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Further on Gaelic

I came across this on a Gaelic forum (Foram na gaidhlig). I thought it so true that I'm passing it on.

Quote from Leanne Hinton Berkeley University in the USA

More broadly, the loss of language is part of the loss of whole cultures and knowledge systems, including philosophical systems, oral literacy and musical traditions, environmental knowledge systems, medical knowledge and important cultural practices and artistic skills. The world stands to lose an important part of the sum of human knowledge whenever a language stops being used. Just as the human species is putting itself in danger through the destruction of species diversity, so might we be in danger from loss of the diversity of knowledge systems.

Tom

Reply to
Tom Dougall
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Hi Tom,

I don't know about the loss of knowledge, but the loss of culture with the homogenization of regional speech is a sad loss. I used to be able to predict where a person was from by his speech, but with the dispersals of WWII and the advent of television we are rapidly losing the Southern drawl, the New England Ayeauh, the Boston Paack the Caar. The New York Yoose Guys, the Midwestern Flattening, and the Southwestern Slurring. Each region once had a distinctive and interesting accent. I expect the UK would be even more so with Yorkshire, East London and Wales as examples.

Thanks Tom, for your note re the consequences of losing a language, although Sanskrit and Gaelic might be the reverse of using a skew. Easier to do than to say! :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

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Reply to
Arch

: Hi Tom,

: I don't know about the loss of knowledge, but the loss of culture with : the homogenization of regional speech is a sad loss. I used to be able : to predict where a person was from by his speech, but with the : dispersals of WWII and the advent of television we are rapidly losing : the Southern drawl, the New England Ayeauh, the Boston Paack the Caar. : The New York Yoose Guys, the Midwestern Flattening, and the Southwestern : Slurring. : Each region once had a distinctive and interesting accent. I expect the : UK would be even more so with Yorkshire, East London and Wales as : examples.

Don't worry. By the best current estimates, there is more dialect variation in American English than ever before. Some regional dialects are becoming moribund or vanishing, but others are springing up in their place, and most of the famous ones are remaining intact as well. This has been documented by William Labov, and there's a very interesting interview with him at NPR.org:

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And there are several video interviews with him at
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-- Andy Barss

Reply to
Andrew Barss

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