Orthography Standardization

2020 ◽  
pp. 916-937
Author(s):  
Elke Karan ◽  
David Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Historical Background ◽  
Endangered Languages ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Community Based ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Bible Translation ◽  
Family Level ◽  
Roman Script ◽  
Common Character

This chapter discusses the historical background to orthographies in African languages based on the Roman script, which poses challenges in particular with respect to the representation of vowels and tone. The development of such orthographies may be initiated as part of the intangible cultural heritage endeavor, more specifically the documentation of endangered languages or language diversity as part of human rights, but also for primary education or Bible translation purposes. In terms of language planning, three contrasting social models of orthography standardization are distinguished below: the laissez-faire model, the top-down model, and the community-based model. As further shown, common character inventories play a role at the intra-language as well as the language family level as well as on a national and international level. These practices are illustrated with two case studies, that of Ik in Uganda and that of Aja in Benin and Togo.

scholarly journals The historical background of Catalan separatism: The case of Occitania

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-167
Author(s):  
Rozalia Sasor
Keyword(s):  
Historical Background ◽  
Cultural Relations ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
12Th Century ◽  
Catalan Literature ◽  
Cultural Similarity

Abstract The purpose of this study is to discuss the originality of the Catalan literature at its beginnings in relation to the poetry of the Occitan troubadours, and to explain why some Catalans today do not feel connected to the Castilian heritage. The paper presents the Occitan-Catalan political and cultural relations in the time between 993 and 1213, with particular emphasis on the 12th century when the Great Occitan War took place. The historical Occitania at that time was divided into numerous principalities affected by constant internal struggles. That unstable political situation encouraged powerful neighbours – as the rulers from the House of Barcelona – to attain their domination over the region. The successful military and diplomatic engagements of the Catalan sovereigns allowed them to create a relatively homogeneoas Occitan-Catalan community based on cultural similarity and feudal dependence.

scholarly journals The First Catholic Bible in Chinese: Gabriele Allegra and His Translation

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-23
Author(s):  
Raissa De Gruttola
Keyword(s):  
Textual Analysis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Greek Text ◽  
Bible Translation ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Biblical Study ◽  
Study Centre ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Christian missionaries play an important role in the history of the relationship between China and Europe. Their presence in China has been widely explored, but little attention has been paid to the role played by the Bible in their preaching. From 13th to 19th century, although they did not translate the Bible, Catholic missionaries preached the Gospel orally or with catechisms. On the other hand, the Protestant missionaries had published many version of the Chinese Bible throughout the 19th century. It was only in the 20th century that the Franciscan friar Gabriele Allegra decided to go to China as a missionary to translate the Holy Scriptures into Chinese. He arrived in China in 1931 and translated from 1935 to 1961. He also founded a biblical study centre to prepare expert scholars to collaborate in the Bible translation. Allegra and his colleagues completed the translation in 1961, and the first complete single-volume Catholic Bible in Chinese was published in 1968. After presenting the historical background of Allegra’s activity, a textual analysis of some passages of his translation will be presented, emphasizing the meanings of the Chinese words he chose to use to translate particular elements of Christian terminology. This study will verify the closeness of the work by Allegra to the original Greek text and the validity of some particular translation choices.

Africa's Endangered Languages

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Languages ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
African Language ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Language Research ◽  
The World ◽  
African Context

Relatively little is known about Africa’s endangered languages. In an era when we are racing against time to study and preserve the world’s threatened languages before they go extinct, a disproportionately low amount of research and funding is devoted to the study of endangered African languages when compared to any other linguistically threatened region in the world. More regrettably, even less has been done to create a community of Africanists and concerned linguists who might work on rectifying this situation. This book puts some of Africa’s many endangered languages in the spotlight in the hope of reversing this trend. Both documentary and theoretical perspectives are taken with a view toward highlighting the symbiotic relationship between the two approaches and exploring its consequences for research on and preservation of endangered languages, both in the African context and more broadly. The articles that comprise this volume collectively advocate nurturing synergistic partnerships between documentary and theoretical linguists researching endangered African languages in order to stimulate and enhance the depth, visibility, and impact of endangered African language research in the service of altering the landscape of scholarship and activism in this field.

Training Language Activists to Support Endangered Languages

2018 ◽  
pp. 823-841
Author(s):  
Nora C. England
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Graduate Training ◽  
Endangered Languages ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Mayan Languages ◽  
Language Activism ◽  
Language Study ◽  
University Training

Training speakers of Mayan languages to be linguists is described over a forty-year period. Most Mayas who have participated in such training have been language activists as well, thus combining activism with being or becoming linguists. Three different phases in training are described, starting with extra-scholastic training in Guatemala before the civil war, its evolution after the war, and the shift to university training, especially graduate training, in the last fifteen years. The different components of the training programs are discussed, in particular how collaborations between a non-speaker linguist and speaker linguists developed and expanded. Linguistics training adds the analytical and scholarly aspects of language study to language activism, which is itself community based.

scholarly journals Depressive symptoms among children attending community based support in South Africa – pathways for disrupting risk factors

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 984-1001
Author(s):  
Lorraine Sherr ◽  
Alexa R Yakubovich ◽  
Sarah Skeen ◽  
Mark Tomlinson ◽  
Lucie D Cluver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Community Violence ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Moderation Effects ◽  
Interaction Terms ◽  
Family Level

Children in Southern Africa are exposed to high rates of structural and family adversities. This study tests whether services from Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in South Africa can promote children’s resilience against depression exposed to such adversities. Two linked longitudinal studies were conducted, comprising n = 1848 children aged 9 to 13 years. One group received CBO services, whilst the other (quasi-control) did not. Analyses used interaction terms in regression models to test for potential moderation effects of CBO attendance, and marginal effects models to interpret significant interactions. Two interaction effects were shown, demonstrating moderation effects of CBO attendance on common structural disadvantages. First, children exposed to community violence showed increased depression (contrast = 0.62 [95%CI 0.43, 0.82], p < .001), but this association was removed by CBO access (contrast = 0.07 [95%CI −0.28, 0.43], p = .682). Second, children living in informal housing showed increased depression (contrast = 0.63 [95%CI 0.42, 0.85], p < .001), however, this association was removed by CBO access (contrast = 0.01 [95%CI −0.55, 0.56], p = .977). CBO attendance is associated with fewer depressive symptoms, and can buffer against important structural adversities of poor housing and violence that are common in high HIV-prevalence areas. However, CBO attendance was not able to remove the increased psychosocial distress associated with some family-level vulnerabilities such as orphanhood and abuse. These findings highlight the centrality of CBO-provided psychosocial support for children in Southern Africa, and suggest areas for bolstering provision.

scholarly journals Cultural Diversity and African Language Education: The Role of Urbanization and Globalization

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia Nyati-Saleshando
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Economic Exploitation ◽  
Policy Frameworks ◽  
Long Time ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
The Many

<p>The African Union has been committed to the development and promotion of African languages for a long time. This is in cognizance of the fact that, language is the DNA of culture and its vehicle of expression. The Languages Plan of Action which was first adopted in 1986 and reviewed in 2006 outlines clear goals to be achieved by member states in the promotion and recognition of African languages. The Plan for all its intents and purposes has good will for the development and use of African languages in critical social domains such as education, trade, government and media. The Policy Guide on the Integration of African Languages and Cultures into the Education systems adopted in 2010 and Aspirations 3 and 5 on Agenda 2063 are clear examples of such good intentions.  On the other hand, practice continues to show very little, if any, improvement in the development and use of African languages in these critical domains. Scholars have explored several reasons why African languages continue to have low socio-economic status (Bamgbose (2011), Batibo (2013), Nyati-Ramahobo (2011), Chebanne, 2010). Globalization and urbanization have been described to be among the many factors responsible for this state of affairs. This paper aims to explore these two factors to see how they contribute to language under-utilization and the inherent loss of African languages.  Are globalization and urbanization by nature detrimental to language diversity resulting in language loss? The paper concludes that urbanization and globalization are facilitators of language and cultural diversity. However, it is policy frameworks operating on and in Africa which shape values and attitudes against the use of African languages. These policy frameworks are politically driven by multi-national corporations for economic exploitation of Africa.</p>

Improving Endangered Language Archives: A Comparison Study of Models in Use

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-219
Author(s):  
Victoria Jesswein ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Resource Discovery ◽  
Endangered Languages ◽  
Speech Community ◽  
Comparison Study ◽  
Heritage Preservation ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Endangered Language ◽  
The World

Endangered language archives hold important resources of information for students, researchers, and the speech community. However, because their use is often limited to small documentary projects, often these repositories fail to reach all potential researchers, to connect their material to other repositories in the community and throughout the world, and to be involved in a larger body of research on endangered languages and cultures. This research explores ways of expanding the accessibility, usability, and relevance of (endangered) language archives, with the aim of allowing a larger body of researchers to access materials while supporting the endangered speech community from which the material originates. Different models of linguistic archive practice are compared, each serving as an example of an area for potential archive growth and outreach: (1) the use of the language archive by a larger body of linguistic and non-linguistic researchers, (2) engagement with the speech community for heritage preservation and community-based archives, and (3) outreach to inform the general public. The models are analysed with regard to their rationale and procedures supported by relevant literature concerning best practice in the structure and use of archives. Following the analysis of compared models, recommendations are made to implement best practice for endangered language collections, envisioning the broadest and most accessible presentation of material for resource discovery, use, and preservation.

AMERICAN INDIANS AND KYRGYZ: SOCIO-CULTURAL PARALLELS

2020 ◽  
pp. 52-55
Author(s):  
Н. М. Жумабекова
Keyword(s):  
American Indian ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Special Interest ◽  
Common Origin ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Endangered Languages ◽  
Indian Languages ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
The Core ◽  
Language Status

Abstract. The article discusses some facts from historical background, from language status, and some culture specific issues of American Indians and Kyrgyz. The main facts deal with possible common origin of both cultures which may explain such common issues as nomadic way of life, shamanism revealing consciousness of Indians and Kyrgyz, some aspects of marriage peculiarities. Being endangered languages American Indian languages are of special interest to anthropologists, thus stressing the importance of turning to informants. The historical hardships unite these people in the aspect of suppression of Indians from new settlers and gold searchers and that of Kyrgyz from the tsarist Russia. Though they both seem not to lose the core of their culture – being strong physically in hard and severe conditions of living and at the same time conserving and observing their customs and way of life, and their mentality of kind and hospitable people. Аннотация. Макалада америкалык индейлердин жана кыргыздардын тарыхый фактылары, тилдик абалы жана маданий өзгөчөлүктөрү талкууланат. Негизги фактылар эки маданияттын мүмкүн болушунча жалпы келип чыгышына байланыштуу, алар көчмөн турмушу, шаманизм, индиялыктар менен кыргыздардын аң-сезимин ачып берген, нике мүнөздөмөлөрүнүн айрым аспектилерин түшүндүрө алат. Америкалык индейлердин тилдери жоголуп бараткан тилдер болгондуктан, антропологдор үчүн өзгөчө кызыктуу, бул маалымат берүүчүлөр менен байланышуунун маанилүүлүгүн баса белгилейт. Кыргыздардын падышалык Россия тарабынан, индиялыктардын жаңы келген конуштардан жана алтын издегендердин тарабынан болгон тарыхый кыйынчылыктар бул элдерди бириктирди. Экөө тең, өзүлөрүнүн маданиятынын маңызын жоготпойт - оор жана катаал жашоо шарттарында ден-соолугу чың болуу, ошол эле учурда алардын үрп-адаттарын жана жашоо мүнөзүн, ошондой эле боорукер жана меймандос элинин менталитетин сактап кала алышты. Аннотация. В статье рассматриваются некоторые факты из исторического прошлого, языкового статуса и некоторые культурно-специфические особенности американских индейцев и кыргызов. Основные факты касаются возможного общего происхождения обеих культур, что может объяснить такие общие черты, как кочевой образ жизни, шаманизм, раскрывающий сознание индейцев и кыргы- зов, некоторые аспекты брачных особенностей. Будучи исчезающими языками, языки американских индейцев представляют особый интерес для антропологов,что подчеркивает важность обращения к информаторам. Исторические трудности объединяют этих людей в аспекте подавления индейцев от новых переселенцев и искателей золота и кыргызов из царской России. Хотя они оба, похоже, не теряют сути своей культуры - быть физически сильными в тяжелых и суровых условиях жизни и в то же время сохранять и соблюдать свои обычаи и образ жизни, а также свой менталитет добрых и гостеприимных людей.

scholarly journals Local Communities’ Perceptions of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Resources in the Mtwara Region of Tanzania

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Festo W. Gabriel
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Archaeological Ethnography

This paper examines local communities’ understanding of archaeology and cultural heritage resources. This study was conducted among the Makonde communities of the Mtwara Region of south-eastern Tanzania. The paper presents and critically discusses local communities’ views upon the meaning of archaeology and cultural heritage resources in general. The study used community-based methods by use of interviews, archaeological ethnography and focus group discussions. The results of this study reveal that the local communities in the Mtwara Region are not aware of the meaning of archaeology regardless of the number of archaeological researches that have been conducted in the region. Their understanding of the past is very much confined to intangible cultural traditions which are inherited and practised from one generation to another. Some conclusions are provided which undoubtedly indicate that according to the local communities’ perceptions cultural heritage resources are mainly characterized by intangible cultural practices and beliefs. As this study unveils, in this case tangible heritage resources have less importance to the local communities. This is contrary to the professional or academic conceptions which provide a dual focus on conservation and protection of tangible cultural heritage resources. It is only very recently that we see some studies being conducted focusing on intangible cultural heritage resources.

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