“It is not inevitable, nor is it any kind of progress for these traditions to vanish. We have much to learn from them if we are willing to listen. ” The Last Speakers page 242 K. David Harrison is a linguist, activist for language preservation and documentation, and author of The Last Speakers. Written in a journalistic style his most recent book, The Last Speakers, sheds light upon the global language extinction crisis. It is a mix between a scientific notebook and a travelog, featuring photos, interviews, and personal stories from the “last speakers” themselves.
In The Last Speakers, Harrison expresses his views on the issue of language extinction, and why it is important to study these cultures while we still can. Written to enlighten the general public, he shares his personal experiences as he travels to the most remote areas of Asia, South America, Australia, and even right here in America. He gains the ancient knowledge of indigenous people, uncovers hidden languages, and attempts to save endangered languages. While traveling in Eastern Europe as an exchange student Harrison felt drawn east, but was not able to go at the time because of legal restrictions.
When these restrictions were lifted, he planned and prepared for his excursion to Siberia and the surrounding area. When he went he studied three main groups the Tuvan, the Tofa, and the Monchack. These groups are unique because to this day they live as nomadic herders, following a seasonal migration pattern to find greener pastures. Most times families live in collapsible houses, surrounded by their animals which may include yaks, sheep, goats, reindeer, horses, camels, and dogs. They make all their necessities such as rope, wool, and saddles, and get food from the land and their livestock.
The Tuvan even put dried yak manure patties on a stove, to use them for warmth. Though they lead a simple life their languages and culture runs deep. In Tuvan when trying to get a translation for the word ‘go,’ Harrison found that it is dependent upon which direction the river current is flowing, and one must be aware of their surroundings. Another example of Tuvan grammar rules is the suffix ‘-la’ that makes a word a verb, and changes it’s form depending on the word. They’ve even developed their own form of sign language. In western Mongolia only 1,200 speak Monchack.
The Monchack people old tight to their traditions, and practice ancient rituals regularly. Harrison describes how he was welcomed with the slaughter of a sheep. A ritual done with great care and respect. During the ritual Harrison learned more about the language and culture. He saw how much these people value traditions and found out unique words for every action performed and names for all the sheep’s organs and body parts. The Tofa language contains very descriptive and powerful words Harrison uses the word ‘donggur’ as an example. It translates into a lengthy description of a specific type reindeer.
Words like this are useful in their language, because herding is part of everyday life, and using these labels is more efficient. But sadly small details and bits of knowledge like this are being sacrificed in favor of dominate languages. During his time immersed in these three similar cultures he realized their importance, and how there is no direct translation for some key concepts expressed in their language. The knowledge they posses is lost in other languages. Scientists say only about 80% of the world’s languages have been officially recorded.
Small languages are sometimes called “hidden languages”, because they are only known to the speakers, but not to the rest of the world. Sometimes communities choose to keep it a secret, or it simply goes unnoticed in plain sight. While in India’s Arunachal Pradesh Harrison and his crew went door to door searching for speakers of Miji and Aka, two little studied languages with similar cultures. This state borders China, Bhutan, Assam, and Myanmar. Here people live in bamboo houses, raise pigs, and grow rice and barley. They are known for their tongue twisters and brightly colored clothing and head dresses.
Hidden among them live a third group, the Koro. The film crew traveled to multiple villages of Koro speakers such as Kichang and Kadeya. They figure there are probably no more than 800 speakers. Like Koro the Chaco people remain a secret in Paraguay. These people have had to adapt to the seasonal weather, it is hot and dry half the year, and insurmountable during the wet season. Yet tribes manage to thrive here. The language index is . 33, three times the level in all of Europe. In Bolivia they went on the hunt for the mysterious language of Kallawaya.
Hidden from others by choice the knowledge and language is only shared by practicing males and from father to son. They have great knowledge in medicinal plants and healing. Surrounded by languages like Spanish, Quechua, and various tongues of the Andes they still manage to preserve their exclusive knowledge. Debates about who owns language or knowledge constantly arise, but according to Harrison it is just another reason why language diversity should be maintained. Information translated from one language to another is never exactly the same, so it is beneficial for there to be more than less ways of conveying an idea.
Language hotspot” is a metaphor coined by Harrison used to describe areas where language is threatened by extinction. Harrison works closely with fellow linguist Greg Anderson. Together so far they’ve visited 6 of the 24 or more hotspots around the globe. The Language Hotspots map shows areas of endangered and under documented languages on every continent. The Last Speakers is all about their studies in these hotspots. They interview hundreds of people in hopes of recording and saving the cultural knowledge they posses.
Evidently, central and eastern Siberia are high-level hotspots. Another language studied there was Chulym. What may have once been a thriving language with rich culture is now dying out. Whatever grand rituals or stories that may have once been practiced are nothing but scraps of the past. It is a highly endangered language because so few speak it, and those who do are elderly. Many elders that they interviewed spoke of how they were made to feel ashamed of their color and language. This is the downfall of many small languages, shifting towards the dominate languages.
In the Northern Territory of Australia there is a group of Gugu-Yaway speakers who have vast knowledge of plants in the area, and how to be an expert hunter by using spears and boomerangs and learning animal sounds. Elder William Brady of the Night Owl clan said “If you can’t speak the language of the bush, you’d better not go into it! ” These groups of indigenous people know their land, and we have much to learn from them. The world is so culturally diverse and has so much to offer one can not even begin to describe all the different ways of life.
The Last Speakers gives a small sample of what is out there, tucked away in the farthest corners of the world waiting to be discovered. We are all connected, even if we divide ourselves into different groups. We all have a story to tell, an idea to contribute, or a song to sing. Why should any one group have their own language be silenced because of globalization? The argument for why it is important to save minority languages is best put on page 274, “What they know-which we have forgotten or never knew- may someday save us. ”
