| Subject | : | The Importance of Language |
| Author | : | Sam Gorden |
| Date | : | 10-26-1999 on 09:37 p.m. |
| gordsa@earthlink.net Dear Costa, I could not agree more with when you eulogize the importance of language. I maintain that a common language is the greatest factor in unifying the culture of a people. One statement of yours intrigued me. "Throughout history, when the goal has been to unify or centralize a country or region, the first step has been to impose an "official" language, taking away the linguistic rights of the smaller groups has usually resulted in the death knell of their cultures." You refer, of course to countries where different cultures have abutted for countless generation. Somehow I have the feeling that you are trying to justify the activities of certain minority groups to propagate a foreign language in lieu of our traditional tongue. This is done with the intent to develope political clout and obtain special priveleges at the expense of the majority. In this connection, it should be noted that the building of these power structures is supported fervently by some members of the majority who hate our traditional culture and wish to see it destroyed. I am certain that you are not one of those. On second thought, the people who came to us, seeking a better life, can not be compared to the minorities you mentioned in your diatribe. They came vountarily The Statue of Liberty is engraved with our welcome. We are of one mind when you speak of "The Language of Carpets" I have always maintained that all true art is emotional communication. This is why I have collected Oriental tribal rugs, not made for export, which express the traditions, the mores, their religious beliefs, in fact their very lifestyle. Allow me to thank you for a very well written article and to hope that I will hear from you in the near future. Sam Gorden |
| Subject | : | Languages and cultures |
| Author | : | Steve Price |
| Date | : | 10-27-1999 on 08:46 a.m. |
| sprice@hsc.vcu.edu Dear Sam, I'm not sure what examples Costa specifically had in mind when he said, Throughout history, when the goal has been to unify or centralize a country or region, the first step has been to impose an "official" language, taking away the linguistic rights of the smaller groups has usually resulted in the death knell of their cultures, but it certainly brings to my mind the imposition of Russian on the rest of the "republics" of the old USSR. It was one of the major reasons the Russians were so intensely disliked in these places. Let me relate a personal experience. In 1979 I was invited to the USSR as a visiting lecturer, and went to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Vilnius (Lithuania's capitol), and Moscow, in that order. When I arrived in Vilnius I was greeted by the director of the institute at which I was to lecture. He spoke in Lithuanian, with a translator who repeated his words in English. I could speak Russian in those days, and since I knew that everyone in the USSR was taught Russian in school, I thought we could bypass the interpretor. So, I answered him in Russian. He looked me straight in the eye (a KGB agent was next to me, but that's another long story) and asked me, in German, if I could speak German. I could, and said so. "Good", he said (in German), "We will speak German. Russian is a foreign language." The Lithuanian resentment of the Russian attempt to bury their culture exceeded their resentment of the German terror they suffered from about 1940-1945. Steve Price |
| Subject | : | RE:The Importance of Language |
| Author | : | Jerry Silverman |
| Date | : | 10-27-1999 on 06:58 p.m. |
| I'm going out on a limb here, as I don't have the facts at hand - only a recollection. But I recall that Native Americans were taught English in their reservation schools, not their native language. Depending on which side of the debate you come down on, the reason was either to help integrate the young into the wider society beyond the reservation or to help eradicate any links with their heritage and its resistance to Federal control. The parallel to the Soviet example is striking. A mere glance at the modern production of Native American rugs compared to the glorious 19th century output (when they were actually used as part of their daily lives) tells all you need to know about becoming alienated from your historical traditions. -Jerry- |