Court rules against Yup ’'ik as an historically written language ...

[Susan Penfield]

I find this ruling outrageous and agree with Phil here that it represents
discrimination against all Indigenous languages. It means that
any written work in Yup'Ik is also discounted, implies that unwritten
languages have no value, and seems to validate a politically skewed agenda
against Yup'ik rights.

Susan

On Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 10:00 PM, Donald Z. Osborn <dzo at bisharat.net> wrote:

> What is the background on this category "historically written language"?
> (Academically, legally.) Although there may be a use for such a description,
> it sounds like it can too readily be misused as a pretext for linguistic
> discrimination.
>
> Don
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:
> ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] On Behalf Of phil cash cash
> Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:33 PM
> To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
> Subject: [ILAT] Court rules against Yup''ik as an historically written
> language (fwd media link)
>
> Alaska Public Radio Network (APRN)
>
> Court rules against Yup''ik as an historically written language
>
> Fri, July 18, 2008
> Posted in Alaska News, Top Stories
>
> A Federal Judge has ruled that Yup''ik is not an historically written
> language.
> The ruling is part of a lawsuit brought on by Yup''ik elders and tribes
> against
> the State of Alaska and the City of Bethel. The ruling by Judge Timothy
> Burgess
> could limit the kind of language assistance the state is required to
> provide.
>
> Shane Iverson, KYUK - Bethel
>
> Access radio podcast below:
>
> http://aprn.org/2008/07/18/court-rules-against-yupik-as-a-historically-written-language/
>



-- 
____________________________________________________________
Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D.

Department of English (Primary)
American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI)
Second Language Acquisition & Teaching Ph.D. Program (SLAT)
Department of Language,Reading and Culture(LRC)
Department of Linguistics
The Southwest Center (Research)
Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836


"Every language is an old-growth forest of the mind, a watershed of thought,
an ecosystem of spiritual possibilities."

Wade Davis...(on a Starbucks cup...)
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