Scholar in Siraya

[Chun Jimmy Huang]

Thank you, Richard

As for waking up sleeping tribal members, well, we began by just 
"listening." Say, our language was labeled (and still is by some) 
as "extinct" or "dead." But me and my friends (in their 40s) 
didn't give up. We went on to visit some elders. At first, the 
elders were reluctant to talk... they probably didn't want to be 
reminded of being "savages," which was/is the label the mainstream 
put on us. But then as they realized that we were sincere, they 
became willing, and eager, to talk. From there we found out we 
actually have rememberers, who know some words and phrases. In 
addition to linguistic input, the elders also told us stories (in 
the dominant languages), taught us songs, taught us how to make 
some tools, or showed us pottery they had hidden away for decades. 
We listened to them, and we learned from them. Then we taught the 
young ones what we had learned. And... somehow, the young ones 
have been very interested since, even though learning these things 
wouldn't bring them any practical benefit (like entering college) 
since our people have not yet been officially recognized by 
Taiwan's govt. So anyway, we have had no problem with the young 
people... and many of the older ones. Still, we do face difficulty 
convincing the middle-agers, like the parents of those school-age 
children. until today, some parents think of learning our heritage 
as "useless." But anyway, we are progressing and optimistic.

So... allow me to say that "all ears" is right. Some members may 
have been sleeping, but many of them do have "dreams." Listen to 
their dreams first and then one day they may wake up and put an 
effort to make the dreams come true.

Jimmy


On Fri May 21 13:02:47 EDT 2010, Richard Zane Smith 
<rzs at WILDBLUE.NET> wrote:

> congrats! Dr.Jimmy!
> you deserved it with all that time, passion and energy
> put into this important work... i know about *sleeping languages*
> and now that i brought it up, if you or
> if *ANYONE here *has ideas for waking up* **sleeping tribal 
> members*
> besides literally lighting fires under them...    well...I'm all 
> ears.
> 
> Richard Zane Smith
> Wyandotte, Okla.
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 8:05 PM, MJ Hardman <hardman at ufl.edu> 
> wrote:
> 
>>  It is with pleasure that I can announce that Dr. Chun Huang 
>> received his
>> degree on May 1 with his dissertation "Language Revitalization 
>> and Identity
>> Politics: An examination of Siraya Reclamation in Taiwan" which 
>> was rated
>> 'outstanding'.  I very much look forward to the work he will be 
>> doing with
>> language revitalization, awakening a sleeping language.  I have 
>> enjoyed
>> working with him and watching the development of a new scholar 
>> in our field
>> with a language that needs such a scholar so badly.  May the 
>> future be all
>> that he and I would wish.
>> 
>> MJ
>> 
>> Dr. MJ Hardman
>> Doctora Honoris Causa UNMSM, Lima, Per??
>> website:  http://at.ufl.edu/~hardman-grove/
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>