Abstract
The image evoked by the title suggests a comparison with a wedding, and indeed, like family and friends gathered for a wedding ceremony, a number of converging trends signal new chapters whose antecedents and ancestors provide the foundation for the present, and thus must not be lost from historical record. Among those signaled is a need both to reappraise language pedagogy, also identified as applied linguistics, and to focus on more effective ways to preserve endangered languages. This paper examines the original Grammar-Translation Method (GTM), long criticized for an alleged lack of relevance to authentic language use, with the argument that this ostensible irrelevance is not substantiated, but rather is the result of a neglect to include the history of language in applied linguistic curricula. The paper further examines two other phenomena that underscore the importance of a detailed awareness of linguistic history. One is a paradoxical comparison of ancient languages that relied on symbols more than words, with the symbols, such as emoji, used in much communication today. The other is the preservation of endangered languages. Regarding the latter, the paper presents not only the problem of endangered languages, but the various ways in which they are and can be preserved, such as the tradeoffs between an archival preservation of the written language, including its grammar and history, even if no one remains to speak the language, and a more diffused preservation effort that sustains the spoken language, but may not sustain the language’s structure and history.
Presenters
Nancy WrightAdjunct Faculty, Political Science, Pace University, New York City, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Language Pedagogy, Language Preservation, Endangered Languages, History of Language
