'Linguicide' of minority languages?

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'Linguicide' of minority languages?

55 posts & 24 voices | Started 7 months ago by Sue_W | Latest reply from GEDA

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Elfinsafety - Member

If you have a problem with it, don't go to Wales. Simples. You have a choice.

In the Brick Lane area, known as 'Banglatown' because of the large Bangladeshi population resident there, a lot of the street names are done in Bengali as well as English. As I think one or two are done in Chinese round Chinatown. Obviously there are those narrow-minded bigots who don't approve, but most folk think it's cool, and the tourists and that especially think it adds something extra to the place. So, if it raises an area's profile, this helping to generate more trade etc, then it can only be a good thing. Plus, if it helps people who actually can't read English, of which there are quite a few in that area, then that's also good. They live there, they work there and pay their taxes, so what's the problem with some of the street names being done in their own language too?

Posted 7 months ago #
don simon - Member

(it's a bit like Welsh, cause some oldies only speak it, but generally everyone speaks Castellano (spanish))

I only read that far and gave up because you clearly don't know what you're talking about.
Perhaps you should pop along to some Welsh cultural events to educate yourself a bit.
http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/

Posted 7 months ago #
GrahamS - Member

This summarises my views nicely:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvlQXPNwrqo

Posted 7 months ago #
Elfinsafety - Member

So David Mitchell basically just copied me then?

Bloody plagiarist...

Posted 7 months ago #
epicyclo - Member

Yes, a familiar refrain to many Highland Scots.

It reflects centuries of state sponsored oppression and attempted obliteration of Gaelic.

It failed, and now we are getting our language back. If you don't like it, Mr Mitchell, tough shit.

Some education in Gaelic would have been much more use to me than all the resources wasted teaching me medieval English (Chaucer), Elizabethan English (Shakespeare et al), French and Latin.

No one is forcing anyone to learn Gaelic, and the people receiving an education in it have a use for it.

Posted 7 months ago #
clubber - Member

all the resources wasted teaching me medieval English (Chaucer), Elizabethan English (Shakespeare et al)

Arguably those are about learning literature rather than language.

Posted 7 months ago #
Elfinsafety - Member

It failed, and now we are getting our language back. If you don't like it, Mr Mitchell, tough shit.

That's fine, as long as you only use local funds, rather than taking owt from the already far too inadequate general education budget. Education funding in the UK is a finite resource, and should be invested in things which help the nation as a whole, and not on localised projects which serve a very small number of people. If the education budget had a surplus, fair enough, but I don't think that's the case. So, from local funds it should be. Are you happy to pay extra Council Tax to fund the education project?

Posted 7 months ago #
flamejob - Member

@Elfinsafety - We did.. for two and a bit years. Now we're in Switzerland.

@don simon
I can link to the whole Vanenciano site too. What is your point? Maybe read my post and you'll have a better idea what I am getting at. Lots of people may speak Welsh, but only a few (oldies) only speak Welsh. As in Valencia.
http://www.valencia.es/ayuntamiento/home.nsf/(Portadas2)/%24first?opendocument&lang=2

Posted 7 months ago #
portlyone - Member

The reason why some of these languages should be kept is by their use you describe the world in a different way, i.e. it changes the way you see the world.

Posted 7 months ago #
Elfinsafety - Member

Ah, I bet you're happy you don't live in a place with so many curves now, eh? That mustuv done your head in! I'd be thinking there was something wrong with me eyes if everything looked like I was in a fish bowl.

Posted 7 months ago #
wonny j - Member

Yes that linguist was quite fascinating wasn't she!

Posted 7 months ago #
don simon - Member

Apologies flamejob, I misread.
The point being if you disrespect the language, you disrespect the culture as a whole.
As, an assumed, native English speaker, do you think it's a good idea to learn Castellano or should the petty bureaucrats deal with you in English? It's a question of scales. In Valencia they learn both Castellano and Valenciano which is good. They maintain their own culture and identity while being able to communicate with the outside world and I'm sure Comunitat Valenciana functions very well. You, on the other hand, want them to change to suit your own specific needs which,in my opinion, is both disrespectful and wrong.
Equally Comunitat Valenciana is a bit more advanced than Cataluña in that they do teach Castellano or Pais Vasco in their teachings.

Posted 7 months ago #
beicmynydd - Member

Even in the 20th century pupils were apparently being beaten for speaking it in school.

This was also done in Wales to eradicate the Welsh language it was known as the "Welsh Not"

Mr Fry failed to say this !!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Not

Posted 7 months ago #
saxabar - Member

Interesting, particularly in regards to Wales. I was taking to a guy at a party born Welsh and who went to school in North Wales. He finished school just before Welsh was reintroduced. I wouldn't have fancied telling him he is less Welsh than another. It was interesting too how this made him feel somewhat alienated from his own country.

Posted 7 months ago #
nick1962 - Member

No problem with keeping old languages alive but how does one keep up with the newer, developing and ever expanding languages?
Weegie for instance?
http://www.gla.ac.uk/clubs/ski/weegie.html

Posted 7 months ago #
oliverd1981 - Member

I heard Lady Gaga was learning old Swiss but she only has Bad Romansch.

Posted 7 months ago #
don simon - Member

It was interesting too how this made him feel somewhat alienated from his own country.

I don't speak Welsh (I used to), however I don't feel alienated either.

Posted 7 months ago #
flamejob - Member

@oliverd1981 *points to the door
(PS yet another language that needs to be killed with fire)

@don simon I speak Spanish.* So naaa!
I am just bitter because I have to learn another language from scratch.

*... though when I told my last Spanish teacher I spoke Spanish like Tarzan, he replied 'no, you speak Spanish like Cheetah'

BTW I was born in a country with 3 official languages.

Posted 7 months ago #
Mr Agreeable - Member

clubber - Member

Arguably those are about learning literature rather than language.

'Course, Welsh and Scottish people were far too busy painting their faces blue and chucking spears at us to write any poetry or literature.

Posted 7 months ago #
GEDA - Member

I thought you was singular and ye was plural as it sounds the same as du in Swedish for singular and ni (nee) for plural. Seems I was right according to wiki. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_%28pronoun%29

I listening to someone on the radio complaining about the signs on Edinburgh airport being in English and Gaelic. She said they never spoke Gaelic in Edinburgh and the signs really should be in Welsh as that was the native language. Gaelic was imported from Ireland.

Posted 7 months ago #