<
https://theconversation.com/tibet-is-one-of-the-most-linguistically-diverse-places-in-the-world-this-is-in-danger-of-extinction-246316>
"Three days after he was released from prison in December, a Tibetan village
leader named Gonpo Namgyal died. As his body was being prepared for traditional
Tibetan funeral rites, marks were found indicating he had been brutally
tortured in jail.
His crime? Gonpo Namgyal had been part of a campaign to protect the Tibetan
language in China.
Gonpo Namgyal is the victim of a slow-moving conflict that has dragged on for
nearly 75 years, since China invaded Tibet in the mid-20th century. Language
has been central to that conflict.
Tibetans have worked to protect the Tibetan language and resisted efforts to
enforce Mandarin Chinese. Yet, Tibetan children are losing their language
through enrolment in state boarding schools where they are being educated
nearly exclusively in Mandarin Chinese. Tibetan is typically only taught a few
times a week – not enough to sustain the language.
My research, published in a new book in 2024, provides unique insights into the
struggle of other minority languages in Tibet that receive far less attention.
My research shows that language politics in Tibet are surprisingly complex and
driven by subtle violence, perpetuated not only by Chinese authorities but also
other Tibetans. I’ve also found that outsiders’ efforts to help are failing the
minority languages at the highest risk of extinction."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
