LL-L 'Language maintenance' 2007.01.11 (07) [E]

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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
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L O W L A N D S - L - 10 January 2007 - Volume 07

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From: MWI <wintzermichel at wanadoo.fr>
Subject: LL-L 'Language maintenance' 2007.01.11 (03) [E/LS]

Moinmoin altohoop,

Ron wrote:

"For a language to have long-term survival chances
 it must be self-contained, independent and "complete"
(which is not the same as "isolated" and "pure").
A language that is limited to certain spheres is likely
to disappear sooner or later."

I would say "is BOUND to disappear sooner or later".
What makes a language "self-contained
and independent". It can maintain/attain
such state if and only if in its homeland it
is the PRIMARY language in ALL spheres
of public and private life.
Over the years I have been following exchanges
like the present ones with interest, or
rather: with deep emotional involvement.
When we are writing about language
maintenance and survival what is the time
frame we are having in mind? 10 years?
Good chance! 10 million years? No chance.
So when Ron says "long-term survival
chances" what does he mean? We all know,
intuitively what he means: That the language
moves on a horizontal line and not on a down-hill
slope. For moving on a horizontal line, it
has to be, forgive me for insisting on it
again, in its land the primary language
in all spheres of private and public life
(notably education, media and administration).
Everything else is for  the birds.
Almost all our LLlanguages
are on a downhill slope, because they
are not primary language anywhere.
When we discuss here their history,
literature, folklore, militant activities,
evolution, linguistics, use...etc etc,
is that then for the birds? Certainly not!
It is intellectual and emotional delectation,
that's what keeps us together.
What we should realise though, and I
gather again and again that many of us
don't, is that our activities cannot stop the
continued down-hill sliding of our
languages. Nothing can, except their
(re-)instatement as primary languages.
Anybody who claims that he is fighting
for the survival of a language, has to
fight for this goal AND NOTHING LESS.
Kumpelmenten, Mike Wintzer

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