Language Lab: Linguistic Anthropologist Consultant on Endangered Languages

Language Lab: Linguistic Anthropologist Consultant on Endangered Languages

In our course, we have discussed the important consequences of how endangered languages and their speakers are presented in the news media. However, these rhetorics appear in many different kinds of media and discussions on endangered languages. Even if you dont read the news, you may encounter these rhetorics on social media, in your classes or even your conversations with friends and family. It is therefore important to be able to recognize the rhetorics and their unintended consequences. In this lab you will get the chance to apply those rhetorics to a real-life example. Watch the following video clip from the New York Times on the Taushiro language: https://youtu.be/4qFG-sggtVc. Then complete each of the tasks below.

Task 1: Initial Observations
After watching the video reflect on your observations and answer the following questions:
What was your reaction while watching the video?
Does the film do a good job of representing the Taushiro language and its final speaker? Why or why not?
Did the documentary crew use any of the 6 rhetorics of endangered languages discussed in Davis article?
o What kind of effect did the devices have on how you, the viewer, thought about the language? The speaker? The community?

Task 2: Expert Recommendations
The New York Times staff greatly appreciates your feedback. They have requested that you write a report providing specific recommendations for how this film could be improved based on your linguistic anthropological knowledge. After your initial observations, write up the report you would give to the New York Times. What would be a better way to present the information? Is there other information that would be helpful for the documentary crew to include? What would you as the expert do differently?

Write up a set of at least 3 recommendations for areas of improvement for the video. Include:
1. What you saw that was problematic.
2. Explain why it is important to make these changes.
3. Offer suggestions for how these improvements might be implemented.

You should specifically mention at least 3 of the 6 rhetorical strategies mentioned in class and the readings and explain what they are.

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