Announcement: Linguistics in the Pub (LIP) Tuesday May 17th

[Ruth Singer]

Announcement

Linguistics in the Pub (LIP) Tuesday May 17th

Topic: Language standardisation, literacy and language endangerment
Discussion led by: Dr Felix Ameka, Leiden University Centre for Linguistics

Literacy and the development of a standard language are often seen as
necessary parts of the language documentation enterprise. However is a
standard language still necessary for language documentation?
Accessible technology for recording and sharing audio and video files
reduce the need for writing. Language standardisation can lead to a
loss of language varieties that diverge from the standard - thus
language documentation projects that promote the use of a standard
language can actually accelerate the loss of linguistic diversity.

Background readings (some of these will be uploaded to the events page
of the RNLD website)
Rehg, Kenneth L. (2004) Linguists, Literacy, and the Law of Unintended
Consequences, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 498-518

Tony Fairman. Writing and ‘the Standard’: England, 1795–1834.
Multilingua - Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage
Communication. Volume 26, Issue 2-3, Pages 167–201

Deumert, Ana (2010) Imbodela Zamakhumsha – Reflections on
standardization and destandardization Multilingua - Journal of
Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication. Volume 29, Issue 3-4,
Pages 243–264,

Salikoko Mufwene (manuscript) “Language endangerment: What have pride
and prestige got to do with it?”
 http://humanities.uchicago.edu/faculty/mufwene/langenda.pdf

Endangered Languages and Literacy. Proceedings of the Fourth
FEL Conference (Charlotte, North Carolina, September 21-24, 2000)

Date:      Tuesday May 17th
Time:      7:00 pm
Venue:    Upstairs room, Prince Alfred Hotel,
191 Grattan St, Carlton
(corner of Bouverie St)
ph ‪(03) 9347-3033‬

Food and drinks available at the venue.

Contact  Ruth Singer if you have any questions rsinger at unimelb.edu.au

Organised by RNLD http://www.rnld.org

LIP is an occasional gathering of language activists and linguists in
Melbourne. All are welcome. Those in other parts of Australia and the
world who can't make it to the Melbourne LIPs are encouraged to
organise a local gathering to discuss this topic and support language
activities in your area.


-- 
Ruth Singer
ARC Research Fellow
Linguistics Program
School of Languages and Linguistics
Faculty of Arts
University of Melbourne 3010
http://www.linguistics.unimelb.edu.au/about/staff/profiles/singer/