Death of language

[Gràisg]

BBC Today programme

'An estimated 7,000 languages are being spoken around the world. But that number is expected to shrink rapidly in the coming decades. What is lost when a language dies?'

'The value of language as a cultural artefact is difficult to dispute, but is it actually realistic to ask small communities to retain their culture?

'One linguist, Professor Salikoko Mufwene, of the University of Chicago, has argued that the social and economic conditions among some groups of speakers "have changed to points of no return".

As cultures evolve, he argues, groups often naturally shift their language use. Asking them to hold onto languages they no longer want is more for the linguists' sake than for the communities themselves.

Ethnologue editor Paul Lewis, however, argues that the stakes are much higher. Because of the close links between language and identity, if people begin to think of their language as useless, they see their identity as such as well.

This leads to social disruption, depression, suicide and drug use, he says. And as parents no longer transmit language to their children, the connection between children and grandparents is broken and traditional values are lost.

"There is a social and cultural ache that remains, where people for generations realize they have lost something," he says.

What no-one disputes is that the demise of languages is not always the fault of worldwide languages like our own

An increasing number of communities are giving up their language by their own choice, says Claude Hagege. Many believe that their languages have no future and that their children will not acquire a professional qualification if they teach them tribal languages.

"We can do nothing when the abandonment of a language corresponds to the will of a population," he says.'

A bheil e ceart?
Tuilleadh an seo:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/ne ... 311069.stm

[akerbeltz]

Ba, có chreideadh duine a tha sa bheachd gur e "Mouri" a thathar a' bruidhinn ann an Sealalin Nuadh...

[horogheallaidh]

ach..... nach e an fhirinn a th'ann gur e nan gaidheil ura a tha a' sabhaladh Gaidhlig mar a tha e na laithean seo agus tha fios am nach bi gaidhlig anns an am ri teachd coltach ri na gaidhlig a chuala mise nuair a bha mi nas oige. Mura bi daoine ann le gaidhlig gu nadarra a' bruidhinn ris a chloinn aca sa Ghaidhlig, cha bhi ann ach Gaidhlig gu tur eadar-dhealaichte.

mar sin - carson nach eil e ceart airson a radh nach mairidh canain mar seo - bha daoine daonnan a-mach air cho dliuted sa tha Gaidhlig a' fas agus ciamar as urrainn dhuinn sin atharrachadh?

cuisean air leth doirbh ach tha dochas agam fhathast gum bi e nas fhearr an taca ri nas miosa

[Seonaidh]

"We can do nothing when the abandonment of a language corresponds to the will of a population"

Ach nuair a tha pàirt dhen t-sluaigh ag iarraidh cànan a chumail - agus pàirt eile ag iarraidh cànan a dhiochumhneachadh - dè thachras?

[Níall Beag]

[quote=article]We can do nothing when the abandonment of a language corresponds to the will of a population[/quote]
Pish-posh and poppycock.

The will of the population is never explicitly to rid themselves of the language, but rather to do whatever is best for their children.

If they believe abandoning the language is best for their kids, they will abandon it.

So we can do something: we can disabuse them of the notion that speaking a minority language is an impediment to the mastery of a dominant tongue.

That's at least 50% of the problem solved right there.

[Neas Olc]

S'bochd gum bi feudhainn a creidsinn nach urrainn dhut barrachd na aon chanan a bhruidhinn gu fileanta...

Gu abhaisteach far a bheil Beurla na priomh cànan (IE far nach eil duine sam bith dà-chanach).