Comment is free, an sae is prejudice...

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I wis a bittie dounhairtit tae see sum o the comments on the BBC's raicent airticle about leid daith (http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8311000/8311069.stm). Sadly it seems a guid nummer o fowk (includin twa-thrie Scots) aye hauds tae the scunnersome norrie that the vailyie o a leid is the same thing as the nummer o commercial transactions that can be cairried out i that leid. I thocht I'd gie this blog ower tae takkin a keik at the comments on thon airticle, an seein whit they say about the attitudes an prejudices fowk hae about minority leids.

Tae see sic comments as: ''...languages are not here for our intellectual amusement. The economic and social benefits of fewer languages to the living world are clear - that's why it's happening. People should not be made to feel guilty about releasing past traditions, linguistic or otherwise...'' leaves me wi the thocht that it's gey easy tae say that cultur can be left ahint whan it isna yer ain cultur that's unner discussion.

Anithir body said: "I think that the reduction in the number of languages spoken is also a great way to help unify the world and the human race in general." O course it gaes wiout sayin that the new unifeid cultur wad be set alang the lines o culturs that awreidy bears the gree - unity i this contex seems tae me tae mean nae mair nor "awbody gangs the gate o thaim that's ower pouerfou oniewey."

Or: "Communities are best served by a language which can be used to communicate intelligibly with the greatest number of people" - an whit o whan the fowk o thae communities is communicatin wi ithir fowk frae the same or gey seimilar communities?

Ray Dorrity frae Lymington in England gies awa his ain assumptions - he threips we maun wark for ae universal leid. Whit micht thon leid be? Mandarin - the maist spokken leid i the warld? Spanish, the seicond ahint it? Or Inglish, that Ray awreidy haes sae he disna need tae lairn anithir ane an tyne his ain cultur. Whiles I wunner whit the fowk that cries out for ae leid an ae leid ainlie wad say gin it wis decidit that it wadna be *their* leid we'd aw hae tae uise.

David Evans frae Sussex douts that aw fowk haein the same leid wad lat us aw respeck aw the ithir fowk o the human race. Nou, I dout that we coud get a guid stairt on respeckin aw the fowk o the human race by no tryin tae gar fowk tyne their ain leids! Sum respeck!

A cheil frae Brora jalouses it's the ability o Inglish tae cope wi sic subjecks as parliamentary democracy an economics that's gied it a heize ower leids unable tae dae sae, like Mayan an Navajo. Nou, the daith o thae leids micht hae mair tae dae wi socio-linguistic issues like... weil... the fowk speakin thaim bein invadit, killt, flittit aroun agin their wull an economically depressed wi'in kintras whaur the socially an economically dominant fowk speaks ithir leids... but I micht be wrang...

Anithir cheil (hou's it aye menfowk? Dae nae weimen hae glaikit prejudices about thir things?) wad hae 'dying' (read: 'minority') leids raicordit for the guid o linguists an left tae dee in peace - an he's no for "forcin" the wee leids on communities. An there wis me thinkin that the communities that uises minority leids wis the anes haein a leid forcit on thaim.


Ae mair thing - mind an sign up tae the petition tae get equal treatment for Scots i the 2011 census ower here: http://www.mithertongue.co.uk/shop.php?view=page&page=59#
Thon's aw for the nou,
Dun

Sang o the Week: Korpiklaani - Vesaisen Sota. Ma favourite sang frae the new album - it's a guid album (better nor their last ane), an this sang bears

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