by Wendell » October 29th, 2009, 11:19 am
The way I see it, McWhorter's thinking is illogical.
First of all, Lakota and other Indian(Native American) people speak English. Keeping our Nation's language alive is part of who we are.
It's not like we can't speak English. Most of us can speak, read and write English better than Lakota because we were forced not to speak our own language
in schools. This has changed I'm very happy to see.
Although we dress like mainstream America, eat pizza and yogurt and watch movies who's theme ranges from ancient history to science fiction,
we know in our hearts who we are and many of us continue to practice traditional things.
We don't want to be anything else but what we are. We are Indians (or as some prefer Native Americans).
Our language is important to us because it is a part of us, just like an arm or a leg.
I think when a language "dies", part of the people's spirit die with it, regardless of what the language is.
Having your language whether you are Lakota, Maori, or Czech is part of your soul, your ancestors and the future generations to come.
It is these traditions and one's language that makes a people thrive and feel the pride of who they are.
(I would like to thank the inventor of the spell checker. Without that, I'd be really lost.)
Best,
Wendell
Last edited by
Wendell on October 29th, 2009, 2:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I helped the Lakota language by donating to the audio dictionary project. Can you help too?
Your Donation Confirmation # is 846402