Tsee iz fahran ah Subway?
Posted on July 10th, 2010 by
Get Rid of Writer's Procrastination and Put Your Words to Work For You Now with: Writer's success. This is 100% No Risk to You
Image taken on 2008-10-31 11:32:45 by angus mcdiarmid.
Get Rid of Writer's Procrastination and Put Your Words to Work For You Now with: Writer's success. This is 100% No Risk to You
Image taken on 2008-10-31 11:32:45 by angus mcdiarmid.
What a great find! Do you know if this book is still in print? I have a large collection of books in extinct and almost-extinct languages and this looks like a must-have. Currently, I’m learning to speak Serrano, an Indian (Native American) language from Southern California. There are only three speakers of the language left. The essay is an outstanding.
I found this in the group "wordiness"
It’s out of print, but it’s quite easy to get it — try the "new and used" link on the book’s Amazon page. Good luck with the Serrano!
Thank you for posting this.
The second story will be written by somebody someday, I’m sure… but the wound is still too fresh.
I’m sure you’re right.
Thanks for posting the essay. Thinking about lost and/or moribund linguistic cultures often brings us back to these "possible worlds", imagining a scenario in which there had been no Indian boarding schools, no forced aboriginal adoptions, no Highland clearances, and so on. The saddest book, though? I don’t know about that. A feisty little book kicking against the prevailing trend. And I’m all for kicking against the prevailing trend — but then I would be, wouldn’t I? One of the most reknowned sociolinguists in this area is Joshua Fishman, a Yiddish speaker who has practised what he preaches. You can read about his work at http://www.joshuaafishman.com – note that extra "a" in the middle there. For a lighter read, although no less scholarly, I’d recommend Mark Abley’s "Spoken Here". And if you thought Yiddish was in a bad way, spare a thought for Ladino, the language of Sephardic jewry so often forgotten in the Yiddish v Hebrew debate.
Interesting — you should write a story called The Gaelic Policemen’s Union, set in that non-cleared Highlands that you mentioned.