亚洲色吧

Professor Ghil鈥檃d Zuckermann is the is Chair of Linguistics and Endangered Languages at the University of 亚洲色吧 and is the world鈥檚 expert in language revival. Recently he has published a book titled 听

To celebrate the release of this new book, we spoke to Professor Ghil鈥檃d Zuckermann about听what inspired his love for revivalistics, how the events of 2020 will impact language revival and what needs to be done to stop languages from becoming extinct.

Here鈥檚 what he had to say:

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Congratulations on your new book. In a nutshell, what is it about?听

The book introduces for the first time a linguistic game-changer: revivalistics. Revivalistics is a global, trans-disciplinary field of enquiry surrounding language reclamation (no native speakers, for example Hebrew, and the Barngarla Aboriginal language of South Australia), revitalization (severely endangered, for example Shanghainese, and Adnyamathanha of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia) and reinvigoration (endangered, for example Welsh, and Te Reo M膩ori in Aotearoa, i.e. New Zealand).听

In the book I analyse revivalistics from a plethora of angles such as law, mental health and nationhood. I make a strong case for a clear distinction between revivalistics and documentary linguistics. Documentary linguistics is an already-established field听recording听endangered languages听before听they become what I call 鈥楽leeping Beauty鈥� tongues.

Revivalistics, on the other hand, actively assists migrant, minority and Aboriginal communities in听reviving听their Sleeping Beauties. Whilst documentary linguistics puts the听language听at the centre, revivalistics puts听the language custodians听at the centre.

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What motivated you to become the world鈥檚 expert in language revival?听

My first motivation was my urge 鈥� as a language lover 鈥� to understand how exactly my own mother tongue, Revived Hebrew, which I term 鈥淚sraeli鈥�, came about.

My second motivation was my wish 鈥� as a migrant to Australia 鈥� to give back to my host society. I decided to act in three fronts: macro, micro and, more recently, 鈥淢OOCro鈥�:

In the macro: since 2004: I have been working on the establishment of revivalistics, and this book is the very fruit of that.听

In the micro: since 2011: I have been reclaiming the Barngarla Aboriginal language of Eyre Peninsula with its traditional custodians the Barngarla people. This is not a laboratorial enterprise. In 2011 I asked the Barngarla communities if they were interested, and they told me that they had been waiting for me for 50 years.

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And what about the MOOCro?

In 2015 the University of 亚洲色吧 created a free MOOC, Massive Open Online Course, entitled听 So far I have had 13,400听learners from 190 countries, including Syria and Afghanistan.

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How is the book structured?

The book is divided into two main parts, reflecting听my own journey into language revival: from analysing critically the Israeli language 鈥� to reclaiming 鈥楧reaming Beauties鈥� in Australia and 鈥楽leeping Beauties鈥� globally.

In the first part of the book I analyse the Hebrew revival, which took place in 1880s-1930s.听My听theory contradicts the conventional accounts that the language of the Hebrew Bible is now miraculously re-spoken by modern Israelis. I demonstrate how grammatical cross-fertilization with the revivalists鈥� mother tongues, such as Yiddish, is inevitable in the case of successful 鈥淩evival Languages鈥�.

In linguistic terms, Revival Languages contradict the tree model in historical linguistics. The tree model implies that a language only has one parent 鈥� for example, English is Germanic, Italian is Romance, Hebrew is Semitic. But I argue that successful Revival Languages do not follow the family tree model but rather the Congruence Principle, which is statistical: the more contributing languages a linguistic feature occurs in, the more likely it is to persist in the emerging Revival Language.

Revival Languages share many common characteristics. They should therefore be classified under the Revival Language 鈥渇amily鈥� rather than under a specific language family such as 鈥淪emitic鈥�.

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What about the second part of the book?

The second part of the book applies lessons from Israeli to revival movements in Australia and globally. It describes the 鈥渨hy鈥� and 鈥渉ow鈥� of revivalistics.听

When it comes to why: I propose ethical, aesthetic and utilitarian reasons for language revival, suggesting for example that language, albeit intangible, is actually more important than land!

When it comes to how: I offer practical tools for reviving languages, for example the quadrilateral Language Revival Diamond (LARD), featuring four core revivalistic quadrants: language custodians, linguistics, education and the public sphere.听

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Can you elaborate on the public sphere?

Absolutely. I propose 鈥淣ative Tongue Title鈥�. I modelled the term upon the established 鈥淣ative Title鈥�, which has to do with land. Native Tongue Title, however, concerns language: it is the financial compensation for 鈥渓inguicide鈥�, that is language killing. I also argue that we should declare Indigenous tongues the official languages of their region, and that we ought to erect multilingual signs, thus changing the听lanGscape 鈥� with a 鈥済鈥� rather than a 鈥渄鈥� 鈥� that is the听linguistic landscape.

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With the events of 2020 in mind 鈥� particularly Covid-19 and Black Lives Matters 鈥� is language revival more important than ever? If yes, why do you think so?

Indeed. When it comes to BLM, the book听demonstrates two telling examples of righting the wrong of the past, both involving Aboriginal Australians:

Firstly, a book 鈥� a Barngarla Dictionary 鈥� written in 1844 in order to assist a German Lutheran missionary,听Clamor听Wilhelm Sch眉rmann, to introduce Christianity to Aboriginal people 鈥� at the expense of Aboriginal spirituality 鈥� is used 170 years later by your humble servant, a secular Israeli Jew, son of a听Holocaust听survivor, in a听rollercoaster听ride with the Barngarla Aboriginal people in which they attempt to reconnect with their own Aboriginal heritage, which was subject to linguicide by Anglo-Celtic colonists.

Secondly, technology, used for colonization, for example ships and weapons, and for Stolen Generations 鈥� for example 鈥済overnmental black cars kidnapping mixed-race Aboriginal children from their mothers in order to forcibly assimilate them鈥� 鈥� is employed 鈥� for example, in the form of听our听Barngarla Aboriginal Language Dictionary App 鈥� to assist Aboriginal people to empower their cultural autonomy, intellectual sovereignty, spirituality, wellbeing, and 鈥渓ost soul鈥�, so to speak.听

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And what about COVID-19?

Travel restrictions and isolation make revivalistic activities more complicated, of course. However, the pandemic and its dem-panic are obviously compromising peoples鈥� wellbeing. And, as it happens, wellbeing is at very core of revivalistics: The most important utilitarian benefit of language revival is the empowerment of mental health.听

The book ends with a plea to listen to the voice of Jenna Richards, an Aboriginal woman who takes an active part in听my Barngarla reclamation workshops. This is what she wrote to me unsolicited听verbatim: 鈥淧ersonally, I found the experience of learning our language liberating and went home feeling very overwhelmed because we were finally going to learn our听own听language, it gave me a sense of identity and I think if the whole family learnt our language then we would all feel totally different about ourselves and each other cause it鈥檚 almost like it gives you a purpose in life.鈥澨�

Another Barngarla woman, Evelyn Walker, n茅e Dohnt, summed it up aptly: 鈥淥ur ancestors are happy!鈥�

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Finally, what tangible things can the average person do to help slow or stop the extinction of languages?

I would say four things:

Firstly, if your own heritage language is endangered, do not allow it to fall asleep!

Secondly, if your own language has become a 鈥淪leeping Beauty鈥�, do as the Australian road sign says: 鈥淪top, revive, survive鈥�!!

Thirdly, if you revive a language, embrace the hybridity of the children鈥檚 emerging Revival Language!!!

And, finally, if your own language is healthy 鈥� and if you have a heart of gold, 鈥渂alls鈥� of steel 鈥� please forgive my risqu茅 metaphor 鈥� and the patience of a saint 鈥� consider helping others in linguistic need!!!!

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MOOC: Language Revival: Securing the Future of Endangered Languages

Learn how the world鈥檚 endangered languages are revived and why this process is critical to preserving cultural identity.

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