Seven hundred million to one: Personal action in reversing language shift-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Seven hundred million to one: Personal action in reversing language shift

Published:2006-11-13 Issue:1-2 Volume:29 Page:267-284
ISSN:1708-5268
Container-title:Études/Inuit/Studies
language:
Short-container-title:etudinuit

Author:

Dauenhauer Richard L.¹

Affiliation:

1. University of Alaska Southeast.Mailing address: 3740 North Douglas Highway,Juneau,AK 99801,USA.

Abstract

The paper considers what influence a single person can have on language survival and transmission of knowledge, comparing and contrasting the situation of large languages such as Putonghua (traditionally called Mandarin Chinese, with 700 million speakers) and small languages such as Eyak with as few speakers as one. It examines the delights and dilemmas of such work, the practical results (such as texts and documents) and the spiritual rewards (mostly satisfaction), drawing examples from our own work of the last 35 years with Tlingit, and from the work of colleagues, especially Michael Krauss, in the context of a volume celebrating his 70th birthday and 45 years of work on behalf of Alaska Native languages and endangered indigenous languages around the world, especially in the circumpolar north. The paper is by design an informal and non-technical address to the general reader, especially members of communities whose indigenous languages are endangered.

Publisher

Consortium Erudit

Subject

General Social Sciences,General Arts and Humanities

Reference22 articles.

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