Ishmail R.

Coleman 12/1/14 Structured Commentary Wk14

Ahearn Chapter 11
The reading by Laura Ahearn elaborates on language loss, and the obstacles that are
associated with speaking a loss or dying language. The author argues that information on dying
languages are hard to obtain due to some of the languages being preserved in remote areas that
people haven’t visited and due to lack of interest. An important source of evidence that the
author uses is that government officials don’t recognize or acknowledge language that isn’t
spoken or accepted by the government, thus obtaining information from government official are
inadequate. Also, languages have disappeared so much to the point where it is difficult to obtain
manuscripts or evidence of past languages; therefore it is hard to decipher languages from
dialects and so forth. I enjoyed reading the article because it gave good information on language
loss and the processes used in revitalizing the languages. I also enjoyed the information on why
it is important to preserve languages for cultural purposes.

Cherokee Reading
The readings by Moore Marijo elaborates on the loss of American Indian languages,
specifically the Cherokee, and the importance of preserving these languages. The reading also
elaborated on the processes that are used to teach Cherokee people their language and how they
can communicate with people on the computer with their language due to new programs. A
central argument of the piece is that preserving the Cherokee language is essential to Cherokee
culture because the Cherokee language encompasses aspects of the culture, such as Cherokee
cultural viewpoints, spiritual interconnectedness, and so forth. An important source of evidence
within the article are the statements by Tom Belt, in which he states that Cherokee culture, past,
history, are all embedded within the language, and by understanding the language, one can
understand what it means to be Cherokee. By letting Cherokee children learn their language,
they begin to understand the meaning to be an American Indian. I agree with this article because
it showcases the importance for the new generation Cherokee to learn their language because
they gain a sense of their cultural identity.

Schen
The readings by Michael Schen elaborates on the idea of language planning and how it
enforces changes in language status within a country. A central argument to the piece is
language planning showcases that language is a variable that is influenced by decisions made on
an individual and community level, which basically shows that language is both a linguistic
element used for speaking and also social element that showcases status and social values.
Evidence used is that a central authority that has power to change status, in which a language can
become an official language, and an unofficial language, depending on the viewpoints of the
central authority. This can be seen within the Arabic and Persian language switch, in which
Arabic language became the dominant language of medieval Iran. I agree with this article
because it showcases how a dominant authority can wipe out languages, and completely change
cultures, similar to Americans and the removal of Indian languages.

Conclusion
This week’s readings correlate together because it showcases how languages are lost, and
how it is primarily caused by dominating authorities replacing languages with their own. By
analyzing these lost languages, it showcases how much culture is embedded within the language,
therefore a loss of language can be a devastating blow to a culture because they are also losing
Ishmail R. Coleman 12/1/14 Structured Commentary Wk14

their sense of cultural identity. I think the pieces were assigned to give a sense of the processes
in recovering loss languages, as well as why languages are important to preserve and its
connection to culture.