<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail-article__container gmail-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;max-width:1024px"><div class="gmail-row" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex"><div class="gmail-article__intro gmail-column" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-left:15px;padding-right:15px;min-height:1px;width:1017px;color:rgb(27,32,36);margin:0px auto;max-width:1070px"><div class="gmail-text-headline" style="box-sizing:border-box"><h1 class="gmail-h1 gmail-headline gmail-article__headline" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:50px;margin:0px 0px 0.67em;font-family:"Roboto Slab";letter-spacing:-0.5px;line-height:60px;text-align:center">'Our language is facing extinction': Tibetans in Australia fight to keep their language alive</h1></div></div><div class="gmail-article__media gmail-column" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;min-height:1px;width:1017px"><div class="gmail-hero gmail-column gmail-article__hero" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;min-height:1px;width:850px;height:478.125px;margin:0px auto;max-width:850px"><div class="gmail-video-player gmail-video-player--hero gmail-has-poster gmail-is-media-tracked gmail-is-media-playing gmail-is-loaded" id="gmail-mod-video-player_module-1" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-position:50% 50%;overflow:hidden;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:rgb(27,32,36);background-image:url("/common/img/placeholders/placeholder-dark.png");background-size:10%;font-size:0px;max-width:none;min-height:100px;width:850px"><div class="gmail-video-player__assets" style="box-sizing:border-box"></div><div class="gmail-video-player__ui-panel" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);background-image:linear-gradient(rgba(0,0,0,0),rgba(0,0,0,0.43) 46%,rgba(0,0,0,0.67));display:flex;height:105px"><div class="gmail-video-player__seek-bar" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 15px"><div class="gmail-video-player__buffer" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:rgb(153,153,153);height:4px;width:37.4688px"></div><div class="gmail-video-player__progress" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:rgb(225,40,39);height:4px;width:9.03125px"></div></div><button class="gmail-video-player__play-pause-button gmail-button gmail-button--clean" style="font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:16px;line-height:32px;font-family:Roboto;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background-image:initial;background-position:0px 0px;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;height:32px;outline:0px;width:32px;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle"><span class="gmail-video-player__play-pause-icon" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;line-height:1;speak:none;font-family:sbs-icons-v2"></span></button><div class="gmail-video-player__volume-bar" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;width:32px;overflow:hidden"><button class="gmail-video-player__volume-button gmail-button gmail-button--clean" style="font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:16px;line-height:32px;font-family:Roboto;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background-image:initial;background-position:0px 0px;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;height:32px;min-width:32px;outline:0px;width:32px;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle"><span class="gmail-video-player__volume-icon" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;line-height:1;speak:none;font-family:sbs-icons-v2"></span></button><div class="gmail-video-player__volume-track" style="box-sizing:border-box;height:8px;padding:2px 4px"><span class="gmail-video-player__volume-level" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:rgb(225,40,39);display:block;height:4px;opacity:0;width:0px"></span><input class="gmail-video-player__volume-range" type="range" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;opacity:0;width:8px"></div></div><div class="gmail-video-player__progress-time gmail-is-faded-in" style="box-sizing:border-box;opacity:1;padding:0px 11px;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:1px"><span class="gmail-video-player__time gmail-video-player__time--elapsed" style="box-sizing:border-box">00:01</span> / <span class="gmail-video-player__time gmail-video-player__time--duration" style="box-sizing:border-box">02:11</span></div><button class="gmail-video-player__share-button gmail-button gmail-button--clean" style="font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:16px;line-height:32px;font-family:Roboto;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background-image:initial;background-position:0px 0px;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;height:32px;width:32px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle"><span class="gmail-icon gmail-icon--share" style="box-sizing:border-box;speak:none;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;line-height:1;font-size:20px;font-family:sbs-icons-v2"></span></button><button class="gmail-video-player__fullscreen-button gmail-button gmail-button--clean" style="font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:16px;line-height:32px;font-family:Roboto;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background-image:initial;background-position:0px 0px;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;height:32px;outline:0px;width:32px;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle"><span class="gmail-video-player__fullscreen-icon" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;line-height:1;speak:none;font-family:sbs-icons-v2"></span></button></div><div class="gmail-video-player__share-panel gmail-video-player__overlay-card gmail-video-player__end-card" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:rgba(27,32,36,0.9);opacity:0;display:flex"><div class="gmail-sharing gmail-sharing--share-container gmail-video-player__share-container" id="gmail-mod-sharing_module-2" style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1;display:flex;color:rgb(255,255,255)"><div class="gmail-label gmail-sharing__label gmail-video-player__share-container-label" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(109,109,109);margin-bottom:15px;font-family:Roboto;font-size:14px;line-height:1.57;letter-spacing:1px"></div><ul class="gmail-sharing__list" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:30px 0px;list-style-type:none;font-size:24px;border-bottom:1px solid;border-top:1px solid;display:flex;width:425px;max-width:50%"><li class="gmail-sharing__item" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;margin:0px 15px"><button class="gmail-button gmail-button--clean gmail-sharing__link gmail-sharing__link--twitter" style="color:rgb(27,32,36);font-stretch:inherit;font-size:32px;line-height:1;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background:0px 0px rgb(153,153,153);border-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:transparent;border-radius:50%;display:block;height:60px;width:60px;padding:0px;speak:none;font-family:sbs-icons-v2"><span class="gmail-sr-only" style="box-sizing:border-box;height:1px;width:1px;border:0px;overflow:hidden;padding:0px"></span></button></li><li class="gmail-sharing__item" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;margin:0px 15px 0px 10px"><button class="gmail-button gmail-button--clean gmail-sharing__link gmail-sharing__link--facebook" style="color:rgb(27,32,36);font-stretch:inherit;font-size:32px;line-height:1;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background:0px 0px rgb(153,153,153);border-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:transparent;border-radius:50%;display:block;height:60px;width:60px;padding:0px;speak:none;font-family:sbs-icons-v2"><span class="gmail-sr-only" style="box-sizing:border-box;height:1px;width:1px;border:0px;overflow:hidden;padding:0px"></span></button></li></ul></div><button class="gmail-video-player__overlay-card-close-button gmail-button gmail-button--clean" style="color:rgb(255,255,255);font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:32px;line-height:32px;font-family:Roboto;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background-image:initial;background-position:0px 0px;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;height:32px;outline:0px;width:32px;padding:0px"><span class="gmail-icon gmail-icon--close" style="box-sizing:border-box;speak:none;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;line-height:1;font-family:sbs-icons-v2"></span></button></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail-article__container gmail-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;max-width:1024px;color:rgb(43,43,43);font-family:Roboto,Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><div class="gmail-row" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex;background-color:transparent"><div class="gmail-article__abstract gmail-column" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;min-height:1px;width:630px;margin:0px auto;max-width:630px"><div class="gmail-text-abstract" style="box-sizing:border-box"><p class="gmail-text-abstract__content" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-size:24px;line-height:1.4">Tibetans in Australia have come together from all over the country to come up with a plan to save their language from dying out.</p></div></div></div><div class="gmail-row" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex"><div class="gmail-meta gmail-article__meta" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:30px 0px;min-height:1px;margin:0px auto;width:630px;max-width:630px;display:flex;text-transform:uppercase;font-family:"Roboto Condensed";font-size:14px;line-height:1.5"><div class="gmail-article__meta__byline" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div class="gmail-meta__item gmail-article__meta-date" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block"><span class="gmail-sr-only" style="box-sizing:border-box;height:1px;width:1px;border:0px;overflow:hidden;padding:0px">UPDATED</span>UPDATED 1 DAY AGO</div><div class="gmail-meta__item gmail-article__meta-author gmail-article__meta-author--block" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:10px">BY <span style="box-sizing:border-box">JESSICA WASHINGTON</span></div></div><div class="gmail-sharing gmail-sharing--outline gmail-sharing--context-social gmail-article__meta__context-social" id="gmail-mod-sharing_module-3" style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:1;border-top:none;border-bottom:none;display:inline-flex;padding:16px 0px 16px 10px;margin:0px"><div class="gmail-label gmail-sharing__label gmail-article__meta__context-social-label" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(109,109,109);font-family:Roboto;line-height:1.57;letter-spacing:1px">SHARE</div><ul class="gmail-sharing__list" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;list-style-type:none;font-size:24px"><li class="gmail-sharing__item" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><button class="gmail-button gmail-button--clean gmail-sharing__link gmail-sharing__link--facebook" style="color:rgb(117,117,122);font-stretch:inherit;font-size:14px;line-height:1;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background-image:initial;background-position:0px 0px;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(117,117,122);border-radius:50%;display:block;height:30px;width:30px;speak:none;font-family:sbs-icons-v2"><span class="gmail-sr-only" style="box-sizing:border-box;height:1px;width:1px;border:0px;overflow:hidden;padding:0px">Share on Facebook</span></button></li> <li class="gmail-sharing__item" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;margin-left:10px"><button class="gmail-button gmail-button--clean gmail-sharing__link gmail-sharing__link--twitter" style="color:rgb(117,117,122);font-stretch:inherit;font-size:14px;line-height:1;margin:0px;overflow:visible;background-image:initial;background-position:0px 0px;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(117,117,122);border-radius:50%;display:block;height:30px;width:30px;speak:none;font-family:sbs-icons-v2"><span class="gmail-sr-only" style="box-sizing:border-box;height:1px;width:1px;border:0px;overflow:hidden;padding:0px">Share on Twitter</span></button></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="gmail-row" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex"><div class="gmail-article__body gmail-column" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;min-height:1px;width:630px;margin:0px auto;max-width:630px;line-height:1.67"><div class="gmail-text-body" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:30px"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">Every Saturday, these children come together to study Tibetan language and culture in the northern Sydney suburb of Manly Vale.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">Asked what they like about studying Tibetan, they all spoke over the top of each other in excitement.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">"When we grow up, and have children, we have to teach them their language, it’s very important," one girl said.</p><div class="gmail-dfp gmail-is-loaded" id="gmail-mod-dfp_module-1" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center"><div class="gmail-dfp-slot gmail-slot2 gmail-is-faded-in" id="gmail-dfp-slot2" style="box-sizing:border-box;opacity:1;margin:30px auto"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/4117/naca.sbs/Australia/article/slot2_tablet_0__container__" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto;min-width:300px;border:0pt none;display:inline-block;width:300px;height:250px"></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">It is clear that enthusiasm to learn is not the problem – but still, this group of Tibetan language teachers is worried.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">"Our responsibility is our heritage, language, our mother tongue – to give it to another generation," Thonden Rhalo, Principal of the Tibetan Learning Centre, told SBS News.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px"></p><div class="embed embed--image" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:30px;clear:left;padding-bottom:16px;border-bottom:1px solid rgb(215,219,219);font-family:Roboto;font-size:12px;line-height:1.5"><img src="https://sl.sbs.com.au/public/image/file/a3d98731-8d1b-4f11-9442-dceb106c29c4" alt="Tibetan language teachers Sonam Lhamo and Thonden Rhalo." title="Tibetan language teachers Sonam Lhamo and Thonden Rhalo." width="700" height="394" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom; width: 630px; height: auto;"><div class="gmail-caption" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-top:16px">Tibetan language teachers Sonam Lhamo and Thonden Rhalo.</div><div class="gmail-attribution" style="box-sizing:border-box;word-break:break-all;line-height:1.5">SBS News</div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px"></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">Mr Rhalo arrived in Australia in 1997. He had lived in India for six years, after he fled Tibet as a political prisoner.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">"Inside Tibet, they can’t preserve the language, and it is dying."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">At the first ever Tibetan Language Conference in Australia, attendees said it is now time to strategise so future generations do not miss out on learning Tibetan language.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">The teachers in attendance said Tibetan language is under pressure within Tibet from the Chinese government.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">Human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reaffirmed that position and said recent moves by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) show a concerted effort to crackdown on Tibetan language and culture.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">In May 2018, language advocate Tashi Wangchuk was <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/china-jails-tibetan-language-activist-for-inciting-separatism" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(225,40,39);background-color:transparent;text-decoration-line:none">sentenced to five years in prison</a>, after campaigning to promote the use of Tibetan in Tibet.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px"></p><div class="embed embed--image" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:30px;clear:left;padding-bottom:16px;border-bottom:1px solid rgb(215,219,219);font-family:Roboto;font-size:12px;line-height:1.5"><img src="https://sl.sbs.com.au/public/image/file/121cb15d-9a10-467d-b9a2-66adb3b4f6e4" alt="Tashi Wangchuk was sentenced for inciting separatism." title="Tashi Wangchuk was sentenced for inciting separatism." width="700" height="394" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom; width: 630px; height: auto;"><div class="gmail-caption" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-top:16px">Tashi Wangchuk was sentenced for inciting separatism.</div><div class="gmail-attribution" style="box-sizing:border-box;word-break:break-all;line-height:1.5">SBS News</div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px"></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">Mr Tashi had appeared in a video by the New York Times, where he spoke of the importance of preserving his mother tongue and how Chinese government policies were eroding his culture.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">"There is a systematic slaughter of our culture," he said in the video.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">The 33-year-old was arrested in 2016, charged with inciting separatism.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">Amnesty International has called the sentence "grotesquely unjust".</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">Earlier this year, there were reports the Tibet Minzu University – a university where the majority of students are of Tibetan heritage – is phasing out classes in Tibetan, and teaching most degrees in Mandarin Chinese.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">Chinese government policy is that Tibetan is an official language of Tibet. Officials argue all their efforts are based on modernising the region, alleviating poverty and improving literacy.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">But many Tibetans feel that is simply not the case.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">"The Tibetan language is facing some kind of extinction. It is the Tibetans in exile, we have a responsibility on our shoulders [passed] from our parents to us," Lhaka Tshoko, official representative of the Dalai Lama said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px"></p><div class="embed embed--image" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:30px;clear:left;padding-bottom:16px;border-bottom:1px solid rgb(215,219,219);font-family:Roboto;font-size:12px;line-height:1.5"><img src="https://sl.sbs.com.au/public/image/file/ecae9fbd-1cc3-4bc1-b1cf-56b49485a763" alt="Lhakpa Tshoko is a representative of the Dalai Lama." title="Lhakpa Tshoko is a representative of the Dalai Lama." width="700" height="394" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom; width: 630px; height: auto;"><div class="gmail-caption" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-top:16px">Lhakpa Tshoko is a representative of the Dalai Lama.</div><div class="gmail-attribution" style="box-sizing:border-box;word-break:break-all;line-height:1.5">SBS News</div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px"></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">"Normally Tibetan families take their children to festivals, but now schools have been strictly instructed to not give permission."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">Associate Professor Ken Cruickshan from the University of Sydney said the benefits of attending language school for children from ethnic minorities are multi-faceted.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">"We know that if children maintain their community languages, they do better at school, their English is better, but more importantly, it gives them a strong identity," he said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 30px">"It’s very important for the diasporic community, a community like the Tibetans...their language was repressed, and that language is their identity."</p></div><div class="gmail-footnote gmail-article__source" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14px;font-family:"Roboto Condensed";line-height:1.75;text-transform:uppercase"><span class="gmail-article__source__label" style="box-sizing:border-box">SOURCE</span> SBS NEWS</div></div></div></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies                     <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone:  (215) 898-7475<br>Fax:  (215) 573-2138                                      <br><br>Email:  <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a>    <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>