RE language

[Rankin, Robert L]

For what it's worth, after several bad experiences being misquoted and/or misinterpreted by reporters, I have taken to drafting written answers to all the questions asked by each reporter and emailing my summary to them immediately after the interview.  I try to get it to them before their publishing deadline so that they can quote me precisely if they want to.  It's an old lawyers' trick. -- Write your briefs so that the judge can quote them without thinking for himself.  
 
Bob

________________________________

From: owner-siouan at lists.colorado.edu on behalf of ROOD DAVID S
Sent: Tue 11/27/2007 5:16 PM
To: siouan at lists.colorado.edu
Subject: Re: Fw: language





Just a bit of caution about this article.  The reporter is herself
Wichita, though of course not a speaker, and she did indeed interview me.
I asked her if I could see the article before it was published but she
said that was against newspaper policy, so, of course, I am somewhat
misquoted.  My cliched description of language knowledge doesn't have
anything to do with "how" one talks. What I like to say is "You don't know
a language until you can say things that you have never heard anyone else
say."  Other than that, I think her portrayal of Doris is very sensitive
and accurate, and I'm pleased to see Doris getting the kind of recognition
she deserves.

I have no idea where those lists of languages at the end came from, but I
agree with Willem that one should be careful about citing it.


David S. Rood
Dept. of Linguistics
Univ. of Colorado
295 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0295
USA
rood at colorado.edu

On Tue, 27 Nov 2007, willemdereuse at unt.edu wrote:

> Interesting article. Thank you Jimm. I hope David Rood comments as well.
>
> Caution about the lists of Oklahoma languages at the end.  Concerning
> Chiricahua Apache, among others.  I have it from a reliable source that there
> are no fluent speakers of Chiricahua in Oklahoma. (There might well be more
> than 10 fluent speakers of Chiricahua on the Mescalero Reservation in New
> Mexico.)
>
> Quoting Jimm GoodTracks <goodtracks at peoplepc.com>:
>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Pat Benabe
>> To: Jimm Goodtracks
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 8:56 AM
>> Subject: language
>>
>>
>> http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071126_1_A1_ahref1651
>> 8
>>
>> Tribal language fading away
>>
>> by: SE RUCKMAN, World Staff Writer
>> 11/26/2007 1:37 AM
>>
>> Doris Jean Lamar is the last fluent speaker of the Wichita and Affiliated
>> Tribes.
>>
>> (...)>
>> *****
>>
>> Fluent, but for how long?
>>
>> Indian languages with fewer than five fluent speakers:
>>
>> Chirachua Apache
>> Osage
>> Otoe
>> Ottawa
>> Plains Apache
>> Quapaw
>> Wichita
>>
>> Indian languages with zero remaining fluent speakers:
>>
>> Alabama
>> Cayuga
>> Delaware (Lenape)
>> Hitchiti, Mikasuki
>> Kaw (Kansa)
>> Kitsai
>> Koasati
>> Mesquakie (Fox)
>> Miami, Peoria
>> Modoc
>> Natchez
>> Seneca
>> Tonkawa
>> Wyandotte
>>
>
>