LL-L "Language varieties" 2001.11.02 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 02.NOV.2001 (05) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Colin Wilson <lcwilson at starmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2001.11.01 (01) [E]

At 15:17 02/11/01, Edwin Deady wrote:

>Apart from sentiment and intellectual exercise what is the benefit of having a
>minority language as a first language~?

One of the benefits of any language (minority or otherwise) is that it
serves as a bonding and identifying factor among members of the community
by which it is used. This is a benefit because human beings are social
animals, and forming communities is part of our natural behaviour.

Governments understand this only too well, and when they wish to
destroy a people's sense of themselves as a community, language
eradication is a tactic that they use on many occasions.

>The language
>reverenced is one that has been selected from a discrete moment in time. If it
>is spoken easily and naturally as a real language

"Real language"? Perhaps some explanation of this idea would be in order.

>then it will
>develop and become standardised throughout its geographical area which could
>be a whole country, such as happened with English.

Possibly, but it's worth pointing out that English has spread beyond
the original whole country through means that certainly were neither
easy nor natural. For example, in this country (Scotland) its current
dominant status is a consequence of the policy of language eradication
directed at the majority languages of earlier periods, which now are
spoken only by minorities.

Greetings to all,

*********************************************************************
 Colin Wilson                  the graip wis tint, the besom wis duin
                               the barra wadna row its lane
 writin fae Aiberdein,         an sicna soss it nivver wis seen
 the ile capital o Europe      lik the muckin o Geordie's byre
*********************************************************************

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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Language varieties"

Edwin wrote:

> Apart from sentiment and intellectual exercise what is the
> benefit of having a
> minority language as a first language~? The language
> reverenced is one that has been selected from a discrete moment
> in time. If it
> is spoken easily and naturally as a real language then it will
> develop and become standardised throughout its geographical area
> which could
> be a whole country, such as happened with English.

While it would no doubt make an interesting discussion in
itself, I wasn't talking about the benefits of having one
type of language as opposed to another as a first language:
only about the effect of Dr William Bright's approach (to
whom I apologise for persistently quoting his name incorrectly
in my earlier mailing!), on minority languages. My
point was that both standardisation and avoidance of
standardisation are destructive of minority languages
when taken to extremes.

I don't think it is true that a language that's "spoken
easily and naturally as a real language" will become
standardised throughout its geographical area.
Standardisation only began to take place with the
invention of the printing press and the desire to
disseminate the resulting printed material throughout
a large area. _This_ is what happened with English.

Nor does this automatically guarantee that people will
speak the standard: an education system has to be put
in place which supports the standard, usually to the
detriment of the natural speech of almost every locality.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
A dinna dout him, for he says that he
On nae accoont wad ever tell a lee.
                          - C.W.Wade,
                    'The Adventures o McNab'

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