Sunday, January 15, 2017

Examine the Resurgence of Endangered Languages in Ireland and New Zealand. In these Instances how could Language be Considered a Tool for Resistance?


Before we examine the return of these close to extinct languages, we should now what an endangered language is and how they could become extinct. An endangered language basically means a language that is close to extinction. A small community might speak it, but the community might be the only community that communicates in that language. One of the main ways they can become extinct is through colonization (A country might enforce its language on the country it is colonizing), or communities might adapt to the surrounding language that dominates the country that they are in and the generation might just forget eh language completely. Now we answer, how they can be used to be a tool for resistance. Using the example = of colonization, people might use it to show their defiance against the rules they enforce on the people of the country. They might use it to attack the colonizers by using their language in the vicinity of the colonizers. This can show that they don’t want to follow what they set on them. This can also be shown as a way of retaliation or revival of a community that has been discriminated against where they have been put in a lower class just for speaking the language or put in a lower class because of the origins of where the culture of their language comes from. Language can also define the class and privileges a person might have during a time period. People might learn their under-privileged language as a way to show that they are proud with their privileges. Or they might learn a higher-class language just to prove the flaws of the class-being-defined-by-language system.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Aly,
    This was a very good response and i enjoyed reading it.
    How could a language become extinct (other than colonisation)?

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  2. Hello Aly
    Your response was insightful and I agree with your argument whereby indigenous languages in small communities are spoken to defend and protect their native identities and culture.
    However, relating to your last statement, is there another reason as to why small communities might use the 'higher - class languages'?

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  3. Hello Ali,
    I totally agree with what you said in your response and I understood what you're trying to say about languages being endangered and becoming extinct. However there are two things I want to give you feedback on.
    Are there other ways of a language becoming extinct other than colonization?
    You should look at your question and try to actually talk about (Endangered Languages in Ireland and New Zealand.
    Other then that great job and well done with the information added.

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