Request for info from/about indigenous groups that have/have had good relationship with linguists

[Damien Hall]

Heather -

'Taanshi all?

Kihchi-marsii por lii zistwer!  Thank you so much for the stories!
Please keep them coming!  Even if our politicians don't in the end
appreciate them, they are doing my heart much good....'

Good! Well, in that case, I would definitely recommend you read Bob Dixon's 
book, the one I recommended yesterday:

Dixon, RMW. 1983. Searching for Aboriginal Languages. Various edns and 
publishers, hardback and paperback.

A heart-warming book-length treatment of a really good relationship between 
linguist and people.

It's about six years since I read the book, but I don't recall any mention 
of religion in it, so you needn't worry about that clouding the issue in 
the case you are trying to make with your Minister. AFAIR, Bob is just a 
linguistic anthropologist trying to get linguistic knowledge (and 
succeeding: what is as far as I know the authoritative book on Australian 
languages as an area, published by Cambridge UP, is by him). The story told 
by Ted Moomaw (I think it was), from WA, about the indispensibility of the 
linguist his people are working with, very much reminded me of Bob's 
stories.

Boujou, et du muus pou' les uus!

Damien Hall

-- 
Damien Hall

University of York
Department of Language and Linguistic Science
Heslington
YORK
YO10 5DD
UK

Tel. (office) +44 (0)1904 432665
     (mobile) +44 (0)771 853 5634
Fax  +44 (0)1904 432673

http://www.york.ac.uk/res/aiseb/
http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/lang/people/pages/hall.htm