Monday 30 March 2015

dialects and minority languages

The Swiss are very proud of their dialects:



Bligg - Mundart (Lyrics) - YouTube

But High German is being imposed on children at school:
Switzerland - Educational System—overview - German, Speaking, Swiss, and School - StateUniversity.com

Which is how some people feel how English has been imposed on children in their schools in Wales:
How the Welsh language has been destroyed by English governments

In France, for example, language is also very political:
BBC - Languages - Languages
Languages of France - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But there is the wider question of whether 'minority languages' have a future:
Can Minority Languages Be Saved? Globalization vs. Culture
Are dying languages worth saving? - BBC News
Minority language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Should such languages and dialects be recognised in the school system?

It's been very controversial in the States:
Oakland School District Recognizes Black English - Los Angeles Times
African American Vernacular English - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Do You Speak American . Sea to Shining Sea . American Varieties . AAVE . Hooked | PBS

What about the teacher and student of English as a second language?
Dialects in Schools and Communities

Here's an excellent list of questions for the ESOL classroom:
ESL Conversation Questions - Languages (I-TESL-J)
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