AnimeSuki Forums

LunarMoon · 2012-06-26, 12:07

While browsing Google earlier today I was struck by this project on the homepage. Quite frankly, it seems to be an impractical project for which the same amount of resources could be better spent on other charitable and far reaching causes. For starters, there appear to be few practical benefits in comparison to the numerous amount of cons. While supporters of this project cite the preservation of cultural history and the ability to express a larger amount of concepts, these benefits are severely outweighed by the level of linguistic isolation that the status leads to. How can two cultures understand or interact peacefully with each other, if they’re incapable of even understanding their basic tongues?

And it’s not as if the cultural history, that supporters often speak of, would necessarily be lost, either. Latin texts, as dead as the language is among the majority population, are still understandable by scholars, meaning that any information inscribed in Latin can still be understood by anyone wishing to know it. The benefits of cultural preservation are thus preserved without maintaining the level of cultural isolation and ethnic ghettoization that could result from maintaining a language that relatively few people are actually interested in speaking. Whether it ends up being English or Han Chinese, I think the world would be better off if we slowly progressed towards a global language, especially if the alternative involves throwing financial resources into attempting to fight a natural process.

Where do you stand on this issue?

Lightning_Wing · 2012-06-26, 12:27

No, they shouldn't. What good does it do to preserve the thousands of languages from the remote islands of Guniea?

Ruby Princess · 2012-06-26, 12:30

Yes. Preserving all this world's languages is the key to unlocking the secret.

RRW · 2012-06-26, 12:36

as long they have book "how to use his language?" i am okay if all native species died. so if you talking about the project alone. i am supporting it.

but i do also support one global language. it's confusing to keep track of hundred language especially when you travelling. i don't see the point studying for non-germany person when you only plan to visit Germany once.

thought i dont want to have only one language in entire world because it will be boring. especially when t come to music

Lightning_Wing · 2012-06-26, 12:44

Quote:

as long they have book "how to use his language?" i am okay if all native species died. so if you talking about the project alone. i am supporting it.

Well, it is kind of cool to have a record of all the remote languages in the world. But as far as spending a lot of resources tracking them all down, it's best not to do so. Therefore I don't support this project expanding beyond what it is (into some U.N. humanitarian project) but as a non-profit group for studying languages, it's fine as such.

MUAHAHAHAHAHA · 2012-06-26, 12:59

Yes, endangered language should be preserved. I am not convinced nor swayed by the argument that a global language would unite us all. The term global language is incredibly biased. To me, economy is the deciding factor for global language. Languages such as English may be deemed more prominent and prestigious than other languages due to its frequent use in the language of economy, which is why I do not think it is possible for humanity to truly embrace this concept. There will be people who are dissatisfied that their identity and culture are being swallowed. When that happens, rebellion and chaos ensue.

Just because preserving language produces abstract result rather than concrete result, it does not mean we should abandon them.

Jaden · 2012-06-26, 13:56

They should be documented, because it'd suck to be left with a bunch of old writings we can't read. But I don't think we should overly cater to linguistic minorities by offering media and services in their language. Why not just teach a more common language to them instead, that'll be more helpful for everyone.

hero147 · 2012-06-26, 22:24

Maybe future generations won't need subs to watch their animes with a global language.

But back on topic, I think preserving endangered languages should be done but done as a luxury and not a necessity. Basically, it shouldn't cost us any resources that could have been allotted elsewhere ie feeding the hungry children in Africa.

Asuras · 2012-06-26, 22:42

Quote:

The disappearance of a language means the loss of valuable scientific... information, comparable to the loss of a species.

I honestly doubt those who speak "Koro" know anything scientific that the collective nations that speak a major language don't. >.>

creb · 2012-06-26, 22:45

If life was just about doing what was the most practical, I suspect it would be a greatly unfulfilling life.

/shrug

The poll already approaches this from the wrong perspective. It's not about whether they should or shouldn't be preserved. It's far more succinct to ask, why does it really (note, the italics), bother you if they do or they don't?

j0x · 2012-06-26, 23:06

as long as they gonna do this in the name of history books (archiving purposes) its all fine imho, we can learn something(s) from the past either today or tomorrow

google is trying to make a AI -> http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/26/g...arch-for-cats/
so maybe this language archiving is part of their quest to increase the intelligence of that AI

Gamer_2k4 · 2012-06-26, 23:38

What's the point of recording anything historical? Does Paul Revere's house really need to be maintained still? What good is learning Egyptian burial customs? Can our world really benefit from knowing the Norse gods?

Endangered languages are the same way. There's no practical value to retaining them, except for knowledge for knowledge's sake. You know what? That's good enough for me.

antediluvian · 2012-06-26, 23:52

Of course they should. They're apart of who we are as a species.

Kafriel · 2012-06-27, 07:33

Having read and listened to many languages, I can see common traits in my native language found in almost all the others I know of. I honestly found it very impressive to see that there were cases of a word having the same meaning in more than one language and how others shifted from that into what they are today. Studying all of them unfortunately takes more time than anyone would have, so holding records can help find them with more ease, if anything.

NoemiChan · 2012-06-27, 07:48

They're part of our past and the past should never be forgotten. They're part of history. A living artifact of the past.

If one wished to not preserved them then have all the books be translated to the modern including old manuscripts and burn them for no one will want to read them unless they just want to look at it ,like a piece of picture

Destined_Fate · 2012-06-27, 11:28

The past will always get fuzzier has time goes on. Eventually the past we have held in museums will be forgotten and replaced with other relics of a more recent past that fits with the times.

I see it as a waste of time. Humanity should focus on everyone learning the same language than trying to salvage a language no one cares to speak anymore.

Random32 · 2012-06-27, 11:30

Language is used to communicate thoughts and ideas. They change and evolve constantly to better do their job.

An endangered language is obviously less useful, thus the naturally, should die out. Eventually, hopefully, one language will prevail and we can all talk to each other without having our thoughts completely mangled by Google Translate.

It's not like a language dying is going to stop us from understanding the culture behind it. Like no one speaks Latin anymore and we are still capable of appreciating Ancient Roman culture.

View Poll Results: Should Endangered Languages Be Preserved?
Yes	18	62.07%
No	11	37.93%
Voters: 29. You may not vote on this poll

2012-06-26, 12:07	Link #1
LunarMoon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Age: 33	Should Endangered Languages Be Preserved? While browsing Google earlier today I was struck by this project on the homepage. Quite frankly, it seems to be an impractical project for which the same amount of resources could be better spent on other charitable and far reaching causes. For starters, there appear to be few practical benefits in comparison to the numerous amount of cons. While supporters of this project cite the preservation of cultural history and the ability to express a larger amount of concepts, these benefits are severely outweighed by the level of linguistic isolation that the status leads to. How can two cultures understand or interact peacefully with each other, if they’re incapable of even understanding their basic tongues? And it’s not as if the cultural history, that supporters often speak of, would necessarily be lost, either. Latin texts, as dead as the language is among the majority population, are still understandable by scholars, meaning that any information inscribed in Latin can still be understood by anyone wishing to know it. The benefits of cultural preservation are thus preserved without maintaining the level of cultural isolation and ethnic ghettoization that could result from maintaining a language that relatively few people are actually interested in speaking. Whether it ends up being English or Han Chinese, I think the world would be better off if we slowly progressed towards a global language, especially if the alternative involves throwing financial resources into attempting to fight a natural process. Where do you stand on this issue? __________________ To consume all good forms of Japanimation, To stream new productions from NicoNico's Station, To judge the legitimacy between Subs and Dubs, To await an anime for the VN Muv-Luv, Lunar.Moon. Downloading from Hulu at the speed of light, To remain within the bounds of copyrights! http://myanimelist.net/profile/LunarMoon

2012-06-26, 12:27	Link #2
Lightning_Wing 1.048596 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Location?	No, they shouldn't. What good does it do to preserve the thousands of languages from the remote islands of Guniea? __________________

2012-06-26, 12:59	Link #6
MUAHAHAHAHAHA Hail the power of Fujoshi Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: hahahahahahahahaha Age: 35	Yes, endangered language should be preserved. I am not convinced nor swayed by the argument that a global language would unite us all. The term global language is incredibly biased. To me, economy is the deciding factor for global language. Languages such as English may be deemed more prominent and prestigious than other languages due to its frequent use in the language of economy, which is why I do not think it is possible for humanity to truly embrace this concept. There will be people who are dissatisfied that their identity and culture are being swallowed. When that happens, rebellion and chaos ensue. Just because preserving language produces abstract result rather than concrete result, it does not mean we should abandon them. __________________ A politically ignorant person who embraces only hedonism as the main philosophical doctrine. Old stuff but just a reminder that butthurt report form is here to help

2012-06-26, 13:56	Link #7
Jaden Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006	They should be documented, because it'd suck to be left with a bunch of old writings we can't read. But I don't think we should overly cater to linguistic minorities by offering media and services in their language. Why not just teach a more common language to them instead, that'll be more helpful for everyone. __________________

2012-06-26, 12:30	Link #3
Ruby Princess Member Join Date: Mar 2012	Yes. Preserving all this world's languages is the key to unlocking the secret.

2012-06-26, 22:24	Link #8
hero147 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008	Maybe future generations won't need subs to watch their animes with a global language. But back on topic, I think preserving endangered languages should be done but done as a luxury and not a necessity. Basically, it shouldn't cost us any resources that could have been allotted elsewhere ie feeding the hungry children in Africa.

2012-06-26, 22:45	Link #10
creb Hiding Under Your Bed Join Date: May 2008	If life was just about doing what was the most practical, I suspect it would be a greatly unfulfilling life. /shrug The poll already approaches this from the wrong perspective. It's not about whether they should or shouldn't be preserved. It's far more succinct to ask, why does it really (note, the italics), bother you if they do or they don't? __________________ http://myanimelist.net/animelist/creb http://myanimelist.net/mangalist/creb It feels like years since they've been updated, btw. Also, cake.

2012-06-26, 23:06	Link #11
j0x Giga Drill Breaker Join Date: Jan 2009	as long as they gonna do this in the name of history books (archiving purposes) its all fine imho, we can learn something(s) from the past either today or tomorrow google is trying to make a AI -> http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/26/g...arch-for-cats/ so maybe this language archiving is part of their quest to increase the intelligence of that AI

2012-06-26, 23:38	Link #12
Gamer_2k4 Anime Cynic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: USA Age: 35	What's the point of recording anything historical? Does Paul Revere's house really need to be maintained still? What good is learning Egyptian burial customs? Can our world really benefit from knowing the Norse gods? Endangered languages are the same way. There's no practical value to retaining them, except for knowledge for knowledge's sake. You know what? That's good enough for me. __________________

2012-06-26, 23:52	Link #13
antediluvian Before the Deluge Join Date: Jun 2012	Of course they should. They're apart of who we are as a species.

2012-06-27, 07:33	Link #14
Kafriel Senior Guest Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Athens (GMT+2) Age: 35	Having read and listened to many languages, I can see common traits in my native language found in almost all the others I know of. I honestly found it very impressive to see that there were cases of a word having the same meaning in more than one language and how others shifted from that into what they are today. Studying all of them unfortunately takes more time than anyone would have, so holding records can help find them with more ease, if anything.

2012-06-27, 07:48	Link #15
NoemiChan Banned Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Philippines Age: 36	They're part of our past and the past should never be forgotten. They're part of history. A living artifact of the past. If one wished to not preserved them then have all the books be translated to the modern including old manuscripts and burn them for no one will want to read them unless they just want to look at it ,like a piece of picture

2012-06-27, 11:28	Link #16
Destined_Fate Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: "Sacrifice one to appease the few."	The past will always get fuzzier has time goes on. Eventually the past we have held in museums will be forgotten and replaced with other relics of a more recent past that fits with the times. I see it as a waste of time. Humanity should focus on everyone learning the same language than trying to salvage a language no one cares to speak anymore.

2012-06-27, 11:30	Link #17
Random32 Also a Lolicon Join Date: Apr 2010	Language is used to communicate thoughts and ideas. They change and evolve constantly to better do their job. An endangered language is obviously less useful, thus the naturally, should die out. Eventually, hopefully, one language will prevail and we can all talk to each other without having our thoughts completely mangled by Google Translate. It's not like a language dying is going to stop us from understanding the culture behind it. Like no one speaks Latin anymore and we are still capable of appreciating Ancient Roman culture.