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Author: Piers Kelly Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0197509916 Category : Foreign Language Study Languages : en Pages : 329
Book Description
"The Eskayan language of Bohol in the southern Philippines has been an object of controversy ever since it came to light in the early 1980s. Written in an unusual script Eskayan bears no obvious similarity to any known language of the Philippines, a fact that has prompted speculation that it was either displaced from afar, fossilized from the deep past, or invented as an elaborate hoax. This book investigates the history of Eskayan through a systematic review of its writing system, grammar and lexicon, and carefully evaluates written and oral narratives provided by its contemporary speakers. The linguistic analysis largely supports the traditional view that Eskayan was the deliberate creation of a legendary ancestor by the name of Pinay. The study traces the identity of Pinay through the turbulent history of early 20th-century Bohol when the island suffered a series of catastrophes at the hands of the United States occupation. It was at this time that the ancestor Pinay was channelled by Mariano Datahan, a multilingual prophet who foretold that English and other languages would be abandoned and that Eskayan would one day be spoken by everyone in the world. To make sense of this situation, the book draws on theorizations of postcolonial resistance, language ideology, mimesis, and the utopian political dynamics of highland societies. In so doing, it offers a linguistic and ethnographic history of Eskayan and of the ideologies and historical circumstances that motivated its creation"--
Author: Piers Kelly Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0197509916 Category : Foreign Language Study Languages : en Pages : 329
Book Description
"The Eskayan language of Bohol in the southern Philippines has been an object of controversy ever since it came to light in the early 1980s. Written in an unusual script Eskayan bears no obvious similarity to any known language of the Philippines, a fact that has prompted speculation that it was either displaced from afar, fossilized from the deep past, or invented as an elaborate hoax. This book investigates the history of Eskayan through a systematic review of its writing system, grammar and lexicon, and carefully evaluates written and oral narratives provided by its contemporary speakers. The linguistic analysis largely supports the traditional view that Eskayan was the deliberate creation of a legendary ancestor by the name of Pinay. The study traces the identity of Pinay through the turbulent history of early 20th-century Bohol when the island suffered a series of catastrophes at the hands of the United States occupation. It was at this time that the ancestor Pinay was channelled by Mariano Datahan, a multilingual prophet who foretold that English and other languages would be abandoned and that Eskayan would one day be spoken by everyone in the world. To make sense of this situation, the book draws on theorizations of postcolonial resistance, language ideology, mimesis, and the utopian political dynamics of highland societies. In so doing, it offers a linguistic and ethnographic history of Eskayan and of the ideologies and historical circumstances that motivated its creation"--
Author: Nicholas Ostler Publisher: Penguin UK ISBN: 1846142164 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 352
Book Description
The author of "Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin" presents an erudite and provocative examination of the rise and coming fall of English as the world's language. Illustrations. Maps.
Author: K. David Harrison Assistant Professor of Linguistics Swarthmore College Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA ISBN: 0198040172 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 306
Book Description
It is commonly agreed by linguists and anthropologists that the majority of languages spoken now around the globe will likely disappear within our lifetime. The phenomenon known as language death has started to accelerate as the world has grown smaller. This extinction of languages, and the knowledge therein, has no parallel in human history. K. David Harrison's book is the first to focus on the essential question, what is lost when a language dies? What forms of knowledge are embedded in a language's structure and vocabulary? And how harmful is it to humanity that such knowledge is lost forever? Harrison spans the globe from Siberia, to North America, to the Himalayas and elsewhere, to look at the human knowledge that is slowly being lost as the languages that express it fade from sight. He uses fascinating anecdotes and portraits of some of these languages' last remaining speakers, in order to demonstrate that this knowledge about ourselves and the world is inherently precious and once gone, will be lost forever. This knowledge is not only our cultural heritage (oral histories, poetry, stories, etc.) but very useful knowledge about plants, animals, the seasons, and other aspects of the natural world--not to mention our understanding of the capacities of the human mind. Harrison's book is a testament not only to the pressing issue of language death, but to the remarkable span of human knowledge and ingenuity. It will fascinate linguists, anthropologists, and general readers.
Author: Raymond Hickey Publisher: Cambridge University Press ISBN: 100922641X Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 697
Book Description
Could we communicate with lifeforms on exoplanets? This thought-provoking book explores the likelihood of life and language beyond Earth.
Author: Nicholas Ostler Publisher: Penguin UK ISBN: 0141922214 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 347
Book Description
In this provocative and persuasive new book, Nicholas Ostler challenges our assumption that English will continue to dominate as the global lingua franca. Drawing on his encyclopaedic knowledge of world languages and their history, Ostler reveals that just as past great languages like Latin and Sanskrit have died out, so English will follow. The influence of English now is hard to exaggerate - it is the world's preferred medium for business, science and entertainment, and is claimed to be a basic educational tool like mathematics or computing. So is it here to stay? For the last four centuries, the dominant world power has been English-speaking, but the global balance of power is shifting. And in countries like Brazil, Russia and China, English plays no part in the national tradition. Although globalization has helped the rise of English, trade, migration, economic development and technological innovation are now changing the way we access and use language. Ostler shows how we are headed towards a much more multilingual and diverse future. And as English retreats, no single language will take its place. We can embrace this future but first we need to accept it: the last competitive advantage of native English-speakers will soon be consigned to history.
Author: Daniel Nettle Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0198031181 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 254
Book Description
Few people know that nearly one hundred native languages once spoken in what is now California are near extinction, or that most of Australia's 250 aboriginal languages have vanished. In fact, at least half of the world's languages may die out in the next century. Daniel Nettle and Suzanne Romaine assert that this trend is far more than simply disturbing. Making explicit the link between language survival and environmental issues, they argue that the extinction of languages is part of the larger picture of near-total collapse of the worldwide ecosystem. Indeed, the authors contend that the struggle to preserve precious environmental resources-such as the rainforest-cannot be separated from the struggle to maintain diverse cultures, and that the causes of language death, like that of ecological destruction, lie at the intersection of ecology and politics. In addition to defending the world's endangered languages, the authors also pay homage to the last speakers of dying tongues, such as Red Thundercloud, a Native American in South Carolina; Ned Mandrell, with whom the Manx language passed away in 1974; and Arthur Bennett, an Australian who was the last person to know more than a few words of Mbabaram. In our languages lies the accumulated knowledge of humanity. Indeed, each language is a unique window on experience. Vanishing Voices is a call to preserve this resource, before it is too late.
Author: Gopal Rayappa Kolekar Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers ISBN: 9354724698 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 191
Book Description
I was inspired to write this book by observing as to what is presently happening on the earth such as Global hunger, Child labor, Global warming, Corruption, Illiteracy and Poverty of the people in some countries and Terrorism and Guerilla warfare. I am paying very serious attention to this matter. It just amounts to unscientific administrative policy or a chaotic policy followed by a few countries and purposely some countries are indulging in terrorism tactics. Some governments pursue this policy resolutely with a view to terrorize the inhabitants of the earth. It can be seen that in a few countries the political leaders are following the present independent administrative policy of each country in a persistent manner. I have been a keen observer of this and have found that they are purposefully doing this, but I am a scientist in HRD studyand one HRD scientist is equal to God in respect of knowledge and power also. I cannot tolerate any kind of inhuman /illegal activities on the earth. By seeing this I am changing the world’s Administrative Policy as per the directions mentioned in this book. I appeal to the earth’s inhabitants to usher in this new Administrative Policy in the interest of the world with a view to have everlasting peace and the resulting satisfaction as to their lifespan on this planet.
Author: Piers Kelly
Author: Piers Kelly
Author: Nicholas Ostler
Author: Asya Pereltsvaig
Author: K. David Harrison Assistant Professor of Linguistics Swarthmore College
Author: Raymond Hickey
Author: Nicholas Ostler
Author: Daniel Nettle
Author: 
Author: Gopal Rayappa Kolekar
Author: Isaac Wheeler Avery