New research centre to save 'lost languages'

Thu Apr 1 16:02:07 UTC 2004

I guess "lesser languages" isn't a good term.  I'm open to suggestions...

I've only worked for SIL for 2 1/2 years, so I can't say my views are
representative of the organization.  I've traveled quite a bit, though, and
I've noticed the less prestigious groups learn the language of the more
prestigious ones.  I haven't seen any examples to the contrary.  I've seen
isolated individuals who learn smaller languages, but it's pretty uncommon,
I think.  Do you have any examples of larger, dominant groups learning the
language of the smaller groups?

I don't like crass materialism either - that's one reason why I live in
Brazil and don't eat at McDonalds - but it would seem to me that whether we
like it or not, this world is highly motivated by materialism.  It may be
noble to fight these world wide trends, but what's wrong with admitting they
exist?

Stan Anonby

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joshua Fishman" <joshuaafishman at yahoo.com>
To: <lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu>
Cc: <joshuaafishman at aol.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 3:18 PM
Subject: Re: New research centre to save 'lost languages'

> That's not a rule of thumb ("Speakers of lesser
> languages [sic!!!!!] learn the more powerful
> languages; never vice versa"), its a rule of
> crass materialism. Strange to find it coming from
> SIL. Joshua A. Fishman
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- Stan & Sandy Anonby
> <stan-sandy_anonby at sil.org> wrote:
> > Yeah, it's nostalgic.  I work in Brazil, where
> > Indians opt for Portuguese.
> > Rule of thumb:  Speakers of lesser languages
> > learn the more powerful
> > languages; never vice versa.  Some rare folk
> > like linguists learn lower
> > prestige languages, but usually the result is
> > to enhance their own prestige
> > in the world of dominant language.
> >
> > Stan Anonby
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "P. Kerim Friedman" <kerim.list at oxus.net>
> > To: <lgpolicy-list at ccat.sas.upenn.edu>
> > Sent: Friday, March 26, 2004 11:02 PM
> > Subject: New research centre to save 'lost
> > languages'
> >
> >
> > >
> >
> <http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/
> > > 0,9865,1176959,00.html>
> > >
> > > New research centre to save 'lost languages'
> > >
> > >    Polly Curtis
> > > Wednesday March 24, 2004
> > >
> > >    A language is lost every two weeks,
> > according to the head of a new
> > > centre for research into endangered
> > languages, which is being launched
> > > today.
> > >
> > >   People are increasingly choosing to teach
> > their children more commonly
> > > used languages in a bid to help them gain
> > work in later life, their
> > > research says. As a result half of the 6,500
> > languages spoken around
> > > the world are anticipated to disappear in the
> > next century - a rate of
> > > one every fortnight.
> > >
> > >   The new centre for research into endangered
> > languages at the School of
> > > Oriental and African Studies in London, which
> > is backed by £20m grant,
> > > is being launched today by the Princess
> > Royal.
> > >
> > >   Researchers will use the money to record
> > and archive endangered
> > > languages and look at ways of encouraging
> > people to retain their
> > > indigenous languages.
> > >
> > >   Professor Peter Austin director of the
> > Endangered Languages Academic
> > > Project, said: "The main reason that
> > languages are lost is that
> > > communities are switching to speaking other
> > people's language - they
> > > adopt a language of a local area.
> > >
> > >   "Many people in east Africa are opting for
> > Swahili; Indians in central
> > > and south America speak Spanish to their
> > children to give them an
> > > economic advantage."
> > >
> > >   The professor, who himself speak three
> > Australian aboriginal languages
> > > as well as two Indonesian dialects, English,
> > some Japanese, German and
> > > Italian, added: "The tragedy is that although
> > people may decide now
> > > that it's better to switch, in a generation
> > or two, their children or
> > > grandchildren will regret that. We're trying
> > to help people remain
> > > multi-lingual by adding languages rather than
> > losing them."
> > >
> > >   Along with the endangered languages the
> > centre aims to preserve large
> > > elements of the disappearing cultures.
> > Archived material which
> > > Professor Austin has gathered so far includes
> > interviews with the last
> > > known speaker of Jiwarli, a western
> > Australian Aboriginal dialect, Jack
> > > Butler, who died in 1986.
> > >
> > >   Mr Butler describes his childhood
> > experiences as well as telling
> > > traditional aboriginal stories. From between
> > 250 and 270 Australian
> > > Aboriginal languages at the time of European
> > invasion, 160 are now
> > > extinct; 70 are severely threatened and only
> > 20 are still widely used.
> > >
> > > Audio: Jack Butler the last native speaker of
> > the western Australian
> > > aboriginal language Jirwarli, tells a
> > traditional story (real audio)
> > > Audio: the translation (real audio)
> > >
> >
>
>
>
> =====
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