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The death of language?
An estimated 7,000 languages are being spoken around the world, but that number is expected to shrink rapidly in the coming decades. What is lost when a language dies?
In 1992 a prominent US linguist stunned the academic world by predicting that by the year 2100, 90% of the world's languages would have ceased to exist. Far from inspiring the world to act, the issue is still not important to the world, according to prominent French linguist Claude Hagege. "Most people are not at all interested in the death of languages," he says. "If we are not cautious about the way English is progressing, it may eventually kill most other languages."
According to Ethnologue, a US organisation owned by Christian group SIL International that compiles a global database of languages, 473 languages are currently classified as endangered.
Among the ranks are the two known speakers of Lipan Apache alive in the US, four speakers of Totoro in Colombia, and the single Bikya speaker in Cameroon. "It is difficult to provide an accurate count," says Ethnologue editor Paul Lewis, "But we are at a tipping point. From here on we are going to increasingly see the number of languages going down."
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It is Saturday afternoon at the Wilson house. Larry Wilson is outside mowing the lawn. Marian Wilson is in the kitchen making a cake for dinner. It will be a chocolate fudge cake, everyone’s favorite. Older daughter, Samantha, is sitting in the old blue armchair in the foyer talking to her best friend, Cathy Brennan, about the new boy in class. Her little sister, Mindi, is glued to the computer playing “Jungle Warriors” for the 200th time that day. Their brother, Malcolm, is sleeping in his playpen in the dining room. They are completely unaware of what awaits them
The Wilson’s live on Maple Street in a typical American city. Every city has a “Maple Street” and this one is no different. A park is three blocks away. Children are playing with their dogs in their front yards. Neighbors chat next to white picket fences. The smell of barbecue sauce fills the air. A boombox plays the newest Rhianna single next to three pimply teenage girls lying in the sun.
Overlooking the street is a steep hill. At one time, there was an amusement park on the top, but now it is deserted. No one goes there anymore. The only sound is the whirr of the wind. Next to a dead tree stand two creatures with huge, orange bodies and tiny heads. Attached to their heads are several pairs of insect-like eyes with yellow fluid dripping from them. Nearby is a small saucer-shaped spaceship.
“So this is a normal American city,” one creature says. “It is very interesting.”
“It certainly is,” the other creature says. “ Their lives are very different than ours.”
“And what is that horrible noise?”
“It is coming from that black box next to the girl humans.”
“And the smell?”
“It is for the things they put in their mouths. They call it food.”
“Are we going to take them all to our planet?” the first creature asks.
“No. We will only take one family. It is called the Miller family.”
“I think they will be happy.”
“Yes, they will be happy. They will stay in a house like we see here. They will have a dog.”
“Great. They will be the perfect addition to our zoo.”
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C.J. Walker
Madam C.J. Walker, born December 22rd, 1867, was an American businesswoman. C.J. was born in Delta, Louisiana, the daughter of slaves. Her parents died when she was young, and she became a maid. At the age of 14, she married a businessman who helped her get started.
Madam built her empire developing hair products for women. She claimed that she started her company because of a dream she had in which a large black man appeared in front of her, and gave her a formula for curing baldness. In 1906, she toured the country promoting her products. She ran a mail-order operation from Denver. She opened the Lelia College for Walker Hair Culturists in Pittsburg.
Madam was an inspiration to many black women. She lectured to promote her business which in turn empowered other women in business. She gave lectures on black issues at conventions, and encouraged black-Americans to support WWI.
Walker was the first African-American woman to be a millionaire in the U.S. She died on May 25th, 1919. |
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A BROAD HORIZON
Give me a hand. There should be a breeze through the night. Let’s end the vital desires there. Neither sad memories that are left behind should follow our bodies, nor the questions that wait for answers about the future. Let’s get the angel of eternity who proceeds from meaningless struggle to unique meaning. Does not everything begin with one step? Don’t you want to start? Are you still thinking? Let things slide. It should get dark, breeze through the night and our way should open out into the white world. Brilliance of our glances are enough. Give a hand.
Life looks like a sea with the broad horizon there. The sky is blue just like the sea. But it is strange that the sea didn’t acquire color from the sky. The sky benefited from a little girls’s blue eyes instead. I am saying: Should I add a sail which is made of checkered paper to a matchstick ship? I took a deep breath and blew hard onto the natives of the island. They wanted to garnish me well. By adding pepper, salt, spices…who knows? They prepared me as a main food at a religious ceremony. The minute I was put into the cauldron, though I tried to tell them that frying me would be more delicious. It didn’t work. Afterwards, a fairy came over to me. Fortunately, I had taken an English course. Thus, I thought I wouldn’t be frozen and petrified in front of that glamorous blonde. But she spoke neither English nor barbarian. I said,” Give me a hand.” And she did.
I created colorful rose gardens at the border lands of my thoughts. I took love and a loved one. We four- roses, love, she, and I became us so that we could discover life’s entire silhouette. Then the four of us disappeared. Tears didn’t have to be wasted with sorrow, or could our sorrows turn us into anything other than what we wanted to be.
As always, I wake up: It was a nice time to say “good morning” to her.
Emrah Tombul
Kadikoy 2 Branch
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A basket contains 5 apples. How can you divide them for 5 kids so that each one has an apple, and one apple stays in the basket?
Four kids get an apple, and one child gets an apple with the basket.
A girl who was learning to drive went down the a one-way street in the wrong direction, but didn’t break the law. Why not?
She was walking. |
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fuddy-duddy
An old-fashioned person
My father is such a fuddy-duddy. He still watches a black and white TV. |
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The average woman uses her height in lipstick every 5 years.
If a man buys flowers, they are usually red.
About 3 million women in the U.S. have tattoos.
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Take advantage of this opportunity . Purchase 3 levels and get the 4th one free. |
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