3 ms·
Languages are tools for communication. Online, we have a much larger community to communicate with, so network effects apply for languages as well. I don't thi
by niftich 10y ago
Languages are tools for communication. Online, we have a much larger community to communicate with, so network effects apply for languages as well.
I don't think it's troubling that languages rise and fall, and many die out. Rather, it's the intangible heritage of humanity and particular cultures in danger that should attract our attention. Language is an element of this, but more important is the substance of their stories, their oral and written traditions, their values, and their way of live. We should work on preserving this heritage possibly at the expense of their language, if that's our only viable method.
(disclaimer: previously posted by me here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11904129#11904318 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11904129#11904318)
- sverige 10y agoThe biggest problems with this are 1) that some things are untranslatable, and 2) the substance of the stories is best communicated with the words originally used. Translation takes something away every time. Although some translations become classics in their own right, such things are very rare.
- Hondor 10y agoWhile there may be value in preserving those cultures. What tends to happen is outsiders say "We want to preserve that interesting way of life in case it's useful to us oneday. Hey you natives with nothing better to do all day, why don't you keep using it so we don't have to? You won't need English in your remote tribe." Then the poorest people in the world end up lumped with the huge task of maintaining a language for the possible benefit or mere academic curiosity of others. Instead, they could just learn English as children and gain access to greater opportunities in the global economy.