Fw: language

Saltanaviciute, Jurgita jurga at ou.edu
Wed Nov 28 00:13:53 UTC 2007


It looks to me like the list of languages in the article was the one compiled by the Intertribal Wordpath Society, http://www.ahalenia.com/iws/status.html, and yes, it addresses only Oklahoma languages.

Interesting description of language fluency. It made me doubt if I know even my native Lithuanian, because whatever I say in it has been said by somebody else or can be as easily said by somebody else.

Also, interesting to know that a newspaper has a policy not to show the draft article to the person about who they write. My experience has been that I get sent the drafts of articles or scripts for final editing. Cautions one about working with the media!

Jurgita Saltanaviciute, M.A.
Department of Anthropology
University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK 73019
http:www.sitekreator.com/jurga
________________________________________
From: owner-siouan at lists.colorado.edu [owner-siouan at lists.colorado.edu] On Behalf Of ROOD DAVID S [David.Rood at Colorado.EDU]
Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 5:16 PM
To: siouan at lists.colorado.edu
Subject: Re: Fw: language

Just a bit of caution about this article.  The reporter is herself
Wichita, though of course not a speaker, and she did indeed interview me.
I asked her if I could see the article before it was published but she
said that was against newspaper policy, so, of course, I am somewhat
misquoted.  My cliched description of language knowledge doesn't have
anything to do with "how" one talks. What I like to say is "You don't know
a language until you can say things that you have never heard anyone else
say."  Other than that, I think her portrayal of Doris is very sensitive
and accurate, and I'm pleased to see Doris getting the kind of recognition
she deserves.

I have no idea where those lists of languages at the end came from, but I
agree with Willem that one should be careful about citing it.


David S. Rood
Dept. of Linguistics
Univ. of Colorado
295 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0295
USA
rood at colorado.edu

On Tue, 27 Nov 2007, willemdereuse at unt.edu wrote:

> Interesting article. Thank you Jimm. I hope David Rood comments as well.
>
> Caution about the lists of Oklahoma languages at the end.  Concerning
> Chiricahua Apache, among others.  I have it from a reliable source that there
> are no fluent speakers of Chiricahua in Oklahoma. (There might well be more
> than 10 fluent speakers of Chiricahua on the Mescalero Reservation in New
> Mexico.)
>
> Quoting Jimm GoodTracks <goodtracks at peoplepc.com>:
>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Pat Benabe
>> To: Jimm Goodtracks
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 8:56 AM
>> Subject: language
>>
>>
>> http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071126_1_A1_ahref1651
>> 8
>>
>> Tribal language fading away
>>
>> by: SE RUCKMAN, World Staff Writer
>> 11/26/2007 1:37 AM
>>
>> Doris Jean Lamar is the last fluent speaker of the Wichita and Affiliated
>> Tribes.
>>
>> (...)>
>> *****
>>
>> Fluent, but for how long?
>>
>> Indian languages with fewer than five fluent speakers:
>>
>> Chirachua Apache
>> Osage
>> Otoe
>> Ottawa
>> Plains Apache
>> Quapaw
>> Wichita
>>
>> Indian languages with zero remaining fluent speakers:
>>
>> Alabama
>> Cayuga
>> Delaware (Lenape)
>> Hitchiti, Mikasuki
>> Kaw (Kansa)
>> Kitsai
>> Koasati
>> Mesquakie (Fox)
>> Miami, Peoria
>> Modoc
>> Natchez
>> Seneca
>> Tonkawa
>> Wyandotte
>>
>
>



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