Reading Course: Dying Languages

Q: What happens when the last two people on Earth who speak a language decide they hate each other and won't speak to each other? 

A: You need anthropologists to rush to the scene and attempt to save the language from extinction!

Read the following article in the Guardian and test your reading comprehension by answering the following questions:

1. Which language is about to die out?
2. How are anthropologists attempting to save this language?
3. Where is this language spoken?
4. Why is the language about to die out?
5. Do they live far away from each other?
6. Why won't they talk to each other?
7. a. Are their personalities similar? b. How would you describe their personalities?
8. Which speaker is a homebody?
9. a. Who did Segovia used to speak the language with? b. How long ago? c. Why did he stop speaking the langauge with this person?
10. Was the language commonly spoken in the past?
11. What three (3) factors have contributed to the demise of this language?
12. a. What is The National Indigenous Language Institute attempting to do? b. Based on the facts presented, do they have a good chance of succeeding?
13. What does kolo-golo-nay mean?
14. a. Which other languages are on the verge of extinction? b. Where are they spoken? c. How many people alive currently speak these languages?

Essential Vocabulary I

pun ~ a joke made by a play on words, especially the different meanings of a word 

In-Laws ~ the mother, father, brothers or sisters of one's spouse

tidbits ~ yummy little facts, gossip, or food in bite-sized pieces which is "easily digested" by one's stomach or mind

popping by ~ to visit a family member or close friend either: a. unannounced without a formal invitation, or b. without a specific time in mind or purpose (such as arriving sometime after running errands and not specifically for a meal, party, etc.)

anthropologists  ~ scientists who study humans and their culture

extinction ~ a state of no longer existing 

homebody ~ someone who prefers to stay at home as opposed to going out

Answers to the Wee Little Quiz!

1. Ayapaneco or Nuumte Oote.
2. They are trying to write a dictionary.
3. Mexico, specifically in the village of Ayapa in the the southern state of Tabasco
4. There are only two speakers left and they are elderly: Manuel Segovia, 75 and Isidro Velazquez, 69
5. Not at all! They only live 500 m from each other!
6. No one really knows for sure. It could possibly be an argument or feud of some kind but it is known that they do not like to be in each other's presence.
7. a. Not at all. b. Segovia, is described as being "a little prickly" whereas Velazquez, is described as being a "more stoic."
8. Velazquez is the homebody.
9. a. Segovia used to speak the language with his brother. b. Over ten years ago. c. He died. 
10. No. Suslak describes Ayapaneco as a "linguistic island" because it was surrounded by more commonly spoken indigenous languages.
11. 1. In the mid-twentieth century, Mexican schools prohibited the speaking of indigenous languages. 2) Urbanization. 3) Migration.
12.  a. They are going to attempt to start classes in teaching the language to others. b. No. Everyone in the past loses interest and drops out of the classes and there has been funding problems.
13. To gobble like a turkey.
14. 1. a. Ter Sami, b. Russia, c. two people; 2. a. Kayardild, b. Australia, c. four people; 3. a. Lengilu, b. Indonesia, c. four people; 4. a. Mabire, b. Chad, c. maybe three people; 5. a. Tehuelche, b. Chile, c. four people.

How did you do? I'm sure you did an excellent job! But if not and you got any answers wrong, simply go back to the article and try to re-answer the question without looking at the answer one more time. 

Essential Vocabulary II
  
indigenous ~ a person, plant, or object that originates in a specific place

to gobble ~ the specific sound a turkey makes (listen of you are curious!)

English Language News Course: Nigeria ~ United Kingdom

New! This is a course which will highlight today's news on the English language from around the world.

Nigeria
Nigeria: Mass Failure in English Language
Over 80% of students taking the NECO (National Education Council) candidacy exam to place into higher education failed the English language portion. This is a great problem for Nigeria because passing the English language test is necessary for placement as English is a compulsory subject in school.

United Kingdom
UK tells foreign students: 'Speak English or stay out'
The United Kingdom is battling an explosion of migrant workers who pose as fake international students and also a rise in fake language schools. Therefore, the government is cracking down, by cutting the total amount of International Student visas, requiring all foreign students to have proof of funds in order to study in England, and changing the accreditation requirements of EFL schools.

United Kingdom
David Cameron says that immigrants should learn English
David Cameron says that the immigration wave of 2.2 million newcomers to the United Kingdom since 1997 has created problems as the immigrants are not learning English or adopt English customs, thus creating 'disjointed' neighborhoods across England. 

Essential Vocabulary

compulsory (n) ~ mandatory 

migrant (n) ~ a person who travels from place to place within a country in search of work 

accreditation (n)~ the ability to grant degrees and award credits that can be transferred or counted across national or international boundaries 

disjointed (adj) ~ out of place

American Culture Course: 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War

150 years ago today at 4:30 a.m. in North Carolina, the Confederates fired the first shot at Fort Sumter. The war would last four long years, cost hundreds of thousands of lives, rip families apart, and marked a very bitter chapter of American history in which the slaves were freed as its final outcome.

Officially this country begins commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War and I have read that this will continue through the spring of 2015. However, I can honestly say that I have not heard very much about the festivities planned up here in Chicago. Chicago was considered the heart of the Union at the time of the Civil War as President Lincoln was from Illinois. I really do not know if the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War is being talked about very much in the rest of the country either.

Perhaps it is not talked about up here in a Northern state for two reasons. First, the North won the war, so as victor, it is impolite to speak of the victory. It is better instead to let the country heal. Second, the Northern states are not doing well economically. We are now known of as the 'Rust Belt' (for all of the closed down industrial plants) and everyone it seems is moving to the 'Sun Belt.' The 'Sun Belt' consists of the Sunshine states which encompass the American Southwest and the Southern states. Perhaps the Northern states don't feel very proud at the moment, so even discussion of the North having fought to free the slaves isn't enough to help the 'Northern ego' now.

I will be curious to see what type of conversation this nation will have about this chapter of American history in the coming years because many people think that the United States is at its most divided since the Civil War. Just look at any political poll on any topic and you will see that it is almost evenly split 50-50. Interestingly, the lines drawn in this country between 'Red' (Conservative) and 'Blue' (Liberal) states parallels a lot of the same territory from the Civil War era. Furthermore, as President Obama declared his candidacy for President in 2012 last week, all of this historical reflection is bound to become a hot issue during the Presidential campaign.

I personally find it interesting timing that not only is the first African-American President sitting in office during this commemoration, but also that this President is also from Illinois, which by the way, is nicknamed 'the Land of Lincoln.' Unfortunately racism has surfaced again with a biracial President. It makes me wonder if racism is ever really gone from America at any given time. Although now in America, racism is something that is thinly veiled and whispered about behind closed doors, or screamed about on chat boards under anonymous names. Americans, especially older ones who remember the Era of Segregation, still have a difficult time having a frank, adult conversation on the topics of race, racism, or slavery.

For example, one issue that many times ends up becoming a hostile conversation with great misunderstanding is that of whether there should be an official American Presidential apology for slavery. Many white Americans are afraid that if the United States President officially apologizes for slavery as a nation, then descendants of the slaves will demand monetary payment for the suffering of their ancestors. (Several Southern states and the Congress have apologized for slavery, but only within the last decade!)

These are all very difficult, painful topics that many Americans refuse to talk about in public. 150 years on from the Civil War, America still has a lot of healing to do.

Essential Reading:
Here are several articles highlighting opinion pieces and travel writing to commemorate the Civil War at the start of its 150th Anniversary.

The Way We Weren't ~ Time Magazine
This article debates the controversy between viewing the Civil War as an issue over States Rights vs. Slavery.

The American Civil War Battles Continue ~ The Guardian
This article from an English newspaper examines the current tension between Northern and Southern views over the Civil War.

Civil War Road Trip ~ Slate Magazine
Enjoy a piece of modern day historical travel writing through the Civil War South.

Essential Vocabulary

bitter (adj) ~ something that is harsh in taste or unpleasant in nature

outcome (n) ~ the end result

to commemorate (v) ~ honor the memory of a historical event; a commemoration can be for a happy occasion or a sad occasion

candidacy (n) ~ the state of running for a political office or official position

reflection  (n) ~ thoughts about a topic

to be bound to ~ to be likely to

to be thinly veiled  (v) ~ to be easily understood and only partially hidden

Era of Segregation ~ the time in America when whites and blacks lived separate, unequal lives



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