A man who 'discovered' 780 Indian languages

Post by nathancahill » Fri, Oct 27, 2017, 7:25 PM UTC

Alex3917 wrote: post #26

beat wrote: post #11

This reminded me of a video I saw once, many years ago. It was told by the last speaker of a language - from a tribe in El Salvador, iirc (Central America, for sure). Most of his tribe had been wiped out during civil war. He and his parents were the last living speakers of their language. When his parents died, he was the last. The video was a long, tearful poem, telling the story of his people and their destruction.…

It's interesting that the same technologies we use to preserve language (audio/film/text) are also largely the reason for their destruction. If you just have two people talking with each other in the woods there aren't any economies of scale, no 'best' version of Wikipedia, no Hollywood movies to watch, etc. While not related to language, except for one episode, NPR's archive of lost & found sound is also worth check…

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Oct 27, 2017, 7:32 PM UTC

soneca wrote: post #23

ravirajx7 wrote: post #20

One of the main reason behind the 'developing' state of India even after 70 years of independence is its differences which Indians still have in their mind. The language barrier is the only barrier which is proving to be resistance let alone culture prevention and all that. Languages are just a form of communication between people and people should accept it. People should learn languages like English(Which have vast…

Brazil never had this problem and it is still 'developing' 195 years after its independence. Same language, not that different regional culture (similar to USA I guess). And Europe as a whole was able to become developed despite its language barriers.

Post by deanstag » Fri, Oct 27, 2017, 7:35 PM UTC

ravirajx7 wrote: post #37

deanstag wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Promoting a language because the Prime minister finds himself more proficient orator in the language? I find that hard to believe. Do you have sources on this?

It's not just that. Ever since he has got his position he is trying to promote India's ethnic values and culture and he's not saying "Bhaiyo aur beheno bas hindi bolo" ( brothers and sisters just speak hindi) and nobody is imposing the language hindi on anyone. But if you're living in a country and serving people(working in government sector) where almost majority of the people speak hindi don't you think you should…

Post by astrodust » Fri, Oct 27, 2017, 7:36 PM UTC

zumu wrote: post #33

ravirajx7 wrote: post #20

One of the main reason behind the 'developing' state of India even after 70 years of independence is its differences which Indians still have in their mind. The language barrier is the only barrier which is proving to be resistance let alone culture prevention and all that. Languages are just a form of communication between people and people should accept it. People should learn languages like English(Which have vast…

> China is one more country which is preserving its culture by speaking chinese There's so many different languages spoken in China, many of which are dying or endangered. Moreover, China is by no means a mono culture. The government of China actively promotes a singular language and culture at the cost of those on the margins.

Post by jlg23 » Fri, Oct 27, 2017, 7:42 PM UTC

ravirajx7 wrote: post #20

One of the main reason behind the 'developing' state of India even after 70 years of independence is its differences which Indians still have in their mind. The language barrier is the only barrier which is proving to be resistance let alone culture prevention and all that. Languages are just a form of communication between people and people should accept it. People should learn languages like English(Which have vast…