LINGUIST List 28.4826

Thu Nov 16 2017

Disc: Re: 28.4758, Review of 'Language Documentation and Endangerment in Africa

Editor for this issue: Kenneth Steimel <kenlinguistlist.org>


Date: 10-Nov-2017
From: Gail Coelho <gailcoelhogmail.com>
Subject: Re: 28.4758, Review of 'Language Documentation and Endangerment in Africa
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The situation is the same in India and I imagine many parts of Asia. A local dominant language (usually state language) is the one that displaces the subordinate languages. Those who use English are bilingual in a local language (though extent of English-dominance can be high for some individuals of the upper income groups), so English is not really the one that displaces endangered languages. Although education is necessary, education, when done solely in the dominant language, is the biggest threat to minority languages with small populations.



Linguistic Field(s): Language Documentation



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