Stiod Sharing: Talking Dictionary for Endangered Languages

Logo for Wikipedia:WikiProject Endangered languages (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I read gladly of this idea for saving memory and existence of small communities languages with a talking dictionary. That is of great importance because of preservation of endangered languages and moreover to saving their own sounds. So far we had the creation of grammars and some written dictionaries that does not help as much to preserve the language itself. Who of us can recall the real Latin? Every group has its own way of pronunciation of this now only written language   as a matter of fact.

It was only the good and old Latin who died. There have been said that every two weeks one language dies around the world. But how is in important to notice.

A language does not die alone. The culture it is related to dies as well, the sense of community and the pride for the ethnicity it represents dies as well. A language is the mark of a motherland. Why do languages die, is a long long question to be debated, but I believe among other many reasons that people’s unwillingness to declare and/or believe that there are different ethnic groups, different branches of culture into a same country is killing many languages – and many cultures.

Some language thinkers believe that things exist because they are named. One passage that describes it can be found in  Through the Looking Glass (Chap. 3) by L. Carroll. Alice comes to the wood where things have no name. There she cannot distinguish anything, nor herself as a human being or the so. Isn’t our not giving name to things making them un-existing so to say?

Similarly if small communities stop naming the things with their own names, or even naming themselves they will slowly stop existing. As there is never absolute synonyms there is not absolute translation to things, as the way I perceive one thing is sure other then you, dear reader do.

Well much of a reflection by now it is only to give my perception of the necessity of helping these small languages to keep on existing and as a consequence keep the memory and pride of their using communities.

Related articles

• 55 endangered State languages to be documented (assamtribune.com)
• Video news: Linguist K. David Harrison launches talking dictionaries for endangered languages (manenomatamu.wordpress.com)
• Cyber zoo to preserve endangered languages (smh.com.au)
• Internet may save endangered languages (telegraph.co.uk)
• Native Americans Fight to Save Endangered Languages (livescience.com)
• Dying languages to be preserved in talking dictionaries (independent.co.uk)
• Poliglot (local) radio (stupidideasoftheday.wordpress.com)
• Reinfeldt har rätt – men det räcker inte. (svd.se)

Stiod Opinion: Gender Inflection for saving women equality

Presidenta Dilma (credit: Wikipedia)

I’d like to thank a linguist friend for the insight. Portuguese is a gender inflected language. That means if you say “beautiful woman” in Portuguese, you have to mark “beautiful” such a way it tells you it is feminine. Check: “Bonito” (masculine beautiful) and “Bonita” (feminine beautiful) etc.

Now Brazilian President (the Brazilians speak Portuguese) shall to inflect the word President (presidente and presidenta) etc. Now there is a law for that. It does not exactly control the spoken language, but at least the written ones, diplomas, certificates etc. So, if you are a master it will be different if you are man or woman (mestre, mestra), if you are Chemist (químico, química) etc. It was not so in many professions that were common for both genders.

It represents a step forward if you think of the position of women in the work market etc., but it is in fact a step backward: just think of the freedom of sexuality/ gender. Sad. Moreover, you cannot rule a language, or dictate about a field you are not expert in.

To the presidenta’s and other politicians’ trying to be “politically correct”, I give her some tips:

• Allow women having menstrual leave two or three days a month at work and school;
• Demand women having long hair (and forbid that from men), so to say their femininity;
• Free makeup program: It is not fair women being ugly and less feminine – check her look before and after her journey to the presidency.
• Epilation in the state health clinics (different kinds, for respecting the woman’s personality)

I do like Dilma Rousseff in a bunch of aspects, and admire her as politicia. But let’s be realistic, she`s not linguist and did she consult any of them, tell me so I satirize her/him instead,

Related articles

• ‘Gender-Queer’ at QM: the Complexities of Gender (qmequality.wordpress.com)
• Gender Differences in Emotional Health (everydayhealth.com)
• ‘Social Construction of Gender’ by Agrawal (introtosociology.wordpress.com)
• Gender and Health Inequality (offoxesandhedgehogs.wordpress.com)
• What American Women Do For Work (wnyc.org)
• Masculinities in the Performative (queeristan.org)

Learner’s blog

When I was a teacher, I used to say on and on that my students should write as way of improving their language skills. That is because when you are writing, you get plenty of time to plan your “speech”. Fair enough time to come back and review, redo, and check back, how your production was done.

In the last three years, I have learned to speak Swedish fair enough to let me understood as well as comprehending people and texts. However, despite I write pretty well e-mails, I do not feel comfortable in writing an article or a academic paper.  That’s why, some hours ago I had an insight and planned blogging also in Swedish as a way of practicing my writing skills in this language (the result).

“Our lives with all their miracles and wonders are merely a discontinuous string of incidents – until we create the narrative that gives them meaning”Arlene Goldbard

So, if you are in a educational field or learning to do something (paint, physics, handcraft) try to use blogging as an additional tool/ source of  knowledge and practice!

If your learning has nothing to do with language, blogging might help you figure out your strengths and debilities. As well as challenge you to have something new periodically to post. As an outcome of your work, sure you shall get feedback (not so often) about your practices. Try it out!

Related articles

• The Learner’s Log: Submissions now being accepted! (mentoringmullarkey.com)
• How to Know Types of Learners of My Students (socyberty.com)
• Getting learners writing: FoldBooks! (teflgeek.net)
• Rate vs. Reality (vanamgram.wordpress.com)