director, Endangered Languages Academic Programme<BR>>> Research Tutor
and PhD Convenor<BR>>> Department of Linguistics, SOAS<BR>>>
Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square<BR>>> London WC1H 0XG<BR>>>
United Kingdom<BR>>><BR>>> web: <A
href="http://www.hrelp.org/aboutus/staff/index.php?cd=pa"
target=_blank>http://www.hrelp.org/aboutus/staff/index.php?cd=pa</A><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
The University of Aberdeen is a charity registered in Scotland, No
SC013683.<BR></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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