Broadcasting: RadPed

[Anggarrgoon]

Hi Mia,
I read something somewhere once about what I'll call the F* you factor 
in language maintenance. I can't remember where I read this, and that's 
my paraphrase (sorry if it offends anyone, but it's catchy). Basically 
the idea was that some communities under pressure from English (this was 
in Australia and the US) went to extraordinary lengths to make sure the 
kids learnt the language as a type of protest - the "you might try to 
kill our language but you can't and we'll spite you by learning it 
anyway" fighting philosophy. But now there's (some) funding and people 
don't get beaten up in the street on a regular basis for speaking an 
Indigenous language, the threat isn't perceived as quite as urgent, and 
the danger is actually greater.
Claire

Mia Kalish wrote:
> Hi, Claire :-) 
> 
> It's that "repetitive" thing you know: Experts . . . .  Language dead . . .
> 
> And we hear it over and over and over, like a mantra. When I saw that thing
> come in about Cherokee today, I really wanted to peak over the edge of my
> cubicle and say, Nope, that's not true. We are doing all these things over
> here to make sure its not true. 
> 
> Hope you are well. 
> 
> Mia
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]
> On Behalf Of Anggarrgoon
> Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 1:00 PM
> To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [ILAT] Broadcasting: RadPed
> 
> Mia's theory of a self-fulfilling prophecy implies that people listen to 
> experts, which I'm not convinced about at all :)
> Claire
> 
> Mia Kalish wrote:
>> I would like to propose a radical pedagogy of language revitalization.
>>
>>  
>>
>> You know how "experts" are always saying X language could be extinct in 
>> Y generations, setting up a situation for a self-fulfilling prophecy?
>>
>>  
> 
>