So many people and new friends are encountered on their journeys to various places, and lives are touched by them and their work. Languages are dying because their speakers are dying. Once we begin looking at languages like lives, there is no just letting them slip through the cracks. How could these dying languages have served any purpose if there is not even any knowledge of them once they are gone?
The idea of a language dying in and of itself is not necessarily a negative thing, though it is quiet sad that we will never experience some influential languages firsthand, the true loss is when a language dies and is forgotten without the chance of being preserved and studied by future generations.
Dying languages is wheres humanities meets with linguistics. Charlemagne said "to have a second language is to have a second soul." A language is a cultural identity, not just a medium of communication.
Rescuing strains of speech is also a form of activism, because cultural groups who experience oppression often find their native tongues suppressed, the status of one dwindling with the other. The linguists featured in the film had to dive into the field as much as anthropologist, forming connections with the community…But in doing so, they often have to confront the troubling circumstances under which a language/the identity of a people can be lost.
Chemehuevi went extinct because when Native American children were forced to go to Indian boarding schools, their teachers would not allow them to speak their native tongue. They would only allow them to speak in English. That's not really surprising to me, because white-washing has been a common thing in America for some time now
All in all, I was just shocked. First, at the number of languages that exist in this world, and then at how quickly they were being snuffed out. More often than not, the main cause for disappearing languages appears to be some form of prejudice.
I thought it was very interesting that one language dies about every two weeks, and that the Linguists absolutely HATED colonization. I understand why they hate them, and I think I do too now. It is horrible to take away someone's language. I thought it was amazing that the two linguists spoke 25 languages between them. I couldn't believe that they had had a fluent Chylum speaker with them the whole time who was just afraid to be judged if people knew that he spoke it. I think it is so sad how people think that one language is superior to others. I thought it was very very sad that that man in Arizona had no one to speak his language to.
In the United States there were multiple “Americanization” policies put into place, and, as the video mentioned, Native American children were sent to boarding schools where they were punished if they uttered so much as a word in their native language, and I’m sure this has happened with many cultures in regions all over the world.
It was touching, yet revealing how a lot of languages are suppressed. For example, when the old man who knew Chemehuevi said that, “…all the elders have passed on, and you know, that’s it. I speak to myself. That’s it.” It is sad to know that research concluded that the world of the future would be dominated by a dozen or fewer languages. It occurred to me that it doesn’t matter how many people use it, but if it can’t be passed to the next generation, its destiny is already sealed.
I found it really sad that there are people out there that had to be forced to learn a new language and felt ashamed of their native tongue. Someone’s native language is a big part of their identity and for that to be taken away or suppressed in any way is a really sad thing. I am very glad that I have never had to go through that. I know how difficult it is to learn a new language; I could not imagine what it would be like being forced to learn a language that you never wanted to know in the first place.
This ten minute portion of The Linguists showed, I’m sure, just a few of the struggles that come with the endeavor of documenting dead and dying languages. Obviously it is no cake walk. How frustrating it must be to be in such a beautiful place to learn of an incredibly minor language and end up becoming quite sick, wasting time with a false speaker, and waiting days – after weeks of preparation – for an actual native speaker who shows up three hours late only to perform a native ritual and remind you to do everything with patience. As one of the Linguists said, time is against them. Languages die every day, so one could not be too hasty.
The details of substance seemed to be in the last part of the interview, where they met the man who claimed to be able to speak the language but only knew a few words. This seemed like a noteworthy obstacle for conservationists of languages—how do you know the native speakers are telling the truth? Also, the link to homeopathic medicine was interesting—the idea that there may be treatments the Western World is unaware of, medical rituals. Up until now, the need for linguistic preservation has been framed as a need to protect unique perspectives of the world—like with poetry, stories
It was interesting to hear that Kallawaya had always had a small population of speakers and yet continued to survive. Usually if we hear that a language has a low number of speakers and is connected to other, bigger cultures, we all assume/know that the end is nearing for that language.
I thought that this bit of information was interesting as well. I wonder if maybe the language has continued in this existence for so long because it is, for the most part, only used by healers. Perhaps they have some kind of tradition for passing the language down through the next generation in order to preserve all of the science in the healing. Either by blood line or by a student of some sort.
In class, we have only ever talked about the loss of untranslatable words for feelings and objects that we kind of already have a word for. I learned in this segment that there is much more to be lost from language. The Callawaya not only had words for over 10,000 species of plants that we did not, but also had miraculous healing knowledge about the plants within those words. For that natural healing ability to be wasted, just because someone thinks that Spanish is a more ‘intelligent’ or convenient language is maddening.
I found the opening statements of this section to be incredibly interesting. Just the very idea that in spite of the vast knowledge of the western world and other English speaking nations, we truly only know a very small percentage of what is out there. And I believe it was a well explained and valid argument that the loss of a language before it's knowledge can be recovered is a loss of that knowledge
Probably less than one hundred people in the world possess the specific knowledge of the Kallawaya healers. Within a few years, the language could disappear, taking with it all of that information.
Naturally, people will abandon their native language because they feel that it is not useful to the modern world. I thought that was interesting. Perhaps "Because they feel," is the reason why a specific language is dying. Do they realize all that information goes too? Sad!
My first thought when I watched this segment was that these guys would go through almost anything just to hear someone speak two words in a dying language. The lengths they go to are truly inspiring. It seems as though they sometimes have a hard time trying to get speakers of dying languages to comply with their requests to meet with them and ask them questions about their language/culture.
I thought it was really interesting, and a little sad as well, that Bolvia was one of the most linguistically diverse countries and now its native language has less than 100 speakers. It shows how easily lesser know language can fade away essentially when a bigger language moves in.
Part of me really wishes that we had gotten the chance to actually hear and see some words from this Kallawaya language. It seems unique because only a few hundred people speak it. It is also unique because these people are mostly only healers who seem to be difficult people to track down.
One of The Linguists mentioned that all these boarding school children in one location, learning English and being exposed to the Hindu religion “does exert subtle… pressures on their identity as a tribal person”. What exactly does that mean? These students seem to have no other option but to learn English – something outside of their culture – and learn the Hindu religion – something of their culture. In the next scene, we see students learning how to sew – not just to sew, but to manufacture. There was a shot of a student putting together a powerpoint presentation over the topic of how to sell products and services. They are being taught how to serve English-speakers while holding onto their native beliefs. Could these people be more of themselves if they didn’t have us to serve? Even poor Mr. Panda had to stay with David just so he could sleep in one of the villages, and he ended up getting no sleep and bitten by mosquitoes.
It made me think about how exposure to a school environment plays a role in suppressing native speech—not just because of the separation from the home environment, but because of the peer pressure to conform. In our society, that pressure may result in a tendency to use slang to sound cool, but we may be aware that grown-ups don’t always approve. In a system that is actively trying to mute tribal tongues, the peer pressure would be supported by figures of authority. Still, if English is a global language, and the learning of it will provide opportunities that the tribal students wouldn’t have otherwise, is it necessary? Is there a way to implement changes in these schools which don’t ignore the many languages that its students bring with them?
After researching more about the Sora language, I found that it is primarily an oral language and it is not written or read extensively. So therefore, for it to survive it needs to be passed down from generation to generation orally. (Correct me if I am wrong.) I found it interesting how this language’s nominals are marked for person/possession, and number which groups the noun and adjectives based on shared properties.
The two men having a bit of a disagreement over staying in a village brought up an interesting topic that had not been mentioned much before. See, this whole time they have been seemingly coasting around just trying to find new languages to explore. This section actually brought up the topic of safety. One of them did not like the thought of staying in a possibly dangerous place because, like he said, he had a family to worry about.
Of course, we started off at a boarding school. Whenever it comes to linguistics (especially disappearing languages), we always seem to end up at a boarding school sooner or later.
Maybe mathematics comes easier to the speakers of this language because they have to use it every time they mention a number. Or maybe it’s more difficult, because a simple problem such as 93 – 52 (which can be easily and quickly figured inside your head) would basically turn into (4 x 20 + (12 + 1)) – (2 x 20 + 12). (At least, that’s the way I am understanding it.) To me, that just seems confusing and like too many hoops to jump through to get to a simple answer. However, this just exemplifies how much of an effect language has on all aspects of a culture. What seems difficult to me is just a way of life for speakers of that language. They would probably think we were crazy if they saw the way we do math. After all, the way they have organized their numerical language actually makes a lot of sense.
While watching this clip, I couldn't help think back to the conversation we had in previous classes, and the availability of English to all people and tribes and/or countries. These men, or any outsiders for that matter, are not allowed into the village where Sora is spoke without government consent and accompaniment of a higher class individual. That makes it extremely difficult, if not near impossible, for the outside world to penetrate into the culture, the English language included. It also made me think, would this language have the potential to be that of a dying language?
One other thing that caught my interest was how the linguists treated the music in the village. They portrayed it as this unique peek into the culture and by extension the language. They almost seemed to revere it and attribute it as a crucial part of culture.
I thought that was neat as well, but it got me thinking: why didn't they feel that way when the Callawy speaker tried to show him one of his rituals. Rituals and dancing fall into the same category in a culture. We dance at weddings, for example.
I thought it was so fascinating that the Sora language counted in both a base twelve and a base twenty. That is so strange to us because we feel as though they would have to do math in their head every time they counted to one hundred. I do not think this is true. In base ten, what we count in, we would- with this thinking- have to do a lot of math in our head to count as well. However, we don’t that because we just memorize the sequence of numbers and then do math based on our memorization of our number line. I would argue they also memorize their number line.
So many people and new friends are encountered on their journeys to various places, and lives are touched by them and their work. Languages are dying because their speakers are dying. Once we begin looking at languages like lives, there is no just letting them slip through the cracks. How could these dying languages have served any purpose if there is not even any knowledge of them once they are gone?
ReplyDeleteWell said Avery!
DeleteCody Baggerly
ReplyDeleteThe idea of a language dying in and of itself is not necessarily a negative thing, though it is quiet sad that we will never experience some influential languages firsthand, the true loss is when a language dies and is forgotten without the chance of being preserved and studied by future generations.
Dying languages is wheres humanities meets with linguistics. Charlemagne said "to have a second language is to have a second soul." A language is a cultural identity, not just a medium of communication.
ReplyDeleteRescuing strains of speech is also a form of activism, because cultural groups who experience oppression often find their native tongues suppressed, the status of one dwindling with the other. The linguists featured in the film had to dive into the field as much as anthropologist, forming connections with the community…But in doing so, they often have to confront the troubling circumstances under which a language/the identity of a people can be lost.
ReplyDeleteChemehuevi went extinct because when Native American children were forced to go to Indian boarding schools, their teachers would not allow them to speak their native tongue. They would only allow them to speak in English. That's not really surprising to me, because white-washing has been a common thing in America for some time now
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I was just shocked. First, at the number of languages that exist in this world, and then at how quickly they were being snuffed out. More often than not, the main cause for disappearing languages appears to be some form of prejudice.
ReplyDelete(Emily Callan)
I thought it was very interesting that one language dies about every two weeks, and that the Linguists absolutely HATED colonization. I understand why they hate them, and I think I do too now. It is horrible to take away someone's language. I thought it was amazing that the two linguists spoke 25 languages between them. I couldn't believe that they had had a fluent Chylum speaker with them the whole time who was just afraid to be judged if people knew that he spoke it. I think it is so sad how people think that one language is superior to others. I thought it was very very sad that that man in Arizona had no one to speak his language to.
ReplyDeleteIn the United States there were multiple “Americanization” policies put into place, and, as the video mentioned, Native American children were sent to boarding schools where they were punished if they uttered so much as a word in their native language, and I’m sure this has happened with many cultures in regions all over the world.
ReplyDeleteIt was touching, yet revealing how a lot of languages are suppressed. For example, when the old man who knew Chemehuevi said that, “…all the elders have passed on, and you know, that’s it. I speak to myself. That’s it.” It is sad to know that research concluded that the world of the future would be dominated by a dozen or fewer languages. It occurred to me that it doesn’t matter how many people use it, but if it can’t be passed to the next generation, its destiny is already sealed.
ReplyDeleteI found it really sad that there are people out there that had to be forced to learn a new language and felt ashamed of their native tongue. Someone’s native language is a big part of their identity and for that to be taken away or suppressed in any way is a really sad thing. I am very glad that I have never had to go through that. I know how difficult it is to learn a new language; I could not imagine what it would be like being forced to learn a language that you never wanted to know in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThis ten minute portion of The Linguists showed, I’m sure, just a few of the struggles that come with the endeavor of documenting dead and dying languages. Obviously it is no cake walk. How frustrating it must be to be in such a beautiful place to learn of an incredibly minor language and end up becoming quite sick, wasting time with a false speaker, and waiting days – after weeks of preparation – for an actual native speaker who shows up three hours late only to perform a native ritual and remind you to do everything with patience. As one of the Linguists said, time is against them. Languages die every day, so one could not be too hasty.
ReplyDeleteThe details of substance seemed to be in the last part of the interview, where they met the man who claimed to be able to speak the language but only knew a few words. This seemed like a noteworthy obstacle for conservationists of languages—how do you know the native speakers are telling the truth? Also, the link to homeopathic medicine was interesting—the idea that there may be treatments the Western World is unaware of, medical rituals. Up until now, the need for linguistic preservation has been framed as a need to protect unique perspectives of the world—like with poetry, stories
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to hear that Kallawaya had always had a small population of speakers and yet continued to survive. Usually if we hear that a language has a low number of speakers and is connected to other, bigger cultures, we all assume/know that the end is nearing for that language.
ReplyDelete(Emily Callan)
I thought that this bit of information was interesting as well. I wonder if maybe the language has continued in this existence for so long because it is, for the most part, only used by healers. Perhaps they have some kind of tradition for passing the language down through the next generation in order to preserve all of the science in the healing. Either by blood line or by a student of some sort.
DeleteIn class, we have only ever talked about the loss of untranslatable words for feelings and objects that we kind of already have a word for. I learned in this segment that there is much more to be lost from language. The Callawaya not only had words for over 10,000 species of plants that we did not, but also had miraculous healing knowledge about the plants within those words. For that natural healing ability to be wasted, just because someone thinks that Spanish is a more ‘intelligent’ or convenient language is maddening.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI found the opening statements of this section to be incredibly interesting. Just the very idea that in spite of the vast knowledge of the western world and other English speaking nations, we truly only know a very small percentage of what is out there. And I believe it was a well explained and valid argument that the loss of a language before it's knowledge can be recovered is a loss of that knowledge
Probably less than one hundred people in the world possess the specific knowledge of the Kallawaya healers. Within a few years, the language could disappear, taking with it all of that information.
ReplyDeleteNaturally, people will abandon their native language because they feel that it is not useful to the modern world. I thought that was interesting. Perhaps "Because they feel," is the reason why a specific language is dying. Do they realize all that information goes too? Sad!
ReplyDeleteMy first thought when I watched this segment was that these guys would go through almost anything just to hear someone speak two words in a dying language. The lengths they go to are truly inspiring. It seems as though they sometimes have a hard time trying to get speakers of dying languages to comply with their requests to meet with them and ask them questions about their language/culture.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting, and a little sad as well, that Bolvia was one of the most linguistically diverse countries and now its native language has less than 100 speakers. It shows how easily lesser know language can fade away essentially when a bigger language moves in.
ReplyDeletePart of me really wishes that we had gotten the chance to actually hear and see some words from this Kallawaya language. It seems unique because only a few hundred people speak it. It is also unique because these people are mostly only healers who seem to be difficult people to track down.
ReplyDeleteOne of The Linguists mentioned that all these boarding school children in one location, learning English and being exposed to the Hindu religion “does exert subtle… pressures on their identity as a tribal person”. What exactly does that mean? These students seem to have no other option but to learn English – something outside of their culture – and learn the Hindu religion – something of their culture. In the next scene, we see students learning how to sew – not just to sew, but to manufacture. There was a shot of a student putting together a powerpoint presentation over the topic of how to sell products and services. They are being taught how to serve English-speakers while holding onto their native beliefs. Could these people be more of themselves if they didn’t have us to serve? Even poor Mr. Panda had to stay with David just so he could sleep in one of the villages, and he ended up getting no sleep and bitten by mosquitoes.
ReplyDeleteIt made me think about how exposure to a school environment plays a role in suppressing native speech—not just because of the separation from the home environment, but because of the peer pressure to conform. In our society, that pressure may result in a tendency to use slang to sound cool, but we may be aware that grown-ups don’t always approve. In a system that is actively trying to mute tribal tongues, the peer pressure would be supported by figures of authority. Still, if English is a global language, and the learning of it will provide opportunities that the tribal students wouldn’t have otherwise, is it necessary? Is there a way to implement changes in these schools which don’t ignore the many languages that its students bring with them?
ReplyDeleteAfter researching more about the Sora language, I found that it is primarily an oral language and it is not written or read extensively. So therefore, for it to survive it needs to be passed down from generation to generation orally. (Correct me if I am wrong.) I found it interesting how this language’s nominals are marked for person/possession, and number which groups the noun and adjectives based on shared properties.
ReplyDeleteThe two men having a bit of a disagreement over staying in a village brought up an interesting topic that had not been mentioned much before. See, this whole time they have been seemingly coasting around just trying to find new languages to explore. This section actually brought up the topic of safety. One of them did not like the thought of staying in a possibly dangerous place because, like he said, he had a family to worry about.
ReplyDeleteOf course, we started off at a boarding school. Whenever it comes to linguistics (especially disappearing languages), we always seem to end up at a boarding school sooner or later.
ReplyDelete(Emily Callan)
Maybe mathematics comes easier to the speakers of this language because they have to use it every time they mention a number. Or maybe it’s more difficult, because a simple problem such as 93 – 52 (which can be easily and quickly figured inside your head) would basically turn into (4 x 20 + (12 + 1)) – (2 x 20 + 12). (At least, that’s the way I am understanding it.) To me, that just seems confusing and like too many hoops to jump through to get to a simple answer. However, this just exemplifies how much of an effect language has on all aspects of a culture. What seems difficult to me is just a way of life for speakers of that language. They would probably think we were crazy if they saw the way we do math. After all, the way they have organized their numerical language actually makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching this clip, I couldn't help think back to the conversation we had in previous classes, and the availability of English to all people and tribes and/or countries. These men, or any outsiders for that matter, are not allowed into the village where Sora is spoke without government consent and accompaniment of a higher class individual. That makes it extremely difficult, if not near impossible, for the outside world to penetrate into the culture, the English language included. It also made me think, would this language have the potential to be that of a dying language?
ReplyDeleteOne other thing that caught my interest was how the linguists treated the music in the village. They portrayed it as this unique peek into the culture and by extension the language. They almost seemed to revere it and attribute it as a crucial part of culture.
ReplyDeleteI thought that was neat as well, but it got me thinking: why didn't they feel that way when the Callawy speaker tried to show him one of his rituals. Rituals and dancing fall into the same category in a culture. We dance at weddings, for example.
DeleteI thought it was so fascinating that the Sora language counted in both a base twelve and a base twenty. That is so strange to us because we feel as though they would have to do math in their head every time they counted to one hundred. I do not think this is true. In base ten, what we count in, we would- with this thinking- have to do a lot of math in our head to count as well. However, we don’t that because we just memorize the sequence of numbers and then do math based on our memorization of our number line. I would argue they also memorize their number line.
ReplyDelete