What do we lose when a language goes extinct? In class today we'll read The Anchorage Daily News' obituary of Chief Marie Smith Jones and a 1993 feature story about her fight to preserve the language and culture. She worked with Michael Krauss, a linguist from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (who became fluent but wasn't a native speaker). As a result of her efforts, future scholars will be able to study the syntax and morphology (word formation) of the language. But it will be a dead language, like Latin or Babylonian or ancient Greek.
We'll also watch a video of Smith Jones saying a prayer in Eyak.
The words won't mean anything to us. But as we watch, please remind yourself: This little old lady in the beaded hat was doing something, saying something that nobody will ever be able to do or say again.
What do we lose when we lose a language?
In a brief editorial today (Friday) in The Independent, a British newspaper, staff writer Rachel Shields quoted Steven Levinson of the Max Planck Institute for psycholinguists in the Netherlands: "When a language dies, a whole world dies. It takes millennia to develop, and is an artefact that contains within it a whole culture. This is a tragedy." Sheilds also gave Smith Jones' name in Eyak: Udach' Kuqax*a'a'ch.
Let's think about it. How does the language we speak affect the way we see the world? How do words affect the way we think about things?
Here's an example from Eyak that I noticed in the ADN stories. In the Athabascan languages of Alaska, people tend not to use "north" and "south," "east" and "west" when they're talking about directions. More typically they use words that would translate as "up river" or "downstream," because that's the way they orient themselves when they're traveling through the North Woods of Southcentral Alaska. Knowing that, Krauss was able to guess out where they might have lived many years ago. But that's not what's important here: It's the way the Eyak people used words in a way that helped them keep their bearings when traveling off roads through a wilderness.
Look for that again when you read the stories.
But we can find examples closer to home, too. If you know people who are bilingual, you probably hear them all the time.
How many words do you know that are hard to translate from one language to another? (Hint: Many of them we can't talk about in class!) Here are a couple we can: When a Mexican-American says "Ay chihuahua!" he or she isn't talking about a little dog. Norwegians have an expression they say when they're disgusted: "Uff da!" Try saying it out loud. You know exactly what it means. ("Da" is the word for "then.") But it just doesn't translate into English. The language is part of the way people think.
How many words or phrases do you know that carry more than their literal meaning because we've heard them so often, especially in emotionally charged situations? Home, mother, apple pie, singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in the seventh inning. How would you explain them to a non-English speaker? "Ho ho ho" at Christmastime. "'Tis the season to be jolly." "You deserve a break today." "Be all you can be." "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." How many words or phrases like this can you list? How do they shape your thinking?
What would you lose if you lost them?
Then think of Marie Smith Jones, of Udach' Kuqax*a'a'ch. What did we lose, all of us, when we lost the Eyak language this week?
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25 comments:
I don't know what would happen. As they said a piece of history died with this women. It took so long to design this language, but it disappeared so fast. I am sad to see this language go, but the memory will live on. I guess that is all we have to look forward to when we pass on. Is that hopefully our memory and spirit will flurish.
When we lose a language, it is like losing history. We've also lost the stories and past times that went a long with that language.
I think what Steven Livinson said is very accurate. It does take millennia to develope a language.
As far as the questions Doc E posted, I feel that any song, poem, or citation regarding America or the American way has taken on the subliminal "meaning" that Doc E was talking about especially since 9-11. I know it is impossible for me to not hear "The Star Spangled Banner" or "God Bless America" without getting goosebumps. Thousands of thoughts run through my head and I see it all again. I'm sure it's one of those things where you have to be American or have ties to the American way to truly understand the meaning and the emotions that run through us when we hear those things.
Another line is from the movie "Independence Day." Towards the end of the movie, the President is climbing into the cockpit of a fighter jet and addresses the troops going into battle
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CoyicAEYhJg
Watch that. Everytime I hear that or see the movie it endows me with the patriotic spirit. If you don't get inspired by that speech there is something wrong with you.
I just think about what if the english language was completely lost. how big of an impact that would be and how it would feel in the eyes of other languages. its just crazy to think about and i feel that is how people are reacting to this ancient languag being lost, culture and all.
It's important that the whole world lost yet another language and culture to go along with it. More than likely the Eyak language will never be spoken again by the Alaskan natives. I think it is definitely sad to see someone's culture come to a complete end, but the legacy of their culture will live on in spirit.
the words we speak can have many different meanings than they may have in other cultures. Every culture is different and translations are going to be different. I think it wold be extremely difficult to try and teach someone or language. it is unfortunate that a language died and in that sense a culture died, but nothing last forever and the world goes on.
I think it is very sad we lost a language. I think we have lost a huge piece of history. I hope that her memory and culture will not be forgotten just because the language is lost.
When there is no one left to translate a particular language, our only source of information pertaining to that language has to come from recorded information. We may not be as precise when prounouncing this form of language either since there is no one alive who spoke it to state whether we are saying it right. When a langauge dies, our only reference is what was written and preserved.
Without the english language I dont know how I would communicate with the people and environment around me. It would be like the caveman days all over again. Its very sad to see languages die out but as various cutures become non existant it is inevitable for these languages relative to these cutures to survive any longer.
It is hard to comprehend a language dying off after so many years that it has been in existence. As time goes on things come and go and so many things become extinct. Living in the World we do we have to adjust to disasters such as this every day. I feel great remorse for the tribe and family of Marie because they will never again be enlighted by the great words of her native people.
When a culture loses a language it is like losing a part of that culture's history. There will be no more records of what words they used to called different things around us. In some cases the next generation may not be able to find out what their native culture was all about since the native tounge of that culture will be gone.
when a culture loses it language it has been speaking for centuries the younger generations won't know what to call something by its proper name, and when reading they won't no what the article or recipe says, and finally it will be very difficult to learn a new language in order to communicate with one another.
I believe it is truly sad when different languages die out. To have knowledge of different languages helps one understand the culture, the history, and diversity of other people. Once that is lost everything from that particular background is lost as well.
When this woman died, more than just a language died with her. Part of her native culture died as well. Hopefully, someday her family will try to bring it back someday and have the language live on again.
I am sad to hear that this language is no longer available. The only thing that is left of this language is the memories Marie shared with her children and grandchildren.
I think they were write when they said a piece of history died with this women. when we lose a language it is like losing a part of someones culture. When the language is forgotten the people are forgotten
It is very sad to see this language go. Its sad to see things such as languages just up and disappear. Although this does not hit me very hard but I had know idea this was even a language before today. The only thing that I dont understand is if she cared about the language so much then why didnt she teach someone the language so they could carry it on.
We lost a language with this women. This language could describe a whole different culture and now there is a possiblity her grand children will wonder about it.
With the language dies the culture, beliefs, and traditions. People might carry on and recognize them for awhile, but eventually only historians will know the Eyak language and culture. It is unfortunate that this has to happen, but it will not be the last time a language dies out.
If somebody grew up speaking a different language, and then learned english, they would not regognize certain phrases. For example, "It's raining cats and dogs," Only somebody that knew the culture and grew up in the U.S. would know what that meant. Every culture has not only a language, but a culture that complements that certain language.
Language is obviously an important part of our culture. Seeing the Eyak language and the culture end is very sad. But life goes on and these people will be remembered. If the english language were to die out I don't know what would happen. It would seem like everything we know would be lost because we are unable to communicate. I couldn't imagine it.
I think it would be extremely tough to try to figure out the language lost after all of it's remnants are gone. It's hard to communicate with someone who you can't talk to.
I think that an important part of the culture of the entire world would be lost. Though it was only one language, that language holds the key to understand everthing there is to know about that particular type of culture. If we don't understand their language, everything else about them would be difficult to follow as well.
I think Marie Smith Jones, should have at least tryed to teach her children or close family her language, so that when she die, her languge wouldn't have to die to.
Not only are Eagles a symbolic religious symbol in the Native American cultures, they can also be found in hymns at church. Such as the song "On Eagles Wings." Like angels, eagles also play a part in our religion. I find these two figures to be similar. Eagles and Angels both share the dame characteristic, such as having wings. In this song the wings of and eagle will lift you up. I'm sure that there are many cultures that share similar rituals and figures that represent the same thing.
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