surge of news on endangered languages...

[Richard Smith]

Yes Phil,
it was refreshing,
and shows the power of media when it gets behind us.
I was quoted  in NEWSOK about our Wyandotte language revitalization efforts
here in NE Oklahoma...a few facts were skewed(typically) but I hope we are
riding a good wave here!

I'm worried about Quapaw...since the last speaker told me recently ...she
was the last...and no one left to talk to...
Any gentle spirited linguist students out there dying to make a differance?
She has had unfortunate times in the past with heady linguists who she felt
simply gathered material and then reinvented the language...she was
disgusted with the material they put together and so she quit.

What do other tribal people do about linguists who come among
us...reinventing the sound, the phonology of our languages? This is an issue
somewhat close to me as well...and can stir a little tornado in side me when
i hear a language being butchered.
Is it possible for  PHD linguists to actually back down when evidence shows
they are "wandering" or "recreating" without the endorsement of the nation?
The recent posting about standardization has been very interesting to me,
and i can see the issue better from both sides,but i wonder...
Children are capable of creating an array of good sound and can imitate what
they hear exceptionally well.
But won't UNlearning incorrect phonology be more difficult? Even interfere
with or serve to discourage a student from continuing on?

Richard
Wyandotte Oklahoma





On 9/19/07 10:01 AM, "phil cash cash" <cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU> wrote:

> ILAT,
> 
> The recent surge of news on endangered languages was very refreshing!
> Although I am not sure where the source originated (NYT, etc.), it spurned
> a number of follow up stories in British Columbia, Oklahoma, and the
> Northern Territories AUS.  We also had some of our ILAT subscribers quoted
> in the news as well.
> 
> The LA Times put its own unique spin on the story with the headlines "One
> language disappears every 14 days."  It went even as far as to offer the
> alternative.  Quoting a language researcher it says, "In as few as seven to
> 10 days, they can record enough information to prevent the complete loss of
> a language..."
> 
> All of this in reference to the recent October issue of National Geographic
> and languagehotspots.org.
> 
> Phil Cash Cash
> UofA ILAT