Would you support goverment funding to preserve dying languages/cultures?

[Cannae]

Well would you or would you not? Do you think that it would be worth your tax money to support and educate people about these cultures? Would you support/approve preserving these dying cultures via philanthropy? Or do not even care at all?

 

[Longus]

My government routinely spends vast sums of money educating people about our supposedly suppressed culture and heritage along w/ our national language. If done intelligently, I think it can be a good thing.

 

[Arwon]

Define preserve. It can mean preserve for archival and study purposes or it can mean conserve.

Documenting these languages is a very important thing, and it's time-critical to boot. Some government funding would dramatically help.

I don't have a problem with efforts to revive, conserve and promote languages except where it starts to encroach on other language communities' rights. Where practical, giving people education and culture in their native tongues is something of a desirable thing. This weird (predominantly anglophone, it must be said) Highlander mentality about language death confuses me.

 

[gangleri2001]

Highlander

I know what's the movie you saw last night.

On topic: Yes, I do. Not only for dying languages, but for every language, giving special attention to the endangered ones.

 

[Phlegmak]

I support recording and documenting everything. Keeping dying languages alive via teaching people who otherwise would never learn it seems like a waste of resources.

 

[Longus]

I support recording and documenting everything. Keeping dying languages alive via teaching people who otherwise would never learn it seems like a waste of resources.

But what if through that language they gain greater understanding of their culture and history? Isn't that to be applauded?

 

[Arwon]

I know what's the movie you saw last night.

On topic: Yes, I do. Not only for dying languages, but for every language, giving special attention to the endangered ones.

There can only be ONE!

 

[Masquerouge]

Some money should be spent on making sure relevant information about the language is preserved (so that future generations, if they so wish, can learn the language from scratch), but I don't think money should be spent to artificially preserve the language. If it's dying, it's dying.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Or just give them all the right to operate casinos. Well, it worked for the Miccosukee and many other endangered US Indian tribes...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miccosukee

http://www.miccosukee.com/





Before the casinos, their only source of income was a rundown tourist trap along Alligator Alley where you could see a 'native American" wrestle a gator or go for an airboat ride.

 

[Oruc]

This weird (predominantly anglophone, it must be said) Highlander mentality about language death confuses me.

huh? highlanders?

I dont think we should bother trying to save or preserve dying languages (unless its my own), we should be encouraging them to die out.

 

[Longus]

Perhaps the fact that this is an English language forum is having some minor influence on the kind of opinions displayed here, no?

 

[gangleri2001]

There can only be ONE!

PS: Paint ROOLZ!!

 

[Shekwan]

Well that was truly glimpse inside the mind of a madman.

No I wouldn't support government funding for that sort of thing.

 

[scherbchen]

nope. I am a linguistic social Darwinist when it comes to that. adapt, evolve or die out. the same goes for supressing a linguistic minority, of course (here's looking at you, Franco).

 

[Irish Caesar]

I'll echo most everyone else... study languages and cultures; having a large collection of knowledge is good.

Keeping dying languages alive via teaching people who otherwise would never learn it seems like a waste of resources.

It seems like it because it is.

 

[Bill3000]

Preserving language via records should be done, and if a nation or subdivision honestly wants to preserve its traditional tongue, they ought to be able to support it.

 

[Captain Planet]

The preservation of language is absolutely imperative to our understanding of culture and social structure.

 

[Mowque]

Preserving language via records should be done, and if a nation or subdivision honestly wants to preserve its traditional tongue, they ought to be able to support it.

What he said

 

[amadeus]

Ku sthith ammani dictus al to premonse yek shilev... actis okanum wo saygun mareau.

Translation: I'm tempted to write up my own language and then kill it... maybe I can get some government monies.

 

[LucyDuke]

Define preserve. It can mean preserve for archival and study purposes or it can mean conserve.

Documenting these languages is a very important thing, and it's time-critical to boot. Some government funding would dramatically help.

Yes.

I don't have a problem with efforts to revive, conserve and promote languages except where it starts to encroach on other language communities' rights. Where practical, giving people education and culture in their native tongues is something of a desirable thing. This weird (predominantly anglophone, it must be said) Highlander mentality about language death confuses me.

No.

Some money should be spent on making sure relevant information about the language is preserved (so that future generations, if they so wish, can learn the language from scratch), but I don't think money should be spent to artificially preserve the language. If it's dying, it's dying.

Yes.

I dont think we should bother trying to save or preserve dying languages (unless its my own), we should be encouraging them to die out.

No.

nope. I am a linguistic social Darwinist when it comes to that. adapt, evolve or die out. the same goes for supressing a linguistic minority, of course (here's looking at you, Franco).

Yes.

The preservation of language is absolutely imperative to our understanding of culture and social structure.

No.