Eyak Language
Please Listen to the NPR stories entitled: Eyak Language & The Sound of Vanishing Languages. How far should we go to preserve a dying language? In your answer, please consider the following questions:
a) What are the arguments on both sides of the debate in promoting a single language?
The benefits of having a single language would be easier communication between businesses/companies, tourists and locals, and leaders and diplomats, which would probably produce more international unity because nations could understand each other better and there would be less of a cultural barrier; at least everyone would have the language in common. A single language would also save time and money not having to hire translators and announce public announcements in several languages, and paper and ink would be saved not having to print labels and instruction manuals in multiple languages. Second Language programs in school would not be necessary, and taxpayers would have less teachers' salaries to pay.
The problems with achieving a single world-wide spoken language would be finding enough teachers, money, and enforcement to teach 6 billion people a language. It would require sooo many English teachers, who could also speak the language of their students (since immersion doesn't really work and some words can only be understood by knowing the connection to the word the learner IS familiar with), and that would cost a lot of money. We would also need some sort of enforcement, since many people would be attached to their languages, would not want to learn ours, and would feel that they were being forced to give up part of their identity as a nation, a people, and as a person. The negative effects of a single language would be less linguistic and intellectual diversity and creativity, and a loss of perspective and information about how different nationalities of humans view the world (through studying different languages and their structures, etc.). Also, translators would be out of a job, and military operations would have less options for coding messages; they couldn't simply use another language that the enemies would have a hard time getting their hands on (but, as someone pointed out in class, nowadays they could just develop their own computer language).
b) How far should we go to save a dying language? What are the financial and cultural implications?
While I think saving a dying language is useful for learning more about that culture, I think that it is too much work for too little outcome. It would have good cultural implications if we saved it, because it would be saving a huge part of many cultures and "identities", but is that really necessary? There are obviously not too many people speaking a language if it is dying, so I don't think too many people would be affected or upset if it were allowed to die, and the money and time it would take to record the whole language and put it in taught classes or something to keep it alive just would not be worth it... There are hundreds of languages dying all the time, and trying to keep them all alive would have huge negative financial implications, spending all that money on old languages when it could be used to save dying PEOPLE. So I think we should just have people who are interested in "saving" a dying language do some research and do a basic recording of the language, and if there are any really useful or untranslatable words in their language, we could maybe add them to English and just expand the one world-wide language.
c) After reading: “Every Teacher is a Language Teacher,” what do think of the I.B. supporting International Mother Language Day?
Since changing the world to a single-language world is obviously not happening right now, and the kids at this school (and other schools all over the world) still have and speak their own languages, I think it's good that the school does recognize and celebrate that fact. As the article says, knowing 2 languages and cultures helps people compare the 2, make distinctions between the 2, and appreciate each more. I think it's good that these children stay connected with their families and heritages, and that each can share their language with other students so that they can all learn from each other. Mother Language Day celebrates diversity and different perspectives, styles, and cultures, and I think that is important in the IB curriculum, since it is an INTERNATIONAL program, and it tries to promote different perspectives and historiography, etc.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Earth vs. Eyeth
Please read Radicalism in Deaf in the Culture under Language Articles on my blog. Then, answer the following questions.
a) What is the primary argument of the students representing Deaf Culture?
The argument of the students representing Deaf culture is that deafness is not a disability but is "an oppressed minority status akin to race, and also as a unique linguistic culture. " They believe that society treats deaf people wrong, like disabled people, when really they have much to offer and should be educated so that they can communicate effectively.
b) Why would the Deaf Culture students value a President of Gallaudet who spends more time in Eyeth over Earth? Shouldn't a President of a college represent all students?
The Deaf culture students would value a president who spends more time in Eyeth (is more deaf) because that president would better understand Deaf culture since they are forced to use it and become it more than a person who spends more time on Earth and might view the deaf students differently (subconsciously thinking of the students as more disabled, less fortunate, etc.) The students of Deaf culture would probably also feel that a more Eyeth member would be a better symbol for the deaf school, and a show of how deaf people can function just as well as hearing people in positions of power/responsibility.
It is pretty much impossible to represent ALL students or all members of any group, because each individual is different, but I do think that a president should represent the majority of the students (or else most of the school will be unhappy). However, I think just because the president may spend a little more time in Earth than Eyeth (i.e. Fernandes) compared with the students, that does not mean he/she cannot represent them. As long as they still have the same interests and understand what it is like to be deaf and the hardships/abilities one encounters as a deaf person, I think they can represent the students if lines of communication remain open between president and students.
c) What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Deaf person spending too much time in either Eyeth or Earth?
Spending more time in either world will make the person more able or more equipped to communicate with other people in that world, and maybe not quite as easy to communicate with people in the OTHER world (i.e. a deaf person living in Eyeth will probably be able to communicate with/understand other Eyeth members more easily than with an earth member.) I think it would be better to spend some time in both 'worlds' (if possible) because then you would get both perspectives and experiences and be able to communicate with a larger number of people, rather than if you spend too much time in either 'world'. When time is spent in Eyeth, the other senses can be more developed to make up for hearing (i.e. more acute vision), but time spent in Eyeth can also be more dangerous if you cannot see a car coming up behind you or something.
d) What is your opinion of the fight at Galludet? Should Jane K. Fernandes be President of Gallaudet?
I think they are making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be; if noone can determine any specific problems with Fernandes, and the only real problem is that she is not "deaf enough", I think she should be allowed to take presidency if there is not someone clearly more enabled for the job than her. She is still DEAF and can relate to the students, and she does know sign language, she just also knows how to speak and lipread, which I think would be good for the deaf students because it really is helpful in the real world. To be practical, most hearers do not know sign language, and if the deaf culture/community wanted to be respected and viewed as an equal, non-disabled group, I think they would have more luck if they, or at least their leaders, could effectively communicate with the outside world in more ways than one (sign language can be used too, but speaking and lipreading won't hurt to have in the cart).
a) What is the primary argument of the students representing Deaf Culture?
The argument of the students representing Deaf culture is that deafness is not a disability but is "an oppressed minority status akin to race, and also as a unique linguistic culture. " They believe that society treats deaf people wrong, like disabled people, when really they have much to offer and should be educated so that they can communicate effectively.
b) Why would the Deaf Culture students value a President of Gallaudet who spends more time in Eyeth over Earth? Shouldn't a President of a college represent all students?
The Deaf culture students would value a president who spends more time in Eyeth (is more deaf) because that president would better understand Deaf culture since they are forced to use it and become it more than a person who spends more time on Earth and might view the deaf students differently (subconsciously thinking of the students as more disabled, less fortunate, etc.) The students of Deaf culture would probably also feel that a more Eyeth member would be a better symbol for the deaf school, and a show of how deaf people can function just as well as hearing people in positions of power/responsibility.
It is pretty much impossible to represent ALL students or all members of any group, because each individual is different, but I do think that a president should represent the majority of the students (or else most of the school will be unhappy). However, I think just because the president may spend a little more time in Earth than Eyeth (i.e. Fernandes) compared with the students, that does not mean he/she cannot represent them. As long as they still have the same interests and understand what it is like to be deaf and the hardships/abilities one encounters as a deaf person, I think they can represent the students if lines of communication remain open between president and students.
c) What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Deaf person spending too much time in either Eyeth or Earth?
Spending more time in either world will make the person more able or more equipped to communicate with other people in that world, and maybe not quite as easy to communicate with people in the OTHER world (i.e. a deaf person living in Eyeth will probably be able to communicate with/understand other Eyeth members more easily than with an earth member.) I think it would be better to spend some time in both 'worlds' (if possible) because then you would get both perspectives and experiences and be able to communicate with a larger number of people, rather than if you spend too much time in either 'world'. When time is spent in Eyeth, the other senses can be more developed to make up for hearing (i.e. more acute vision), but time spent in Eyeth can also be more dangerous if you cannot see a car coming up behind you or something.
d) What is your opinion of the fight at Galludet? Should Jane K. Fernandes be President of Gallaudet?
I think they are making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be; if noone can determine any specific problems with Fernandes, and the only real problem is that she is not "deaf enough", I think she should be allowed to take presidency if there is not someone clearly more enabled for the job than her. She is still DEAF and can relate to the students, and she does know sign language, she just also knows how to speak and lipread, which I think would be good for the deaf students because it really is helpful in the real world. To be practical, most hearers do not know sign language, and if the deaf culture/community wanted to be respected and viewed as an equal, non-disabled group, I think they would have more luck if they, or at least their leaders, could effectively communicate with the outside world in more ways than one (sign language can be used too, but speaking and lipreading won't hurt to have in the cart).
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