[RNLD] Case of Funding denied for languages described as "Vigorous" in Ethnologue.

[Stephen Morey]

Thank you very much for pointing that out, Rosey. I would consider that setting the default status at 'vigorous' is indeed problematic. If there is no information, the surely it is better to say 'don't know' or something of that kind?

Stephen

________________________________
From: Rosey Billington [rosey.billington at gmail.com]
Sent: 05 August 2014 13:07
To: Stephen Morey
Cc: r-n-l-d
Subject: Re: [RNLD] Case of Funding denied for languages described as "Vigorous" in Ethnologue.

Note also that 'vigorous' is the default language status - from the methodology page: "Where the data were not sufficient, we set the EGIDS default value at EGIDS 6a." Very problematic, given the limited availability of accurate population and language use data in many parts of the world.

http://www.ethnologue.com/about/language-status


On Tue, Aug 5, 2014 at 12:51 PM, Stephen Morey <S.Morey at latrobe.edu.au<mailto:S.Morey at latrobe.edu.au>> wrote:
Dear RNLD members,

The Wikipedia site on 'Ethnologue' contains the following paragraph:

"With the 17th edition, Ethnologue introduced a numerical code for language status, along the lines of Fishman’s Graded Inter-generational Disruption Scale, that ranks a language from 0 for an international language<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_language> to 10 for an extinct language<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_language> with no attempt at revival.[12]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnologue#cite_note-12> This has had unintended consequences: Linguists have been denied funding for documenting endangered languages because Ethnologue rates them as "vigorous" (6); in doing so, SIL is addressing a competing concern, that missionaries generally cannot get funding to translate scripture unless the language is vigorous."

Does anyone know of any examples of the denial of funding for a project regarded by Ethnologue as "vigorous"?

Stephen

Stephen Morey
Australian Research Council Future Fellow
Centre for Research on Language Diversity
La Trobe University
Website: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/humanities/about/staff/profile?uname=SMorey<http://www.latrobe.edu.au/rclt/StaffPages/morey.htm>

Language data website: http://sealang.net/assam
Dictionary websites: http://sealang.net/ahom;  http://sealang.net/singpho; http://sealang.net/phake

Linguistic data archived at::
DoBeS:  http://www.mpi.nl/DoBeS and follow a link to projects, then Tangsa, Tai and Singpho in North East India
ELAR: http://elar.soas.ac.uk
PARADISEC:  http://www.paradisec.org.au

North East Indian Linguistics Society: http://sealang.net/neils

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