LL-L "Language diversity" 2009.02.19 (07) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

===========================================
L O W L A N D S - L - 19 February 2009 - Volume 07
===========================================



From: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Language diversity" 2009.02.19 (05) [E]



Of course languages have always gone extinct; the difference is that in the
pre-global age, as one vanished another dialect split from its parent enough
to become a new language, due to isolation or separation.



That obviously doesn't happen anymore.  The problem with preservation is, do
you try to preserve the isolation as well? Ultimately the responsibility for
a language surviving has to lie with those that speak it.  We can stop
outright attempts at elimination such as the British tried with Welsh and
Gaelic, the French with Breton, or the Turks with Kurdish.  But in the end,
if the kids don't want to speak something, and don't miss it, who are others
to criticise them?



Paul

Derby

England


----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language diversity

Hi, Paul!

I don't think terribly many (reasonable) people criticize the kids that
don't want to speak a given language or even elders that don't teach them
the language or don't insist on it being spoken with them.

Much rather, what has to be criticized in my opinion are the circumstances
that led to and/or keep reinforcing such decline. This includes such things
as governmental and educational attitudes, policies and support (or the lack
thereof), administrative sabotage (such as the foot-dragging in implementing
the European Language Charter directives), also media behavior, coverage (or
the lack thereof).

There are countless examples of this. When I grew up, many parents did not
teach their children Low Saxon because directly or indirectly they had been
given the message that it was low-prestige and a hindrance to their
youngsters' educational and career success. A friend of mine very much
regrets not having been spoken to in Yiddish by his parents, but the
atmosphere in the post-WW-II years had been influenced by Israel's
influential Zionist ideas and ideals that viewed Judeo-specific Diaspora
languages, especially Yiddish, with disdain. As a result, many Jews and
others mistakenly believe that Yiddish is now extinct, many others just
refer it only for its supposed amusement value, and all of them miss out on
the tremendously powerful literary heritage that can only be fully
appreciated in the original language.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

•

==============================END===================================

 * Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.

 * Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.

 * Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.

 * Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l")

   are to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at

   http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.

*********************************************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20090219/ba54d846/attachment.htm>