In the Northwestern region of France, in the province of Brittany (Bretagne), there has been a renewed interest in the revival of the formerly dominant regional language, Breton. It is a Celtic language and a descendant from the Celtic British language which was first brought to the region during the Middle Ages. Over time, it was influenced by French and Latin, and today it is a fluid, Celtic language. Listen to a sample in this video (the Breton anthem).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCDZtYkfhjQ
In the latter part of the MIddle Ages, Breton was replaced by Latin and then French in high society. Thus, the language became a popular language spoken mainly by the plebeians of society. To this day, French remains the sole language of the Republic of France. In 1880 and until the mid 1950s, Breton was actually banned from schools, and citizens of Brittany were humiliated and punished gravely for speaking the language. Residents refrained from using it, even at home. This persecution greatly hurt the language. In less than a century, the number of speakers of Breton declined by 80%. Today around 13% of the region's population (about 200,000 people) speak the language. Historian Fanch Broudich claims it is the only language in history to have declined in use so dramatically in such a short period of time.
However, today, the younger generations have a renewed interest in learning about their Breton heritage. A young girl interviewed said, "To defend our culture, we have to speak Breton." It is seen as a "resistance to globalization" and a way to reconnect with cultural identity. In the 1970s, a community of concerned Breton elders and parents created the Diwan school system. These schools use Breton as the language of instruction and often do no begin teaching French until age 7. By age 10, the two languages are taught at equal frequencies. These immersion schools are very effective at producing Breton speakers, and the revival of the language has been seen as a success. The problem remains in the sheer numbers of Brittany citizens who are not learning the language.
I wanted to write about this subject because I always find it interesting to learn about small different cultural communities that are often neglected or unexposed in our general world view. Also, I love to learn of examples where language revival is successful because I think it's a very important issue.
Sources:
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/breton.htm
http://icdbl.org/saozg/Diwan_Intro.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0vMxu1bUq8 (al Jazeera report)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Chinglish: To Eradicate or to Preserve?
In a recent NY Times article, I discovered an important and new point of view on Chinglish, as it is used in China. Chinglish is the fusion language of Chinese and English (much like Franglais and Spanglish). It is prominent in China on street signs, restaurant menus, and other public places and things such as drinks. For example, there exists "The Jew's Ear Juice" and clothing sizes representing large that are instead "fatso" or "lard bucket." These horrid translations are often humorous, but on a more serious note, they are embarrassing, unprofessional, and often unsuccessful at communicating important messages. For English speakers trying to get around Beijing, confusing signs such as this one that reads "Because if the tourist does not obey the staff to manage or contrary holds, Does, all consequences are proud" which is supposed to instruct visitors the entry requirements for a park, do not serve their purpose but merely serve as an embarrassing reminder that the government is not appropriately handling translations.
However, despite the inconvenience and confusion these mistranslations cause native English speakers, some Chinese are strong supporters of their existence. Oliver Lutz Radtke, a former German radio personality and expert on Chinglish argues that the fusion language provides insight into how Chinese people think and the importance of Chinese language structure, as seen in the attempted translations. He said, “If you standardize all these signs, you not only take away the little giggle you get while strolling in the park but you lose a window into the Chinese mind." They reveal the poetic nature of the language. For example, instead of warning, "stay off the grass" some signs read "The Little Grass Is Sleeping. Please Don’t Disturb It." A quick Google search revealed a Facebook groups calling to "Save Chinglish!" and also this website, http://chinglish.com/main, that is the home of the Chinese-English Chamber of Commerce that calls Chinglish the "new approach to language and trade."
Regardless, the government, with the help of volunteers, has been documenting these mistakes and attempting to correct them. This process began in 2001 when China was chosen to host the 2008 Olympics, and in 2002, the Beijing Tourism Bureau created a hotline that allows English speaking residents and visitors to report mistranslations. Since then, over 400,000 street signs and 1,300 restaurant menus have been replaced. As Beijing becomes ever more important as an international business capitol, the Chinese government sees the need to make the city more accessible and professional-looking for English speaking visitors.
According to Wikipedia (I must admit, not the best source, so please excuse me if the information isn't totally correct, and please correct me if you are familiar with Chinese!!) mistranslations are often due to major differences between the Chinese and English languages. For example, in Chinese there is no equivalent for the word "the," so on signs, it is often used excessively or not at all. Also, commas in Chinese are used without a conjunction and periods are only used to indicated the end of a train of thought, so they aren't used until the end of a passage in most cases. This difference explains the misuse of commas and periods in translations.
It's interesting to me to think that there are people out there fighting for the preservation of this modern, hybrid language. To me, it seems that the prevalence of Chinglish in Beijing is more of an inconvenience than anything else, and sadly I cannot agree with Radtke who sees Chinglish as an endangered language that deserves to be preserved. Although, I do enjoy finding humorous examples online. What do you think? Does it qualify as a real language, and if so, is it worth preserving?
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6052800.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/world/asia/03chinglish.html?pagewanted=2
http://chinglish.com/main
However, despite the inconvenience and confusion these mistranslations cause native English speakers, some Chinese are strong supporters of their existence. Oliver Lutz Radtke, a former German radio personality and expert on Chinglish argues that the fusion language provides insight into how Chinese people think and the importance of Chinese language structure, as seen in the attempted translations. He said, “If you standardize all these signs, you not only take away the little giggle you get while strolling in the park but you lose a window into the Chinese mind." They reveal the poetic nature of the language. For example, instead of warning, "stay off the grass" some signs read "The Little Grass Is Sleeping. Please Don’t Disturb It." A quick Google search revealed a Facebook groups calling to "Save Chinglish!" and also this website, http://chinglish.com/main, that is the home of the Chinese-English Chamber of Commerce that calls Chinglish the "new approach to language and trade."
Regardless, the government, with the help of volunteers, has been documenting these mistakes and attempting to correct them. This process began in 2001 when China was chosen to host the 2008 Olympics, and in 2002, the Beijing Tourism Bureau created a hotline that allows English speaking residents and visitors to report mistranslations. Since then, over 400,000 street signs and 1,300 restaurant menus have been replaced. As Beijing becomes ever more important as an international business capitol, the Chinese government sees the need to make the city more accessible and professional-looking for English speaking visitors.
According to Wikipedia (I must admit, not the best source, so please excuse me if the information isn't totally correct, and please correct me if you are familiar with Chinese!!) mistranslations are often due to major differences between the Chinese and English languages. For example, in Chinese there is no equivalent for the word "the," so on signs, it is often used excessively or not at all. Also, commas in Chinese are used without a conjunction and periods are only used to indicated the end of a train of thought, so they aren't used until the end of a passage in most cases. This difference explains the misuse of commas and periods in translations.
It's interesting to me to think that there are people out there fighting for the preservation of this modern, hybrid language. To me, it seems that the prevalence of Chinglish in Beijing is more of an inconvenience than anything else, and sadly I cannot agree with Radtke who sees Chinglish as an endangered language that deserves to be preserved. Although, I do enjoy finding humorous examples online. What do you think? Does it qualify as a real language, and if so, is it worth preserving?
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6052800.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/world/asia/03chinglish.html?pagewanted=2
http://chinglish.com/main
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Belgium Unraveled by Language
For the second time in the past 5 years, Belgium's government has fallen as we know it. Yves Leterme, the Christian Democrat prime minister, just resigned after only five months. However, it is no cause for alarm in Belgium because it is the third resignation in the past 3 years. The conflict between the Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south is so extreme that government bodies cannot operate successfully. In federal parliament last week, 150 deputies chanted, "Long live free Flanders, may Belgium die."
For the past 30 years, the government has unstably functioned to unite the nation, but still there is little Belgian pride. A Flander commented: "There's no loyalty to a country called Belgium. There has never been a country that has lasted so long in conditions like this." The country essentially runs as two separate nations; there exist no national political parties, no national newspaper, no national TV channel, and no common school curriculum. The north is flourishing economically while the south is deep in debt and the two groups normally vote on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Every effort is made to avoid interaction between the groups. School children are educated on separate floors and with a different curriculum and universities are separated on the basis of language.
The country of 10.5 million people, is 58% Dutch speaking and 31% French speaking. For the most part, the two groups live in different geographic regions, but as this changes, conflict arises. French-speaking middle class families are moving out to the Flemish-dominated suburbs as Brussels becomes increasingly crowded; here, they face animosity and aggression. Friction, however, is greatest in the city itself in areas where the Flanders and Wallonia live side by side. Although both sides agree that violent conflict is not likely, they do admit that emotions are tense on both sides. Separatists have started defacing bilingual street signs. In the city's governmental structure, the two sides use legislation and restrictions to undermine each other. For example, proceedings conducted in the town of Linkebeek must be in Flemish even though 13 of the 15 councillors are native French speakers.
The importance of this issue is that language is at the heart of it. I was shocked to discover that language could be so powerful; it essentially toppled the Belgian government. As said by the Ian Traynor, the author of the article, "Language is the fundamental flaw at the core of Belgium's existential crisis, taking on the role that race, religion, or ethnicity play in other conflict-riven societies. The country operates on the basis of linguistic apartheid, which infects everything from public libraries to local and regional government, the education system, the political parties, national television, the newspapers, even football teams."
What do you think? Does Belgium have potential for reconciliation? Are they addressing these issues incorrectly? Or is a divorce in the making?
For the past 30 years, the government has unstably functioned to unite the nation, but still there is little Belgian pride. A Flander commented: "There's no loyalty to a country called Belgium. There has never been a country that has lasted so long in conditions like this." The country essentially runs as two separate nations; there exist no national political parties, no national newspaper, no national TV channel, and no common school curriculum. The north is flourishing economically while the south is deep in debt and the two groups normally vote on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Every effort is made to avoid interaction between the groups. School children are educated on separate floors and with a different curriculum and universities are separated on the basis of language.
The country of 10.5 million people, is 58% Dutch speaking and 31% French speaking. For the most part, the two groups live in different geographic regions, but as this changes, conflict arises. French-speaking middle class families are moving out to the Flemish-dominated suburbs as Brussels becomes increasingly crowded; here, they face animosity and aggression. Friction, however, is greatest in the city itself in areas where the Flanders and Wallonia live side by side. Although both sides agree that violent conflict is not likely, they do admit that emotions are tense on both sides. Separatists have started defacing bilingual street signs. In the city's governmental structure, the two sides use legislation and restrictions to undermine each other. For example, proceedings conducted in the town of Linkebeek must be in Flemish even though 13 of the 15 councillors are native French speakers.
The importance of this issue is that language is at the heart of it. I was shocked to discover that language could be so powerful; it essentially toppled the Belgian government. As said by the Ian Traynor, the author of the article, "Language is the fundamental flaw at the core of Belgium's existential crisis, taking on the role that race, religion, or ethnicity play in other conflict-riven societies. The country operates on the basis of linguistic apartheid, which infects everything from public libraries to local and regional government, the education system, the political parties, national television, the newspapers, even football teams."
What do you think? Does Belgium have potential for reconciliation? Are they addressing these issues incorrectly? Or is a divorce in the making?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Effectiveness of Foreign Language Learning
In a Washington Post Local Living article, Jay Matthews boldly argues that learning and teaching foreign languages in middle school and high school is a waste of time and funds. His main argument is that students are able to easily breeze through language courses in high school with very little effort and high marks. Most high schools don't require foreign language study for graduation, and those that do usually only require 2 years. This is the same for colleges, they traditionally only ask their applicants to have completed two years. I'd have to agree with Matthews on the point that two years is not nearly enough time to gain any level of proficiency in a foreign language. Extended study and immersion are necessary to obtain fluency.
Also, many students choose to study languages that they are not likely to use often (or ever in the case of Latin) for interactions with other native speakers. They simply wish to fulfill a requirement. For example, Matthews studied German and Latin in high school but quickly forgot it all because he didn't continue his studies in college or practice speaking with anyone. On the flipside, students who are determined to learn a foreign language can successfully do so with the help of language instruction in high school.
For example, I knew that I wanted to be as fluent as possible in French to be able to more easily communicate with my older relatives in Lebanon. I studied it from 7th-12th grades in school and then continued my studies at Stanford. I also participated in an immersion program in Montreal with a host family two summers ago (although it's questionable if that helped or hurt because the Quebecois accent is ridiculous!). I can confidently say now that I am fluent. I used what I learned in the classroom as a base and then continued learning at home by reading French books, listening to the music, and practicing with my father. I can't really say that I learned French strictly through my school's program, but at the same time, it taught me the integral basics of grammar and vocabulary. I doubt would have been motivated enough to learn the language from scratch on my own.
Although these programs aren't churning out fluent speakers by the time of graduation, I think it's too strong of a statement to say that they're useless. For those learning Spanish, even small amounts can prove to be beneficial, so studying it in high school certainly isn't a waste of time. Also, studying foreign languages opens doors. If I hadn't studied French, I wouldn't have been eligible for the study abroad scholarship in Montreal, and I probably never would have visited the city. After my stay there, I decided to apply to McGill University and seriously considered attending the school (but who was I kidding-choosing between sunny CA or snow-covered Montreal...easy choice).
So what do you think? Are our foreign language programs so bad that they should just be eliminated, or is there value to be found in them?
See http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2010/04/why_waste_time_on_a_foreign_la.html
Also, many students choose to study languages that they are not likely to use often (or ever in the case of Latin) for interactions with other native speakers. They simply wish to fulfill a requirement. For example, Matthews studied German and Latin in high school but quickly forgot it all because he didn't continue his studies in college or practice speaking with anyone. On the flipside, students who are determined to learn a foreign language can successfully do so with the help of language instruction in high school.
For example, I knew that I wanted to be as fluent as possible in French to be able to more easily communicate with my older relatives in Lebanon. I studied it from 7th-12th grades in school and then continued my studies at Stanford. I also participated in an immersion program in Montreal with a host family two summers ago (although it's questionable if that helped or hurt because the Quebecois accent is ridiculous!). I can confidently say now that I am fluent. I used what I learned in the classroom as a base and then continued learning at home by reading French books, listening to the music, and practicing with my father. I can't really say that I learned French strictly through my school's program, but at the same time, it taught me the integral basics of grammar and vocabulary. I doubt would have been motivated enough to learn the language from scratch on my own.
Although these programs aren't churning out fluent speakers by the time of graduation, I think it's too strong of a statement to say that they're useless. For those learning Spanish, even small amounts can prove to be beneficial, so studying it in high school certainly isn't a waste of time. Also, studying foreign languages opens doors. If I hadn't studied French, I wouldn't have been eligible for the study abroad scholarship in Montreal, and I probably never would have visited the city. After my stay there, I decided to apply to McGill University and seriously considered attending the school (but who was I kidding-choosing between sunny CA or snow-covered Montreal...easy choice).
So what do you think? Are our foreign language programs so bad that they should just be eliminated, or is there value to be found in them?
See http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2010/04/why_waste_time_on_a_foreign_la.html
Endangered Languages
In the New York Times, I stumbled across an interesting article about the prevalence of endangered languages in New York City. Experts estimate that over 800 languages are spoken in NYC and around 400 are considered endangered; Daniel Kaufman, a professor of linguistics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York said, "We’re sitting in an endangerment hot spot where we are surrounded by languages that are not going to be around even in 20 or 30 years.” These endangered languages are from Indonesia, Belize, Tajikistan, Poland, and more. They include but are not limited to Aramaic from the Semitic family; Bukhari (a Bukharian Jewish language, which has more speakers in Queens than in Uzbekistan or Tajikistan); Chamorro (from the Mariana Islands); Irish Gaelic; Kashubian (from Poland); indigenous Mexican languages; Rhaeto-Romanic (spoken in Switzerland); Romany (from the Balkans); and Yiddish. Some of these languages actually have more native speakers in NYC than in their home countries.
In an effort to conserve and revive these languages, Professor Kaufman and several associates have created a non-profit organization called the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA). The group identifies endangered language speakers and brings them into labs to research and record the dying languages. They're mission statement is as follows: “to further the documentation, description, maintenance, and revitalization of threatened and endangered languages, and to educate the public about the causes and consequences of language extinction.”
One specific case highlighted in the video that accompanies the article is the tribal Darfurian language Massalit. The linguists brought in Daowd I. Salih, a Darfurian refugee, to interview. They ask him how to say simple phrases such as "a man holds a fish" in Massalit, and they look for patterns in grammatical formation and vocabulary. They are attempting to record the language for the first time in the hopes of preventing its extinction in Sudan.
Other groups are following suit and joining the fight to revive endangered languages. Speakers of an indigenous language from Belize called Garifuna are offering classes at the Yurumein House Culture Center in the Bronx and the Biko Transformation Center in East Bushwick. A father teaching his young daughters folk songs in the language said, "It’s going to give them a sense of self, to know themselves. The fact that they’re speaking the language is empowerment in itself.”
http://endangeredlanguagealliance.org/main/about
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/nyregion/29lost.html?pagewanted=2
VIDEO: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/04/28/nyregion/1247467719180/city-of-endangered-languages.html
In an effort to conserve and revive these languages, Professor Kaufman and several associates have created a non-profit organization called the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA). The group identifies endangered language speakers and brings them into labs to research and record the dying languages. They're mission statement is as follows: “to further the documentation, description, maintenance, and revitalization of threatened and endangered languages, and to educate the public about the causes and consequences of language extinction.”
One specific case highlighted in the video that accompanies the article is the tribal Darfurian language Massalit. The linguists brought in Daowd I. Salih, a Darfurian refugee, to interview. They ask him how to say simple phrases such as "a man holds a fish" in Massalit, and they look for patterns in grammatical formation and vocabulary. They are attempting to record the language for the first time in the hopes of preventing its extinction in Sudan.
Other groups are following suit and joining the fight to revive endangered languages. Speakers of an indigenous language from Belize called Garifuna are offering classes at the Yurumein House Culture Center in the Bronx and the Biko Transformation Center in East Bushwick. A father teaching his young daughters folk songs in the language said, "It’s going to give them a sense of self, to know themselves. The fact that they’re speaking the language is empowerment in itself.”
http://endangeredlanguagealliance.org/main/about
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/nyregion/29lost.html?pagewanted=2
VIDEO: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/04/28/nyregion/1247467719180/city-of-endangered-languages.html
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