FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6381|'Murka

I found this quite interesting today:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/05/world/eur … ?hpt=hp_c1

Cromarty fisherfolk appears to be the only descendant from the Germanic linguistic world in which no "wh" pronunciation existed, Millar said.

.................................

"The loss of Cromarty is symptomatic of a greater, general decline in the use of the Scots language," according to Director of Scottish Language Dictionaries Chris Robinson. "This should be a wake-up call to save other struggling dialects."



Ten miles down the coast from Cromarty is Avoch, another sleepy fishing village with the closest surviving dialect to Cromarty fisherfolk, one that may also be endangered, according to Robinson. "It looks more than likely that this will go the same way as the Cromarty dialect," he said.



The dialect of the peoples who originally resided on the shores of Cromarty -- which lies on the tip of Black Isle peninsula, a four-hour drive north of Edinburgh -- was directly linked to their traditional fishing methods.



However, during the industrialization of fishing in the 1950s, established working methods were lost and the connection between the way of life and the dialect eroded. In fewer than 30 years, much of the dialect became obsolete.

.................................

There are some 6,000 to 7,000 languages in the world and it is estimated that they are disappearing at a rate of one every two weeks, according to Millar.



Some 96% of the world's population speak just 4% of the world's languages, he said. "Most languages are only spoken by a few hundred people," he added.

.................................

But the loss of a language often results in the loss of the stories that were told in that language, and in the cultural knowledge they contained. "Even medical know-how," he said
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Cheeky_Ninja06
Member
+52|6702|Cambridge, England
Its always going to happen, what use is a language that nobody else can understand?

I imagine that we will tend towards a handful of languages or even a singular language given enough time.
FEOS
Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate
+1,182|6381|'Murka

Cheeky_Ninja06 wrote:

I imagine that we will tend towards a handful of languages or even a singular language given enough time.
Essentially one of the main points of the article.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular
Winston_Churchill
Bazinga!
+521|6709|Toronto | Canada

im doing a demo of my lab's haptic holography project at a digital technology festival in toronto next weekend. should be pretty cool, excited to see layar's augmented reality in particular
M.O.A.B
'Light 'em up!'
+1,220|6193|Escea

unnamednewbie13
Moderator
+2,053|6742|PNW

A lot of languages are in constant danger of dying out. If linguists gave that much of a shit, they'd at least go make recordings before it happened.

Scientific procrastination ftw.
Uzique The Lesser
Banned
+382|4224

unnamednewbie13 wrote:

A lot of languages are in constant danger of dying out. If linguists gave that much of a shit, they'd at least go make recordings before it happened.

Scientific procrastination ftw.
is this a joke? linguists and social anthropologists are constantly in the process of doing this. it's a major part of their fieldwork.
unnamednewbie13
Moderator
+2,053|6742|PNW

aynrandroolz wrote:

is this a joke?
You're the English expert. You tell me.
60% no way.

way?
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/480999_536293626385376_1174129716_n.jpg
unnamednewbie13
Moderator
+2,053|6742|PNW

unnamednewbie13 wrote:

aynrandroolz wrote:

is this a joke?
You're the English expert. You tell me.
1 hour, 9 minutes ago    aynrandroolz (62)    D&ST - Science    e LOL FUNNY. you're better when you're being autistic and awkward rather than cocky -uzi

Being called cocky by Uzique. I'd smirk at the irony if I could get past my own poker face. I wonder if he signed it this time only because he knew mods could see it anyway?

Eh, nevermind.
_j5689_
Dreads & Bergers
+364|6687|Riva, MD
He probably takes offense to people talking back to him or something
Macbeth
Banned
+2,444|5556

he was right about the linguists and social anthropologists though
Uzique The Lesser
Banned
+382|4224
it was a seriously stupid comment by newbie, trying to be funny and, well, cocky, for lack of a better word.

"scientific procrastination ftw" he says... rofl. there are entire disciplines given to the study and preservation of languages and folklore.

then he says "you're the english student, you should know". scientific procrastination. SCIENTIFIC. dwell on that for a second.

our resident autist is not really very good at this posting style.

Last edited by aynrandroolz (2012-10-17 23:54:26)

Superior Mind
(not macbeth)
+1,755|6663
We should be teaching children a dozen languages from birth. Language diversity protects knowledge in the way that biodiversity protects ecosystems.
Uzique The Lesser
Banned
+382|4224
the problem is that (global) capitalism induces, promotes, and encourages a monoculture. one language and one culture = more direct and fluid transfer of capital.
Spearhead
Gulf coast redneck hippy
+731|6660|Tampa Bay Florida

Superior Mind wrote:

We should be teaching children a dozen languages from birth. Language diversity protects knowledge in the way that biodiversity protects ecosystems.
People who speak multiple languages are smarter, too.  Something to do with the brain I've heard.  I only speak one language so I wouldn't know.
Superior Mind
(not macbeth)
+1,755|6663
Something to do with the brain, eh?


Capitalism, nationalism, xenophobic egomania. The world is fucked.

Learning many languages is not difficult for a growing child. It doesn't require one to be extra intelligent. In pre-colonial New Guinea children typically spoke seven or eight languages.
unnamednewbie13
Moderator
+2,053|6742|PNW

aynrandroolz wrote:

it was a seriously stupid comment by newbie, trying to be funny and, well, cocky, for lack of a better word.

"scientific procrastination ftw" he says... rofl. there are entire disciplines given to the study and preservation of languages and folklore.

then he says "you're the english student, you should know". scientific procrastination. SCIENTIFIC. dwell on that for a second.

our resident autist is not really very good at this posting style.
You're given a choice between two possible conclusions. With insufficient data, you jump to one. I was being facetious, fuck-nut. Of course they're doing their jobs. I just mentioned "scientific procrastination" in reference to people deciding to "back up their data...later."

lol, cocky.

e: elsewhere, interesting article -

Does Your Language Shape How You Think?

I remember this theory being used a lot to denigrate people from other regions of the world, specifically the Middle East, Africa and east Asia.
Superior Mind
(not macbeth)
+1,755|6663
Language is the limiting filter with which we know the world. It is in our best interest to transcend the confines of the spoken word.
Ilocano
buuuurrrrrrppppp.......
+341|6637

Superior Mind wrote:

Language is the limiting filter with which we know the world. It is in our best interest to transcend the confines of the spoken word.
Nah.  More like ignorance and prejudice.  Countless anecdotes where language wasn't a barrier to anything.  Hell, one doesn't need to talk to "get some".
Superior Mind
(not macbeth)
+1,755|6663
We use language to know every situation. We describe sensory input to ourselves with a limited dictionary. It's not that our acts are confined to the use of language, it's simply how we understand those acts. If we didn't have to filter our ideas through our dictionaries we would all be able to understand each other more deeply. Imagine a direct understanding of someone's mind, we wouldn't get caught up in silly misunderstandings. You could have instant and full empathy.
Ilocano
buuuurrrrrrppppp.......
+341|6637

Saw a few tall blue people last night?



Empathy, telepathy, grock.  Doesn't matter.  We'll find ways to block certain "sharing".
Superior Mind
(not macbeth)
+1,755|6663


I think if we ever reach that point of barrier dissolution we will no longer be dealing the egos that encapsulate us.

Last edited by Superior Mind (2012-11-01 13:27:27)

Jay
Bork! Bork! Bork!
+2,006|5328|London, England

Superior Mind wrote:

We use language to know every situation. We describe sensory input to ourselves with a limited dictionary. It's not that our acts are confined to the use of language, it's simply how we understand those acts. If we didn't have to filter our ideas through our dictionaries we would all be able to understand each other more deeply. Imagine a direct understanding of someone's mind, we wouldn't get caught up in silly misunderstandings. You could have instant and full empathy.
It's called mathematics.
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
Ilocano
buuuurrrrrrppppp.......
+341|6637

Jay wrote:

Superior Mind wrote:

We use language to know every situation. We describe sensory input to ourselves with a limited dictionary. It's not that our acts are confined to the use of language, it's simply how we understand those acts. If we didn't have to filter our ideas through our dictionaries we would all be able to understand each other more deeply. Imagine a direct understanding of someone's mind, we wouldn't get caught up in silly misunderstandings. You could have instant and full empathy.
It's called mathematics.
Sadly, like the spoken language, most that could comprehend mathemathics would be low level grade school equivalent.

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