Re: Saving endangered langs (was Re: Extrapolating languages)

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003, Robert Jung wrote:

> Is there a way we could start programs to save endangered languages?
Become a linguist and start documenting. There are already groups there
trying, but I think the main problem is the fact that they don't have
enough money (the people with it don't see the value, one of the many
negative features of capitalism) and linguists ('I've always found
ideals/Don't take the place of meals'). Also a contributing factor is that
their sources have a habit of dying on them. (And I imagine if you only
have one source on a particular language, it's going to be so influenced
by the dominant language that you've probably already lost the most
interesting things.)

> I feel we really need to do something about lang extinction; it's
> extremely sad to see cool ways of doing things being lost
There's no way to stop them dying. Remember earlier on people were posting
about the kid who was being taught Klingon: He refused to continue because
Klingon isn't useful. Anyone else you teach the language to will also
refuse to learn it once it's down to very few people, because it won't be
practical for them (my mother, for instance, stopped using Dutch when in
early primary school because it simply wasn't useful for her; many of my
Chinese and Malaysian friends did the same with their languages; B. P.
Jonsson I think he said he did it with German). The best you can do is
have them written down on paper which will be lost when the Revolution
comes and Libraries are burnt to a cinder (or opened to the floods or
whatever is more appropriate for the region), to say nothing of the fact
that most paper used these days is so acidic that it won't be much use 500
years later even if the Revolution fails to eventuate and I become
Indisputable Overlord of the World by peaceful means.

Which is not to say that it is totally worthless; after all, when
civilisation collapses and we all revert to fudalism or something, our
efforts to prevent slavery and child abuse will be easily thwarted. I'm
merely pointing out that these cool ways of doing things will be lost
regardless of what we do; perhaps, though, we can remember how these
things were done.

On the other hand, there are some people who think it's a total waste of
time and effort, see for instance <http://www.kenanmalik.com/essays/die.html>.
[My citation of this essay should not be considered to imply that I agree
with the position, nor should this disclaimer be considered to imply that
I disagree with it.]

> (forever? see http://www.home.bluemarble.net/~langmin/ for more info)!
There shouldn't be a www at the beginning of the URI and that's a link to
a front page, which has lots of essays. Could you please link to the file
you mean? Also, would you be able to stop sending emails in HTML? There
should be some option somewhere. It would be appreciated.

> BTW, now: endangered lang=enlang - easy shorthand - "end(a)lang"
> sounds like one is killing langs deliberately! :(
On the other hand, it 'enlang' sounds like you're turning something into a
language :)

--
Tristan

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