Diversity is a concept that many people value, citing its benefits in its fostering of synergy in multiple perspectives and variety of experience. But few remember that diversity goes beyond race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status. Diversity is a broad concept, characterizing the value in variety of any difference. Standardization has its benefits, but remembering the rich complexity that life offers is another very important side of the same coin.
And so it is with language. In the above article, the story of a documentary film crew is used as a springboard for much deeper themes. Their passion for preservation of ways of expression is something that I share; I ache for the death of yet another precious language. Why? Because a complex way of thinking is wrapped up in how Chulyum language (a Serbian tongue with only 5 remaining speakers) rationalizes this chaotic universe with words.
So I applaud the many efforts of linguists, language enthusiasts, the beautiful people of the endangered cultures across the globe, and their part in the preservation of the many diverse linguistic expressions.
1 comment:
Estoy de acuerdo. And I think applying that to species and speciation is a huge part of understanding how nature can interpret the world (or read itself). Idea to think about...how to apply what you wrote there, to speciation, extinction, and the eventual stopage of evolution due to the insularism of wilderness. I dunno, thats what my minds on now...
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