Can threatened languages be saved? review
Joshua Fishman
in his book, Can Threatened Languages Be Saved? Reversing Language Shift,
collected the most impressive works to revisit the main problems in the field
of language shift. He discusses attempts at maintains a language for which he
had proposed a model that could help to predict whether the effort for
maintaining would work or not. He argues the importance of reversing language
shift because otherwise this process would diminish cultural and language
diversity. A language of a community is
important to express their identity. In addition, all languages fulfill
different functions which others cannot fulfill.
Sometimes, the
approach of Reversing Language Shift is accused of being anti-modern as it
protects the language of isolated communities but he claims that this process
is not aimed at isolating them, but at empowering weaker communities. After the
introduction, he presents 17 case studies from around the world. He had already
dealt with 12 cases in his previous work. In the present book, he introduces
the so-called Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale to evaluate how the
given languages are disrupted. In the case studies, he analyzes the domains of
language usage and describes the factors of the Disruption Scale. He claims
that language shift is likely to occur when one generation doesn’t transmit
their mother tongue to the next generation. The case studies are presented with
an overview about the sociolinguistic situation of the language of the given
community. He proposes cultural and also political strategies for the reversal
and protection of endangered languages.
At the end, he
answers to the initial question: Can Threatened Languages Be Saved? He says
that in moving carefully it is possible to prevent language shift and protect
languages from extinction.
Do you think he
is right or is language extinction a natural process? Should languages be
saved?
Leave me a
comment. Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel to get updated about my new
videos!