DOI: 10.7252/Archives.He.0195
Correspondence of Rodger Hedlund: Summer Institute of Linguistics
Archives Special Collection: Papers of Roger Hedlund Digital version at http://place.asburyseminary.edu/rogerhedlundpapers/
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- Box 2270 lVTanill'l, Philippi n '::' 2flfJ I PhOlW: Gfl3· -I776 Callt· !\.( AREA DIREC10R Daniel H. Wea l1c r August 13. 1982 ASSO I Ar~ A REA DI TOR Don Gregson Dr Roger E. Hedlund Church Growth Research Centre Poat Bag 768 Kilpauk. Madras INDIA 600 010 Dear Dr Hedlund. Don Gregson returned from his recent trip which included the INA Confere ce and brought with a copy of your book B the C h and your paper "Uureached Peoples Research s." ve enjoyed reading theee very much and pro.pted~ ask a couple questions. One of the you often aention is (Bihar W. Bengal. M.P., Orissa. etc.). These people are also Kurux Kurukh), and other things as well. We are particularly interested in knowing if there ia an active progra. of Bible tranalation going on at the present time. (The New Testa.ent was completed-- or rather. publiahed-- in 1950 for one of the dialects. In survey work I had done in the mid-seventies I found that this translation wa. not in use and that in two dialects it was not even intelligible due to language c etc.) The Bible Society of India had begun a new translation for • the Oraon. at Ranchi but I believe this has been discontinued. Do you have any information' Another group you mentioned was the Sorry I it was not you but Ebeaezer Sundaraj-- located in Raj.a of Bihar along the bend in the Gange.. Anyway ••• Ebenezer gives this group a. one of the receptive people. of India. (The Ma1ars are rather closely related to the Oraona, yet distinct.) Do you have any inforaation in your files reagrding this group? Who/which groups of Malars are receptive? Who are working among the.? Is there any Bible translation going on1 (Some of the Malar are .lrt ly monolingual.) Another question: have you identified additional staff to help you gather data in tbe field? (I have seen oorrespondence between you and Warren Glover and Don Greg8on, but we have.'t heard back trom you on this.) Would you consider having such field personnel trained in sociolinguistic survey techniques? I ask that beoause the Central Inatitiute of Indian Languages (CIIL). X;ysore. have beea doing socio- linguistio and part of the reason for doing thea bas been to -2- determine if Yernaeular liter cy aaterials and literature are needed. (In one group, the KuYi of Koraput. Orieea, CIIL haTe produced a Pri and Copybook.) I'm not sure to what extent CIIL viII seek literacy and literature production s for Indian Yernaoulars but I think their sensitivity to the need in this area indicate that surveys done for evangeli and growth purposes ..y need to haye a strong sooiolinguistic orientation. What do you think' Please let us know how we may subscribe (pay for) the Church Growth Bulletin published by CGRC. Did you oyerlap at Fuller with Wayne Dye (SIL, Papua New Guinea)? Yours in Shepherd's Care, Kent Gordon Aeade.ie Coordinator Mr. nt Gordon, e Coordl tor 24 r, 1982. Summer Institute of ltngufstics 2270 ' en' 1., Phflfppfnes 2801. r Hr. Gordona Tn you for r 1 of ust '13, 19 2. I s tor th w kl, p th Y in wrttl • Let at t • brf 1, to your questfons. 1) I lorry I no further fnfo~tlon on It UI translation project. can r. cont~t b 1. Soct ty ..d 1et you know t rep y. MOnth I going to fhar II Inqufre there. . 2) ,t Ie. contal n no 1",o".tl on thf I group • Sorry. • 1",' no ot our men to I •• If he can find "tn" re. , 3) I 11 that ,OU I • a researeh coord' r f n the 0"1 c. we r ft reJectl fn .s. do trat 'Ie tn I eldl 81 are pra,f no and ing for ndten I tely to tlon. In •• GR ' TM ICC .1 s tted to ncfple 0' working In rtMrshfp with t •• d purposes. would cert n y be , t n 0' the.. lona. ' the tt .e ledge peop 1e with .oct te.I/1t ngulst' logic ort on tor re ...rch end "I no. be Of unfwrlfty "secul.r" sources to .... hel In thta .re•• • • ~') h ... off.red this' or , on on I. our t d, hal run out COnsfderlng 81ter tvea. In Indt we , ..1 ton- rf ton 0' 10/a ..... Id • ,. U•• • ( f • , 5) '.s I did at 'ull.,. 1, I hi. wf • , ",. We prar 'or God" g1or,. AI 'u 1., I to • • , • , , • , • • • d1 1 Is • fn 11tp f 6) f d cor I • regson f ch I d not r. . is ttl not 1 recall tht s cor • 1 do let f r n Glo.r ,. ,. , 1982. Whtch I about to • Sorry tf I over 1 f ng. Our offl ce peop Ie notr 11 vtng thts corre • Let rs tt t • Is tng I'd to In this reg • Ag 'n. • for wrf t ng. • Your' 'n Chr'st, • • I. 1 • cc: Dr. ran • GI • • • a • • • • • • • • • • • • • I • • • , • • • • - - Box 2270 ,1onila. PhiJippin s 2801 Phom': 693·-:1776 Cabl Acldr ('~' : LING Ur. T l\lA. ILA, AREA DIRECTOR Daniel H. Weaver ASSOCIATE AREA DIRE.CTOR Don Gregson October 19, 1982 Dr, Roger E. Hedlund Church Growth Research Centre Post Bag 768 Kilpauk Madras 600 010 INDIA Dear Dr. Hedlund, Thank you for your le·tter of September 24. Thanks, too, for making l.nqU1.r1.es. " reqarding the status of the Oraon trans lation project. I will certainly look forward to any news you have as a result of your visit to Bihar. Regarding the Maler (language name: Malto) our updated Ethnologue entry reads as follows: HALTO (MALTI, MALTU, MALPAHARIA, RAJMAHALI ): 88,645 (1961 census) . Bihar (Rajmahal hills) , vlest Bengal. Dialects" KUMARBHAG MALTO, ~l.ALPA HARIA MALTO , SAHRIYA (SAURIA) MALTO. (One section of the tribe called Marpaharia--distinct from Malpahariya--speak a dialect of Bengali not too unlike the Kharia Thar of ManbhLlm (Bihar). SAWRIYA speakers num- bered 53,576 in 1965 (Mahapatra 1979.9). Dravidian family, Northern branch , Kurux-Halto group. Portions 1889. possible translation need. As you can see , we have given ~1alto the rather nebulous distinction "possible translation need" because of a lack of information regarding what, if any, translation work is being done and also because of lack of sociolinguistic inforlilation regarding the viability of Halto for purposes of separate trans lation/literacy efforts. It seems a safe hypothesis that at least the Saw riya dialect of Malto is a viable translation/literacy need. It is also a safe hypothesis that however many Malto speaking Christians there are, they have been assimilated into a non-~-1al to speaking Christian community. That is, we have no evidence at all that there is a MalLo speaking church in the Malto speaking areas. I see from Warren Glover ' s letter to you of September 30th) stating his be lief, that it would be difficult to find support from indigenous Indian mis- Slons• source for a man engaged in r search. I think this is to be noted with sadness and yet with the hope that the underlying situation viz., that such ministries are not "spiritual" , may be changing. At the moment we are looking to the Lord for provision of an SIL team to lead what we are calling "1\s ssing the Task Surveys" for Asia. One of the outstanding needs for 1\sia is, of course, India where in spite of the availability of puhlished bits and pieces of information regarding the people/language groups,we lack specific statistics regarding language use , language attitudes , linguistic distinctive ness, and language viability--kinds of things which need to be assessed in order to determine whether there be translation/literacy need or not. Speci fically we are looking to the Lord for the provision of a Commonwealth team who would head up a sociolinguistic survey geared to assessing the remaining translation task in India and neighboring countries. In the meantime, we are assembling as much information r garding each people/language group in India and surrounding countries as we can , relevant to determining translation/ literacy need . Essentially, our interim task here amounts to keeping the Ethn9- • 4 logue updated. (I am assuming you have a copy of the 1978 edition of the Ethno- logue published by WJeliffe Bible Translat rs. An upclated edition is due to come out later this year or early in 1983 , I believe. Even so , the usefulness of the Ethnologue will primarily be in the ar a of indicating where we need to do more extensive survey as indicated , for example, by the recurring phrase in the India section of the Ethnologue , "possible translation need" .) It is envisaged that the leader of such a survey in India would amon~ other things be involved in training nationals,whom Lhe Lord would raise UR in sociolinguistic survey techniques. hie will keep you posted regarding develop ments and , in turn , would like for you to keep us informed of t he Lord ' s pro vision of research person 1 and information resources. One of the secular groups in India that has had quite a bit to do with language surveys is the Central Institute of Indi n Langllages . TIl ir publication cata- l ogue is available at the foll owing address : Central Institute of Indian Languages Manasagangotri t1ysore 570 006 Please ask for their descriptive catalogue of publications . i.rtf.,... ~ or 7, I am enclosing a aper of mine ntitled "Assessing the Task Surveys in Asia (Indi a • • • )" wh ich is a first rough attempt to stout what is entailed in making sociolinguistic surveys in Indian contexts . Enclosed also please find a check for $10.00 for a 0 year subscription to the India Church Growth Auarterl" . Please send to the following address : " Summer Institute of Linguistics Asia Ar a Office Box 2270 Manila , Philippines 2801 Yours in the Shepherd ' s rule and care, • Kent Gordon cc . Warren Gl over/Ross Ca ughley P. S . I hear that Tom Headland has recently taken his comprehensive exam at the University of Hawaii . He is due back here in the Philippines fairly soon I believ . About Nov. 15. Don Gregson Box 22 70 , Manila, Philippines. 17th Sept ember 182 . Dr Roger E He dlund, Church Growth Research Centre, Post Bag 768, Kilpauk, Madras 600 010, INDIA. Dear Roger, I appreciated meeting you at the lMA conference at Danishp et and was greatly encouraged by -the work you are doing there. I did mention to you in a conversation that we we re looking to the Lord to raise up some people, perhaps both expatriates and nationals, to undertake sooiolinguistic survey in South Asia. In this context I was greatly -encouraged by your willingness for such people to visit with you and have the benefit of the materials you an' gathering together there in Madras. I will write to you again at such time as we are in a position to move ahead on this. Similarly we would, of course, be happy to share the results of our work with you in due course. In this context I also mentioned to you that we had published a Preliminary Survey of the Sind province of Pakistan and I am sending a copy of this to you, under separate cover, for your files. I do trust you will find this to be of interest and help. I look forward, then, to continuing contact from time to time. Yours warmly in Christ, • • • • I - - • Don Gregson - • - 3l r (1 ~~fttJ ~ em! INLAND LETTER CARD Dr Roger E Hedlund, Church Growth Research Centre , Post Bag 768, • I Kilpauk, Madras, 9 1if.T PIN 600 010 ...o INDIA. • o z o • • • ' _ , ...... F ..- u ...... • ~ i,iPU¥! 3ln" 4111 :- SENDER'S NAME AND ADDRESS :- Gregson, IICCC, Bible Fellowship Centre, Old Agra Road, Nasik, Maharashtra. 1if.T PIN 422 002 • • • • • I • Dr. ren~. Glover, 24 Sept I , 19 2. Ind an Institute for Cxo s CUltural COlmnunication, Bibl elle hip ra 1 a 1-, Mahar , Th nk you for your 1 t t r of , 19 2, as gift of a valuable for our • v ry pl as to, have th Hugoniot = .. • Also hank you for f 1OO1g - n u 1 ions. this 1 • helpful. Actu. lly had not ind m1 sion. It , a you lpr • of eVer diff rent tribal • Iso n division which tend to th 1ctur s for at le • But I think it good point they ought to be incl':.1d • • Thanks very much for your • I h pe Q have ~ on our as of in er at. By th , we in need of an Indian for CHUR GROWTH R EARCH CEN'rRE. We at' pray-in and searching. Is there you could rt? Kent Gordon of XL to n ly eking about our staff t'i r u'h f vor 1 with aIL n e p rsonnel• • Yours in Chri , • • • • lund.' rk • • Dr. rren • Glover, 24 Sept r, 1982. Indian Institute for Cross Cu 1tu ra 1 Car.flunf cat i on, Bible Fellowship Centre, Old Agra Road, Na fk, • Maharashtra - 422 002. Dear Dr. Glover , Thi foll Dr . d lund's 1e tter ed 24 S pt mb r to correct mist k (typographical rror). . Kindl r f-..r to the third par, fxth 11, re t mist e cured •••• th questfon should end with Usugge tit an not usupporttl. Or. lund t 1ty ask d, ttls the anyone you could 1" We do apologise for this mistak which was commft d by our offic • Thanking you • • Yours in Hi service, • • P ul Robin Visw • Admfnfstr t1ve Asst. / cc: Dr. R.E. lund. J PRV:pm • Cables' WIDEVANCRU, GERRARDSCRDSSSUCKS. INTERNATIONAL OFFICE WORLDWIDE EVANGELIZATION CRUSADE BULSTROOE, GERRA RDS CROSS, BUCKS, SLS BSZ, ENGLAND. Tel: GERRARDS CROSS 84631 U. U lt! l t! r KUliI, cI vv I::L 1(IISSlunary \ vo rlo.ln " it I til ' IIIlJI.J1I I \ Issiullu ry ~ Ilu s liJ, IS udseu 111 Uct tu, J.IV.!, . 110 II, s uvn~ sonH! v,lurJbi \o\urk un tl e f.l t:o iJl~s u t )l l l1a lra. I \oul ;J IS\' Y ul.um.Jcting him. \ulelll I\uhl, In~[ilut 111]11 Inuonesi Cl , YIJPII, Jln., IrunoJoyo 1. , Uatu - Mdl ll!::, 1:. JdVd, Inuvn,'s l.!) c. I ller' is <.Ilso Jut"l I.J 'kker in ... naU.J t till: L 1:<-, <1flU lit' 15 \ t ry L II 1111 '0 a ul r<.;s <':;J l ehmg tile peoples ot In oneS ld. r le II<:l S w ritte l O nw j)fl( also \r v 11 <.:( throul3ll InCJO IIl:sia In II P(ISt vv eks, gl ill ing inturn dtion 11 !.I('() I S tIH:! rl!. I wuuld cluv i~ e yuu ant· ·ting him at till! tollo ing ,HI( lllS : '+ J v Illl urn Crt:~ lit, C ~ "'" ~'vll:i' , V T I': IU, LI\N A UA I Jt-. 1.~j. I vo.u ulu regM \ l:Sl l'IUlcl MH; In ufieSI to LJe til, nl jor <.Ir e s m~e UIIl rl:~t ' L1rcl" tllougl by 110 OIl~ clns lllJ only ones in ~outll and I::c.lst Asia. I a li i lool-lIlt:: lun d f I Ildve g r 'a[ly ilppn.: Idle th vo.ork Gon e lJy ~I L In ~Ulcl 'Sl, tli' ugh I 'inl! till' in' rn ... tiun is uf 1II111l v,oIu' tu us. Vv' S ' 'k to pldllt 'lIur II S III lIa:s df\',IS. I realize thal ill III UIIl!Sld tl,is is a 5 Ilsit iVl! IJOilll, uut I tine til ' S.ln ,\ ' proulen \\ ill till! 'l:fHNUUt,;UI::'. I ,\oulL love to set! lir ' c nwill illipr V 'Ill filS in tile 1:111 ULuCUI:: : '1. 1\ CUI IlJrl!11 'Ilsiv 0 1 0 t.onsislcnt llbllll! tUf L ~ree ot LVb" cy LJ t L ' II Itt - fellt ILlIlgu <'lI~e s, alld even langui1 (; falnili 'S trLes, su c il as you inLlu( '(J II I this ' xcellcllt L ntrClI ~ula es i surVl!y. It tllis l!re llOlle tur e(lcll LOUIlt ry il woul greatly llelp us. L. i (julu nil/cit likt: to sc (til In iCatiull not nly uf '" I 0 is ioll l15 trdllsldliun wurk 111 a IJrHtic.uliJr bngudg uut V\nether th ' r! ~ ar' "ny Olllt'r Christ IJn missions sp " c iii ally 'v 1' \ :1 ing rJmungst thot (jt:OlJle. J. lilerl! is rdH.: ly any inUit. tiull ot tlu.! rt.:l lgiuus p <... rsudslull III til' rI l . ~ P vJjle inclu ed in th\. 'I: I H LJL )lJU I: '; LVl:1l ... pproxllliute I,er u lt"h S , oull be ' 1 gr(; t Ilc lp. I IJ 'IICVl! tll ( ' ~\ ' iIlIIJroV 'I)IUltS huul ~re (l tly ('nllelll t ' 111\: V,oIll1' t till: 'I: I HNULUl.U I: '. (ayul; this is ask ing to IIIU hi I ou In redl ly to .. rit . tv til ' <., rin -s cuncl:rIlillg this! 1 h II you ugnll1 for y ur IHte r • n also fur till: hl!lp I.itlwrto rlnc.Cf '0. I "I I bl!~inlling to IJruuu e , IrJrgt! nunlbc r of IIl<.lpS for LOlilinuni ating til' n<:(; to til , CilristiLln tJublit. tll..! l Ml~ In ov rll '~H" lrLlflspcr\.:nc.i e ~ dnu sliUt~ forili. I fin tlldt this p.ntit.uIM nlt:tho vf prescntCition stirs Jjcupl \ v <.: ry Oe ply, ,tIlU I ueli'vc it V\uu lli be ... protltable line tor V'I ycliff to pursu • In J 'SUS iill( tu \ oriel I: vanljellzc tiOl1 I' ,.nne" Jolms[vnt.: • • , • Box 2270 Manila PHILIPPINES 2801 October 28 , 1982 , Mr. Trevor Locke Engl cdene Bungalow Attadi COONOR , Niligiris, South Indi 643 101 • D ar Trevor , I received a letter recently from Patrick Johnstone (author of tion, vlorld: Handbook of World Intercession) who r eminded me of your long s tanding 'interest in diggi:;n~g~u~p~l~'n~f~o~r~lIIation pertaining to various tribal groups in India. We have a copy here in the Asia Area library of your book, Reaching Tribals for Christ. L , • • I am writing to inquire i f you are currently engaged in gathering data on tribal groups , a nd, if so, wh ether you are in a position t o share this data with others. As you know, various groups are seeking information regarding the s - called hidden peoples--tribal groups, caste C)roups , etc.--in order to be able to intercede for such groups as well as seek to place missionari es in appropri t e locations amo ng these groups. Roger II olund of the hur h Growth Research Centre (Post Bag No.768, Kilpauk, Madras, 600 010) is in the process of gathering information regarding distinctive people groups in India. And , as you know , Barbara Grimes, editor of the Ethnoloque, has been updating this volume once every four years in order to s upply Christians with informa tion regarding distinctive language groups and their Bible translation needs . More r ecently, SIL has been attempting to launch what we are calling " assessing the task surveys" in a ll areas where we work as a means of assessing t re maining transJation task. One of the areas wh ere we feel there is a great need for doing survey work is South Asia, particularly India. We are now looking to t he Lord to provide a survey coordinator who would be responsible for develop ing an infoltllation base , onducting f ield surveys , and training others t o con duct such surveys (since the size of the survey task demands that a number of p ~1 b cngag d in [i Id surveys). In the me antime, as we are looking for such a person, I have been e ngaged in gathering information regarding specific language groups , both tribal and non tribal in India, both for the purpose of helping Barbara Grimes update the Eth nolo, ,g ue and as a means of getting a handle on the question of where field sur- verys are most desperate ly needed in order to determine translation need. This is to say , the n, that we would very much like to keep in touch with you and with Rona--pleas give my greeting to Rona--and specifically to know if you are continuing to assemble data on tribal groups in India. I shoul d add that we on our part are not attempting to coll ect info-cmation regarding linguistic distinctiveness and translation need apart from the con text of Christian work a lready existing in prospective areas to be s urveyed . Part of the infOl:mati on we are att empting to assemble will be who is a lrea y at work and in what kinds of miRistries in speci f i c areas where tribal lan guages or non-triba l languages are be ing spoken. And, of course , we are in t e r sted in knowing about Christia n workers attitudes t owa rd the use of the v rn c uI, r for purr s s of vClng 1i5m, t I am e nc l osing a copy of a preliminary draft of "Assessing the t ask surveys in Asia (India ••. )" which I re ared with the students and staff a t he In ia Instj tut for Cross Cultur 1 Communication in mind (I heW s nt co i s of this draft with Don Gregson IICCC) • Yours in the Shephe rd ' s rule and care, ),: I Ke n Gordon KIIG : s9 encl . cc . Warr n Gl ov er, Rog r tl edlund , Patrick Johns t o ne • • - Box 2270 Manila, Philippines 2801 Phone: 693-4776 Cable Addr ss: LL MA ILA, via RCA AREA DIRECTOR Daniel H, Weaver ASSOCIAIE AREA DIRECTO R Don Gregson Novemb r 2 , 198 Mr. Patrick Johnstone 0 Worldwid Evangelization Crusade Bulstrode Gerrards Cross ucks , SL9 8SZ ENGLAND Dear Patrick, Thank you very much for your letter of October 4 and for the many h el ful and positive comments and suggestions. Very h ppy indeed that the Lor~ has given you a computer. Certainly that is the way to handle thousand~ changes in statistics. It is the way to k P updated. Yes , lack of field workers able to assess and transmit findings from the field is the greatest probl em in ass ssOng the task. In India, where the Lord has been raising up a very strong, enthusiastic and numerous mission O ary task force one of the problems with finding workers to do in tial sur vey work with a research emphasis is that this kind of work is felt to be somehow less spiritual or even "unspiritual". However , "sp~'in g out the land" h as a very fine s iritual p ig . J -sus himse1 f appoin 72 nd sent them wo by two ahead of him to every town and plac \~h er H w s n bout to 0 (Luke 10:1) and this in the context of His plen that they, ev n as they went , should ask the Lord of he harvest, therefor , to s nd out workers into His harvest field (10:2). We look to the Lord to break down wron attitudes and to plant the right nes. Th nks for the information regarding India. \'le are in correspondence with Roqer Hedlund. He r ports the sam problem you ref r to : lack of field workers ble to assess and transmit findings from the field. We also have consider ble contact with the Indian Evanqelical Mission and do subscribe to their monthly magazine " Mission Outreadh". The Indi n Institute for Croo s Cultural Communication which is host d y the India Missions Ass cia tion is staffed by some of our SIL people and by a number oE Indian mission aries who hav been train d in linquist'cs. The India Ev nqelic 1 Mission , • r gularly s nds some of heir missionaries to IICCC and to the linguistic , translation and literacy workshops that are held on the same site (Nasik, at the Bible Fellowship Centre, Old Agra Rd. , Maharashtra 422 002). Warren Glover has been the principal up through this current session of IICCC. Nex·t year , Lord willing , Ross Caughley, also SIL, will serve as principal. Thanks for mentioning Trevor Locke. I have written to him. \'Je have his book, "Reaching Tribals for Christ". We certainly agree regarding the major areas still needing research, that is, India and Indonesia. But, as you say, these are by no means the only ones in South and Southeast Asi • ' Thank you for your comments regarding the Ethnologue. Let me comment on each of the three main improvements you suggest : . ' I 1. Regarding degree of cognacy between different languages . In many , many cases this is one of the things that assessing the task surveys would hope to s how. Therefore , until such s urveys are actually undertaken in a lace like India where degree of cognacy is one of the unknown factors , we will not be able to supply that. I might also say that degree of cogna y is n t t most relevant factor in deternlining various kinds of n ed (for ex m Ie, translation, the language to be used in evangelistic outreach, etc .). For example given two related dialect groups where the degr e of cognacy i.s very high it is not unusual to find that they perceive themselves as having distinct identiti s , including speech identities , and their attitudes to wards sharing translated materials from the other dialect cannot be assumed to be sufficiently good to warrant a single approach to the area. The Lord may indicate in such cases, through survey work , that it would be best to begin two separate programs for that area. The kind of surveys that we would like to do include not only cognacy measures but also measures of language use , language comprehension , bilingualism and language attitudes . I enclose a copy of a paper that I have roughed out (it is indeed a rough draft) regarding assessing the task surveys for India. 2 . Information as to what othe:- Christian missions are specificnlly work ing amongst the people whose language is listed in the Ethnologue is very d sirable. I am not certain that the Ethnologue is the place where this information should be given because Ethnologue users may not always be on • our side. That is , I think this may be a sensitive oint. The roposed assessing the task surveys will have as one of th ir com onents the collecting of such information and certainly one of the purpose in hav ing such information is to distribute and publish it more widely. So that is what we propose to do , the Lord helping us . 3 . I think the same answer can be given to your suggestion here as under 2 . The Ethnologue may not be the place for indicating reli ious affilia tion . But we would hope that assessing the task surveys would allow us to give approxim e ercentages . Thank you very much for your words about rna s. Their communication valu when • used with overhead projectors and slides ~s great . Here I see no probl m wi h • • " - f uture edi tions of t h E hnologue containing such maps , but p r h s • Barbara Grimes has a different view. (I am sending her a co y of you r 1 t er and of mi ne , so t ha t she can see this d i scussi on) . You rs i n t he Shep herd ' s rule and c ar e , Kent Go r don Acad emi c Coordina t o r KH G: s g , cc . Barba r a Grimes , Roger ll edl und, Warren Gl over . • A s.s~ s s i .n g , ,the task s ur veys_ in Asia (India ••• ) October 1, 1982 Ke nt Gordon, SIL, As i a Area office, Manila Assumptions. 1. The Bibl e is meant t o be available whe r ever the Go spel 2 • 7 ' i s pr eached, believed, and taught. The Christian Church in North Africa was e ffective ly wiped out during the period of Muslim expansion. It had no vernacular Bible f or mo s t of its peoples . 2. Preaching, teaching~ and founding churches are to be based on the Word of God written. That church founded on the pr eaching of Christ i s commended mo s t which examines the Scriptures to s e e if these things are so (Acts 17:10 f f; cf. II Timothy 3:15). ' • 3. The 'writings' are God's appointed means for "the man of God" to be "thoroughly equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3~15) so that the church may be built up (II Timothy 4:2ff). That is, in order for the local church to have such men of God raised up from its own membership and for that membership to be built up it must have the Scriptures in a translation it can use with understanding • • 4. The supreme linguistic fact of the fallen world is that when the Lord confused the speech of all the world He did a very good job. The non-intel- • ligibility of your neighbor's mother tongue language or dialect is a function not only of different inventories of words and morphemes, but of different syntax (word order, phrase structure, clause and sentence relations, discourse orga nization) ahd skewed s emantics (different ranges of meaning for words whose primary real-world reference may be identical, different figures of spe ech, idioms, and classifier systems) . In addition, your neighbor's com munity probably perceives the everyday world of people, events~ and situations and talks about them in ways different from your own. (One needs not to be long to a different speech community for this to be the case. It is true with people no more distant than my wife! ) 5. The supreme social fact in a fallen world is that when Cain killed Abel with the result that there occurred a separation of the murderer from the first human social organization (the family), social dissonance/disintegration passed on to all human relationships. This combination of linguistic con fus ion and social dissonance accounts in very large measure for the truly sta gge ring demographic complexity of today's (as well as of yesterday's} • world. • 6 . The identifying charac teristic of a people group for purposes of communi cating the Gospel and tea hing the Scriptures is thus not a simple linguistic one. It is as much social as it is linguistic. That is, for purposes of communicating what we have to communicate the identifying characteristic may be said to be sociolinguistic. The differences between the Ghotul Muria , 2 £ '" Gonds and the Hill Maria Gonds (Abujhmarias) of Bastar district, Madhya Pradesh are not largely linguistic. There are some linguistic dif fere nces. The significant differences are social and also agricultural and geographical. It is these l utter differences taken together with the linguistic differ enc es 72 LL c ' that cause us to conclude that the t ask we mu st s et for ourselves in t his situation entails planning f or two Bib l e translati on and literacy programs ins tead of one. -2- Criteria for decidins how manx-- ~f indeed an~- - translation/literacy pro- E , LEL 1 2: aZE E LaZE 2 ' 2 . EE _ Ii ,&22:2 _ _ 0' :22 LE 2:_:_ grams may be needed, or d esi red, in a given language area. Thre bro ty E • 2 2 i, . . •• 2 U 2 4 2 L'. 2 •• c . ,. _ . • •• = . E • 2 L ' . , • of criteria are indicated. In making decisi ons different types of criteria will be given different weights depending on the general type of l anguage area being surveyed. (For a schematic of the general types of language areas en countered in the Indian su ontinent see below.) 1. Linguistic,criteria! Word lists and cassette-recorded (or tape- recorded) Ea_a2 • . a$_ = ,e 2••• :,: texts (autobiographical, , non-folkloristic) should be collected at several points within the language area covered by the population being surveyed. Word lists will he lp us d ecide a t a very bas ic l evel (phonology, morphology, l exicon) whether there are significantly different dialects spoken in, the area or not. Significa nt differences will appear if, for example, word lists representative of the speech of t~o different loca lities in the area share only 75% or 80\ of the words e li cited. In addition, significant differences will appear if these same word lists show high rates of phonological dissimiarity for those words which are lexically the same (cognate). Similarly, if the affix morphologies of these lists s how a number of divergences then we may safely conclude that the dialects represented by the two sets of word lists are significantly different for our purposes. ( A Swadesh-lOO or Sw desh-200 word list may be used as these are well-known, if not standard listsJfor measuring degrees of phonological and lexical similarity/dissi milarity (phonostatistics and lexico ~ tatistics respectively). Recorded text samples from the two localities, once they have been trans crib d and translated, may be scrutinized not only for lexical differences but also for noun and verb affix morphology differences , different ways of marking sent ence conjunction , different ways of marking paragraph or episode transitions, etc. • Evaluations of the degree of similarity/dissimilarity made on the basis 0 wor list and recorded text sam les cannot be used by themselves for making decisions about tr nslation/literacy needs. They need to be correlated with the next set of criteria. (Here assuming, of course, related dialects of the sam language.) , 2. I,n,te,l,1 i9ibi,lity .or, c~!Y'J?r,eh,e,n,si~,n, c,ri,t,e,ri,a. Recorded texts collected from a variety of localities in the language area (including those referred to above) which are autobiographical and non-folkloristic in genre may be u sed in the administration of what are called 'intelligibility' or 'comprehension' tests. Such tests measure how well people from one point in the area understand the speech , of another point in the area. A text, or set of texts, recorded at point A are played to people who reside at points B, C, D, and E, for example, and questions related to the content of each text are then asked of people residing at these various points , their answers rated, scores tabulated, and incorrect test pro cedures identified and e liminated--all for the purpose of determining how well people from these other points in the language area understand people from point A. Of course, people belonging to point A must also be tested to determine how well they understand the speech of people residing at point B, and then at point C, and so on. Experience in administering intelligibility tests in several countries indicates that there is not always a strong correlation between the results gained by the application of linguistic criteria (word list comparisons, etc.) and those gained from applying intelligibility criteria. Often the lack of correlation can be attributed to a variety of overriding sociolinguistic factors. The moral of this story is that both the linguistic and the intelligibility criteria need t be supplemented by the application of the following set of criteria. -3- , 3. ?oci,olingui,st,ic , c,ri,t,eria. There are of two kinds: 1) language use criteria and 2) language attitude criteria. Two kinds of instruments are used in assessing 2 language use and language attitudes. The first is, a questionnaire. The second is observation. The reason for the second is that questionnaires sometimes, if not often, elicit answers based not on actual use or genuine attitudes but on ideal or wished-for use or attitudes. Non-participatory observation on the part of the surveyor(s) is necessary to complement the results gained from the directquestion-and-answer approach of the sociolinguistic questionnaires. (Both instruments are subjective. The one yields the subjective perceptions and evaluations of the people being questioned. The other yields the subjective perceptions of the surveyor(s). , The sUbjectivity of the method does not invali date the overall result if for no other reason than that the answers to the quest ionnaires manifest an objective ' state of affairs with respect to speaker-percept ions of language use and language attitudes. But the significance of this state of affairs cannot be determined apart from non-participatory observation on the part of the surveyor(s). Hence, the latter also manifests an objective state of affairs against which speaker-perceptions may be evaluated.) Language use questionnaires ask questions about which group or subgroup of speakers use'language A'iii conversing with what other groups or individuals in what situations. Language use observation looks at the actual language behavior of these same groups in thes'e' same s'ituations and notes what language,. what oral style (formal, informal, mitigated, unmitigated, etc.), what dialect variants are actually used. , • Language attitude questionnaires ask questions about how people feel (positive, • , Ea.. 2 d. L. , negative, indifferent, confident, hesitant, inhibited) about the languages/dialects they use in the different situations of their professed use (as given in the lang uage use questionnaire). It asks questions about how people feel towards edu cation and li terateness for themselves and for their children (if such ques,tions are appropriate in the local context). It asks questions about religious , social, economic, kinship, and marriage affiliations (why this and not that, etc. ). It asks questions about local agricultural practices, food practices, trade and marketing and festival networks (why this and not that, why here and not there) • It asks questions about aspirations for literacy beginning with mother tongue li,terature, and about aspirations for the next generation. Then, language attitude observation looks at the actual language behavior (and/or asks other 2 "LEW ' . outsiders familiar with the population being surveyed to comment on actual lang- uage behavior) of some of the respondents and notes wha~ attitudes seem to account for perceived behavior. Also from an observer standpoint the surveyor(s) look at local agricultural practices r food practices, ,trade and marketing and festival practices etc. in order to discover if there are' significant differences , between points A and l say, B in the area which correlate with differences in linguistic repetoires (breadth of language experience) and language attitudes. These procedures may appear to demand considerable effort and outlays of time and expense. They do. But a carefully prepared survey plan saves time and ex pense in the +ong run. And it gives better, more reliable results. , It is not true that the procedures involved in applying these criteria are to be automatically carried out in each and every survey situation. Preliminary information gathering about the area to be surveyed will often show which cri teria will prove more relevant than others. In particular, the intelligibility testing requires time and expense and , experience in the area and in the language prior to effective application. Initial surveys should not include the kind of elaborated intelligibility testing described above. Typically, intelligibility -4- , surveys have been carried out not only after initial surveys but also after initial a llocation with a ll that entail s in the way of language learning, culture learning, e t c . in one local e of the language area. One t ransl ter, Roge r van Otterloo (Africa Area), recommends the use of Scri pture portions in inte lligibility surveys.3 Such a method' would require extensive progress in one dialect of the l anguage area-- up through the early transl tion stages, at l e~st -- before the survey was undertaken in other parts of the language area. , !=.o,u,r ge.n.e.r.a,l" .:types of lan,5Luage areas (or sociolinguistic a re as ) .~ Preliminary :2 , ! ~ ...... au •• o •••• 'CEL aLEc2a. , .,. r esear ch through r eading, correspondence, personal interview will often reveal what kind of sociolinguistic s ituation or s ituations exist in the area to be surveyed. The following i s a first attempt t o classify the various types of sociolinguistic areas one may encounter in India into four broad or gener 1 types . The typology is simple and schematic. Almost all situations actually encountered in India and, more generally, in the Indian subcontinent are more complex. That is because any broad type of situation may be analyzed into sub types. And almost always there is in'terpenetration of types or subtypes within the same sociolinguistic area. Establishing an etic c lassification of general types does help in preliminary r esearch in that decis ions regarding the type of survey instruments to be deployed in a given area need some kind of criteria on which to be founded. An etic classification, no matter how broad ( nd in need of revision), provides these criteria. 1. Modified tribal sociolinguistic area. It i s probably true that unmodified _, .. £2' E • CiLze'. _iCc.L a EEL! • tribal cultures no l onger exist in the Indian subcontinent. A tribal culture may be defined as follows: ••• small in scope and self-contained [basinc.il their social relations on kinship or village community. With no state organization, no clearly defined central authority, no social-economic hierarchy, all members hold equal cultivation of grazing rights within their common territory (Broek and Webb 203). One hundred and fifty years ago the tribes of northeast India (and other parts of India as well) c o nstituted unmodified tribal c ultures. With th ons t of British administration important changes were introduced , for example , external politica l authority, external s ystems of l aw and jurisprudenc e, mon ey economy and consumer goods and new concepts of wealth and status, development of com munication systems, resident aliens who provided new life-style mod e ls (ag minis,trators, clerks , soldiers , merchants, technicians and miss ionaries) • Given such changes , even where changes were more superficial than radical , traditional tribal cultures were modified to a greater or lesser extent . We may take as an example of a modified tribal culture the Hill Mar. ia (Abujh maria) Gands of Bastar district, Madhya Pradesh. First contacts with t hose of non-tribal cultures may have come in the seventeen'th or eighteenth century when salt was introduced into Abujhmar by Lambadi (B anjara) ~raders. Then with the coming of British administration in Bastar District a wholly new system of political and criminal justice was introduced into Abujhmar (see W.V . Grigson, The Maria Gonds of Bastar, 1949). The programs of the Tribal Welfare Depart- ,;;:..:...;.-"- ....,.... • . "' •• a , E ment of Madhya Pradesh have introduced modern medicine,. educatio n, and rice cultivation. Timber interests have long been working in the area hiring local laborers for work in the forests. A market economy has been introduced . The youth dormitory or Ghotul has been introduced into parts of 1\bujhm r by contact with Ghotul Muria Gonds of Narayanpur Tahsil. 1\n so on. He nce, ev n 1\bujhmar does not provide us with an example of an unmodified tribal culture. -5- With the introduction of a market economy into Abujhmar the Hill Marias have begun to learn Halbi as a trade language. This may not yet be true of the interior villages of the Abujhmar hill tract but is increasingly the case among those villages on the edge of the hill tracts. Moreover, Hindi is being acquired by some of the school-going children. If the Hill Maria Gonds represent one subtype of modified tribal culture the Ghotul Muria Gonds represent another subtype. The extent of the changes intro duced into Ghotul Muria culture far exceed those introduced into Abujhmar. For one thing', the Gh6tul Murias practice extensive rice cultivation. They also make much use of the marketing and trade networks installed in their own area, for example, Narayanpur. Education and contact with Halbi and Hindi speaking populations is far more extensive among them than among Hill Marias. Whereas Abujhmar continues to be more or less homogenous with the numbers of • outsiders resident th~re very restricted (a few school teachers mainly in , fringe vil.lages" a few village level workers, etc.) the area inhabit d by the Ghotul Murias is not so. Many settlements in the area are not Ghotul Muria ttlements. Whole tracts of land in the area belong to non-Murias. , 2. Transitional tribal sociolinguistic area, ~ A tribal society emerging out Wi E ' " 7 & a • E I • E _ a • •== of tribal social organization, agriculture, and polity into 'peasant' or caste society may be said to be a transitional tribal culture (here using society and culture as synonymous tenns1. An example of such a culture is the Kurux (or Oraon) culture of Chotanagpur and many other parts of Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal , Assam, 'Bangladesh and Nepal. Whereas the clan structures of the Hill Maria and Ghotul Muria societies still funo tion in traditionally tribal ways (marriage partners are still selected on the basis of clan membership, for example), those of the Oraons, for the most part, do not so function. The traditional totemistic clan structure of Oraon society seems to have broken down to a greater or lesser extent. One of the major differences between the Gond cultures described above and Oraon culture is in the area of land use and socioeconomic status. The Oraons practice the landlord-tenant farmer system of agriculture in many of their villages. This single practice has perhaps more than any other single factor caused larg -scale migrations out of Chotanagpur, the traditional motherland of the Oraons, in search of new land and/or new employment. Large segments of the tribe have now been displaced and the social disruption that that entails has been very marked. Typically, displaced Oraons locate themselves socially at some point along the lower reaches of the caste hierarchy. That ' displaced popUlations can be quite large is indicated by the number reported in the 1961 Census of India returns for Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal: 181,749. Most of these were recruited to work among the tea gardens. , , Some Oraons have shifted to Sadani (Sadri), one of the lingua francas of Chotanagpur (and beyond) 0 It is doubtful if any segment of the Gond communi ties mentioned above have undergone language shif,t to Halbi, the lingua franca of Bastar district for tribals. Oraon people in general are at least bilingual and often trilingual though this fact does not at all mean that such Oraons are best reached and discipled'through the second or third language. 6 Many tribal groups fit the general category of transitional tribal societies. Preliminary research should be able to reveal if a particular tribal group belongs to this category or the first one , described above. - 6- , 3 . Transi t i ona l ' peasant ' (or caste) sociolinguistic area. Such an area is a , E . • • •• _, . LE I au , , E • ~ L Ea . E characteri zed by 'cast e organization of people and labor forces . At least two subtypes s hould be delineated: scheduled a nd unschedul ed castes. Typi cal ly, cast e - or ganized peasants ar e farmer s who speak a dial ect of one of he major l anguage gr oups or a s ubdia l ect of a major dia l ect o f one of the major language groups . But they do not speak, as a mother tongu e , the prestige d i a l ect of the ma j or language . '1'0 put it a nother way, they do not speak the so- call ed s t anda rd form of the ma j or l a nguage group-- the linguistic group ing that they are often ass oc iated with for o fficial c ensus purposes. But they may have learned the s t a ndard form for certa in purposes (usua lly education, empl o ym e t in ur ba n government or private est ablis hments, worship , et c .). To give a n i dea of how ma ny dialects there may be t~at are associated with a major language the fol l owing bre akdown of Mar a thi is offered: , MARATfTI dialects: KONKAN STANDARD with subdialects PARABHI (K YA THI, DANI), KOLI r KIRISTAV (a Christian dialect), DHANAGARl, BHANDARI, THAKARI, KARIIADI, SANGAMESYARl (BAKOTI, BANKOTI), GHATI (MAOLI), MAHARI (DHED, HOLlA, PARVARI); a second group of more differentiated dialects of KONKAN STANDARD i s a s follows: KATKARl (KATHODI, KATVADI) , VARLI, VADVAL (PHUDAGI), PHUDAGl, SAMVEDI, MANGELAS-- all these being subdialects of KONKAN STANDARD; KONKANI (GOANESE) with subdialects STANDARD KONKANI, BARDESKARI (GOMANTAKI), SARASVAT BRAHMAN, KUDALI (MALVANI), DALDI ( NAWAITS), CHITPAVANI (KONKZ\NASTHS)- all these subdialects of KONKANI (GOANESE) i the DECCAN dialect (DESI, DAKHINI) , wi,th subdialects KHALVADI (DHARWAR), BIJAPURI, etc o ; VARHADI-NAGPURI (Madhya Pradesh MARATHI, BERARI, MARATHI of Berar, DHANAGARI, KUMBHARI) with s ubdia lects BRAHMANI, KUNBI, RAIPUR, JHADPI, GOVARI, KOSTI (RANG RI), KUNBAN (KOHLI), MAHAR! (DEEDI ) with a s econd group of more differentiate5~ ialects a's follows: MARHETI, NATAKANI, KATIA (KATIYAI ).1- , • The dialect situation for Marathi is exceedingly complex and the above break down i s in no way definitive based as it is not on observation of actual language use but rather on mother-tongue census r eports. Clearly, sociolinguis tic survey is called for. Survey might s how that some of the dialects traditionally grouped with Marathi were better grouped with Gujerati or with Chattis garhi Hindi (or some other dialect of Eastern or of Wes 'tern Hindi). Many of the . names of dialects are not strictly language names. They are caste names or place names. Nevertheless, they may indeed indicate linguistic differences ' from the so-call d standard. Many of the s e dialect are spoken by people falling into this third general type of sociolinguistic situation. It cannot be said conclusively prior to sociolinguistic survey of specific dialect speak ing areas that speakers of, say, the MARIIETI dialect can use the existing Marathi translations there be ing no need for translation into the MARRETI dialect. (There are mother-tongue speakers of English who cannot read with understanding the translation known as the New English Bible who nevertheless can read the Living Bible paraphras. This is not to judge between these two translations. It is to say that different dialects often require different translations of the Bible. ) 4. Mainline (or prestige) sociolin~uistic , area. 'Mainline' here will rafer • 'EELE.a,., · EE'h. E ••• E'=~2." L E • to an area in which the dominant local speech is perceived as th 'standard' (for example, the KONKZ\N STANDARD dialect of Marathi or the STANDARD KONKANI (Goanese) dialect of Marathi). By 'standard' we mean, sociolinguistic ally speaking, 'prestige', that is, the dialect which serves as a model for others to imitate (usually, in the first place, by lexical borrowing, but also by imitation of the 'received pronunciation' at least in borrowed words) . The Brahman dialect \Cl,f M..aithilispoken in and around Darbhanga in Bihar is often considered the prestige dialect of Mafthiliboth by those who speak it and by I , -7- those who don't. While many speakers of the 'standard' m~ be 'peasant' far mers, many speakers will not be farmers at all. They will ~ownspeople and city people who, while maintaining some semblance of rural residence (the homestead), are fairly occupied with non-agricultural pursuits. These people have made the transition from traditional peasant-village organization and economy to the modern, industrialized or partly industrialized, socially and economically more mobile society of town and city. It does not follow that these mainline or prestige dialects will be the standard dialects of the official languages of India such as Hindi, Marathi, Gujeratil Tamil, Telugu , etc. They may be. On the other hand they may be the standard dialects of non-official languages such as Konkani, Goanese, Bhojpuri, Kumaoni, Awadhi, Bundeli, Bagheli, Maithili, Chattisgarhi, Tulu, etc. M ny 'f not all of these may require separate translation programs and fullscale sociolinguistic surveys would help us lay a sound basis for launching such programs. • • Assess,ing the . task . surveys. ,£~r . each o.f the; four, . .gery,e~a.~, .txpes . .;;.?_f languag,e,. .;;.or...... ,so,c.io.lingl:i,stic ar,ea,s.. Assessing the task surveys should, ideally, be simpler to conduct in tribal areas than in non-tribal areas. Specifically, for modified tribal areas surveys should be relatively simple to conduct. =EL Such areas are typically homogenous socially and distinct linguistic group- ings normally follow along social boundary lines. For example, Hill Marias do not have 'normal' social relations through marriage , communal agriculture, • or shared Ghotul functions with Ghotul Murias. Any desired social relations between these quite closely related linguistic groups beyond casual market contacts or contacts via contract forest labor must be made by special ar rangement-- by something akin to 'covenant making' in Old Testament cultures of the Ancient Near East. So, for example, close friendship with a youth of the same sex from the other tribal group must be ratified by bond-friendship ceremonies and exchange of gifts. Marriage between youths of the two tribes occurs, but it is only one-way: a Ghotul Muria may capture a Hill Maria girl at one of the festiyals , take her away to his village and make her his bride. But Hill Maria young men probably do not reciprocate. In other words, the social distinctions between the two tribes are very clearly marked. Along wi th these, there is an aknowledged linguistic difference as word lists ·taken from villages in· each tribal area readily show. Given such clear and distinctive tribal identities (as indicated here and above) the decision to launch two rather than one translation/literacy program is correct. . Survey is still required, even in such clear-cut cases,· because it is important to allocate a translation/literacy missionary team in a prestige village in . the area (all things being equal). For example, a village which has a week- ly market, as opposed to one which does not. In cases where a team is allocated for purely logistic 'reasons it may turn out that, after gaining familiarity with the wider area, a move of location will be called for. Beginning teams need to be prepared to move if circumstances (based on more and better know- ledge) require. . • The situation with assessing the task surveys in transitional tribal areas is ! =22 '&21& LEhL" more complicated. Because of tribal migrations , the effective break-up and dispersion of the tribe over a wide area (as in the case of the Santals, Mundas, Oraons, Tamangs, Newars, etc. ) Careful sociolinguistic surveys (surveys which concentrate on determining language use and language attitudes) along with word list, etc. surveys need to be conducted in order to ascertain 1) which dialec or dialects should be allocated in first, nd 2) which places, if allo- - 8- cated in, will a llow for widest coverage with one tra nslation/liter acy program. Such surveys would also need to a sc ertain what dialect areas in the wider sociolinguistic area could be r eached best by adapting a trans lation done ,for another dialect or dialects. (This l atter is related to the question asked in 2) imm ediatel y above.) , Assessing the task surveys in transitional 'peasant' or caste societies may be even more compl ex. In 'particular; seinie diaiect groups'in this cate gory may have no incenti ve to use materials prepared in their mother tongues. Tradition dictates that literature is meant for the prestige or official lang uage or dialect of the area with the mother-tongue being the reserve of strict ly oral tradition. In some cases , where bilingualism l evel correlates with such attitudes toward language it would be be st to see that translation i s carried out for the prestige l anguage and distribution programs carried out for both the prestige and no -prestige dialect groups . In still othe r cases, careful sociolinguistic testing as to language use both by questionnaire • and observation will reveal that in spite of persistent attitudes t o the contrary a translation program in the non-prestige case should be undertaken. This is to say then that language attitudes as such cannot be taken as the most weighted factors in deciding whether to launch a translation/literacy program or not. Language attitude factors have to be taken in combinatio n with language use factors (as attested not only by questionnaire but by non-participatory observattion). It is perhaps with non-tribal groups that the question of bilingualism e nters crucially into the assessment of translation need. Bilingualism does not count as crucially in assessing translation need in tribal areas because normally • • the tribal group in question is bilingual in a trade language spoken by ma ny non-tribals as a first language and in such cases the rate of. bilingualism . = • . E =. ' •• • is typically lower than in caste areas where one dialect group is bilingual in the prestige language or dialect of the area. That is, massive social interpenetration characterizes the latter but not the former type of bilingualism. (Here it must be acknowledged that this distinction does not hold for those groups in transitional tribal cultures who are at the extreme end of this type of situation where it merges with transitional tpeasantl or caste cul tures. ) Caste culture is, after all, marked by almost complete interdepe n- dence between castes. Tribal culture is marked by relative independence from other socioeconomic groupings. Bilingualism across tribe-caste boundaries, • therefore, is likely to be far less than across caste-caste boundaries. Howeverf in either case it must not be assumed that bilingualism automatically E. a • • • • ,. • ". - cancels the need for separate translation in the mother tongue. Bilingualism is not a situation in which an individual or group of pe6ple' know two l a nguages or dialect~s~~ually well. ,I."!:: m.ay b.e ,sta.t,e~l. ,a,s ~ gen.e.r,al .:',ule ,.t.hat n,o 9.r.oup'i,ng, D.f J?e,o.p.,l.e " ... '"two• la.n,2.u.<;l.9.e.~ fOF th.~, S,a!11.e s,e.t ,?f P~FJ?0.s,e,s" , ~n t)1.e, s.a~,e: s.e,t o,f environments~ That is to say, normally, even in transitional 'peasant' or . , ..... c •• . e. caste societiesJusually perceived as bilingual or even trilingua~ the second language is not used in the local in-group or home environments. And whereas the second language has use in more or less restricted non-local, non-domestic environments where it seems to have exclusive rights, it is the first language or mother-tongue which is used at home to talk about these very situations in which the second language is used and it is the first language which is char acteristically used ,to elaborate, sometimes profusely, these second language dominated situations and experiences. • Since the Bible is to guide all of one's life, once one becomes a Christian, 2 E • it follows that that language ShDUld be used in translation which is most widely used. In almost all cases, that language will be the mother tongue. - -9- • In situations not characterized by language shift (where the second language is spoken by the younger generation as if it were a mother-tongue) , that is, in those situations characterized by s ble bilingualism (the younger genera tion follows the lead of the older generation in maintaining the mother-tongue alongside of the second language) Bible translation is called for in the mother tongue even in non-tribal areas. Assessing the task surveys in mainline or prestige dialect are~s is relatively simple (as in modified tribal areas) :" if' no translation exists then one should be provided. The survey will, in such cases, need to determine that this rather than that is the prestige dialect (or at least one of the prestige dialects) in the area. Hence, here too the survey team will need to rely heavily on socio linguistic survey tests. Locating the prestige dialect (or dialects) of Bhoj puri and launching translation/literacy programs in it is clearly called for • • Conclusion. The task is indeed great. Assessing the task is but a part of • our stewardship. Sometimes the task is so obvious that one need not labor to assess it in the sense intended here. But in neither case is it possible to begin a labor for Christ in our own strength or wisdom or strategy. Surveys are to be entered into as opportunities to ·t ·rust our Lord to sovereignly and marvelously unfold his ways and his plans • • Then ~esa id to his disciples, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Beseech therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth laborers into his. harvest" (Matthew 9 : 37-8) • Endnotes 1. See, for ~xampler John T. Bendor-Samuel, "Is a sociolinguistic profile • necessary?", pp. 330ff. 2. 'assessing' rather than 'measuring , because the latter is best restricted to mathematical or quantifiable measurement. Assessing language use and language attitudes is not an exercise in qu ntification. (My use of 'instrument' in th same sentence can be faulted because it extrapolates from the jargon of the hard sciences a category which can only apply metaphorically to the procedures of language surveys. , 3. "The use of Scripture portions in language surveys," paper presented at the Sociolinguistic Survey Conference held at Stanford University, November 27-28, 1981 ~. 4. As an example of a survey which was conducted considerably after initial allocation see the excellent study by Warren Glover and John Landon on "Gurung • Dialects," Papers in South-East Asian Linguistics No.7. 5 . See Frederick S. Downs , "Christianity as a tribal response to change in north east India," Missiology, Vol. VIII, No.4, October, 1980.407-416. 6. For further comments on bilingualism see pages 8 and 9 of this paper. For a brief survey of bilingualism in South Asia see Shapiro and Schiffman, Language and Society in South Asia, pp. 177-93. 7. Taken frc;m Voegelin and Voegelin, Languages of t he World: Indo-European Pascicle one, 1965. -10- References . (Not included here are those references found in "Sociolinguistic 1' 0 ••• 0=. Survey Methods: an annotated bibl'ography,"Lynn Frank, SIL? There is a copy of • this attached to this paper.) • , Bendor-Samuel, David. "Assessment of translation needs and programs." March 1982 (unpublished paper) • Bendor-Samuel, John. "A sociolinguistic profile for translation planning ." May 1980 (unpublished paper). Bendor-Samuel, John. "Is a sociolinguistic profile necessary?" Linguistic Studies offered to Berthe Siertsema, edited by D,J. van Alkemade , A. Feitsma, W.J. Meys, P. ' van Reenen, J.J. Spa. (undated reprint). Pp. 323- 34 . Broek, J n O. M. and John W. Webb. Geography of Mankind. New Yo k: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1978. , Bugenhagen, Robert. A Guide for Conducting Sociolinguistic Surveys in Papua New Guinea. Ukarumpa (PNG): SIL, 1981. Downs, Frederick S. "Christianity as a tribal response to change in northeast India." Missiology: an international review, Vol. VIII, No.4, October 1980.407-416. Dye, T. Wayne. "Three types of cultural systems." July 1982. (Paper presented to the Scripture-in-use seminar at SIL, Dallas (USA) in July 1982.) , Early, Robert J. "W estern Province (Central Islands) language use and intelli gibility survey .. " SIL, 1981 (Solomon Islands, Pacific Area survey report). Glover , Warren W. and John K. Landon. "Gurung dialects. " R.L. Trail, et al , E • Papers in South-East Asian Linguistics No.7. Pacific Linguistics, Series A No. 53. Pp. 29-77. Grimes, Barbara. "Comprehension and language attitudes : conditions and roles in Bible translation need." Undated.• (Paper presumably presented at the Sociolinguistic Survey Conference held at Stanford University (US~), November 27-28, 1981. Grimes, Barbara, ed. Ethnologue. Huntington Beach (USA): WBT, 1978 (ninth , edition) • Loving, Richard and Gary Simons, eds. Language Variation and Survey Techniques. Workpapers in Papua New Guinea Languages Volume 21. Ukarumpa (PNG ): SIL, 1977. Nigam, R.C. Language Handbook on mother, tongue in censuS. (=Census of India, 1971, Census centenary monograph no. 10) New Delhi: Office of the Registrar General, Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, 1972. , Pandit, P.B. "The 1.P.nguage and Dialects." Undated (An article on Gujarati Language & Literature published in the Souvenir of the 66th Session of the Indian National Congress). Pattanayak) D.P., ed. Papers in Indian Sociolinguistics. Mysore: Central Insti tute of Indian Languages, 1977. Rao, G. Sambasiva, ed. Literacy Methodology. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, 1979. Roy, S.C. Oraon Religion and Customs. Calcutta: Editions Indian, 1972 (1928). -11- Shapiro, Michael C. and Harold F. Schiffman. Language and Society in South Asia. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1981. Voegelin, C.P. and F.M. Voegelin. Languages of the World: Indo-European fascicle one. A publication of the Archives of the Languages of the World, Anthopo logy Department, Indiana University (USA). Anthropological, ,Linguistic,s Volume 7, No.8, November 1965. Walker, Roland W. "A sociolinguistic survey guide for E. Indonesia for use in planning vernacular literacy programs." Spring 1982 (a paper presented for partial fulfilment of course requirement at University of California at Los Angeles (USA». • • Walker, Roland. "M easuring language attitudes and language use." September 1981 (paper presented at the Sociolinguistic Survey Conference held at Stanford University (USA), November 27-28, 1981). Wendel, Dag. "Kagan-Kalagan Sociolinguistic Survey." October 1981 (unpublished report, Philippine Branch of SIL) • Addenda 2 7 Sreedhar, M.V. Naga Pidgin: a sociolinguistic study of interlingual communication pattern 1.n• Nagaland. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, 1974 • Daswani; C.J. and S. Parchani. Sociolingui~tic survey of Indian Sindhi. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, 1978. Rao, G. Sambasiva, ed. Problems of Women's Literacy. Mysore: Central Institute • of Indian Languages, 1979. De Silva, M,W • . Sugathapala. Diglossia and Literacy. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, 1976. Indian Literacy Atlas. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, 1978. • Language Use in Himachal Pradesh. Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, 1980. C sad , Eugene H. Dialect Intelligibility Testing. No:r:rnan (USA): SIL, 1974. Grigson, W.V. The Maria Gonds of Bastar. Bombay: Oxford University Press, 1949 (second edition). George, Jacob. "Strategy plan for expansion of Tribal Literacy Projects in India." October 1980 (un ublished paper) • Paul, Alaichamy. "A survey of Indian Languages with reference to Bible translation." July 1979. (unpublished paper presented at Bible translators conference, Bangalore on July 27, 1979.) Locke, Trevor and Rona. Tribals for Christ. Mysore: Outreach Publications, 1978 • • Mr. Kent Gordon 19 November, 1982. L,mler Instftute of lfngufstfcs Box 2270 Manfla, Phflfpfnes 2801. Dear Mr. Gordon, you for copf es of cor spondence Wi th Patrfck Johnstone, Trevor locke, and your paper on It As essi n9 th Task Surveys 1 n As f a (I" fa). It Earlfer you had asked about Bible trans tion for the Oraon (Kurux). last .1 was I n North SI har aM made t t • pol n to inquire. 1 was told that only the New Testament is avai lable and it is an old transl tion, in difficult language and hard to understand. My informant was Barn s Hlnz who, I believe, is well known to you and SIL. to know nothing of progress on a transl fon. Sorry not to have better news ••••• Again, let me express thanks for the terfals r people send. Our data facilfties, th ugh lfmfted, are avail I for use by S I l at any tfme. And w do ontl nue to need staff. P1 pray. Cordially yours in Christ, Roger E. Hedlund. CCI Patrick Johnstone R. Raja RHI I Hr. Kent Gordon . 20 Ju I y, 1983. Summer Instftute of Lfngufstfcs Asfa Office, 2270 Phflippfnes 2801. Dear Kent', _ Greetfngs fn Jesus' Name from rase Your letter of Octo er 19 , 1982, posted 'rom North rfca, has just arrfvedl You must h~ wondered why I had not responded. SCdehow, the lett r h :: by surface. Otd you receive my letter of 1 t Nov~.ber t In my letter dated 19 Nov ~ mber, 1982, 1 had reported briefly on vi st t to rth 8t har. There I was f n' that on ly the Testament is vatl le for the Oraon (Kurux), and that it fs in an old tr nslatfon and difficult to underst • Hy fnfo was rnabus Hfnz, who, I elfeva, is n to you and SIL. Ba us dfd not to know about ythfng on the progress of a. w translation. Unfortun ly, I have no fnformation about t he Haler or the Ito 1 ngua group. e.G.R.C. conttnues to h ve personnel needs, but I thtnk I need to correct the wrong f ressfon gfven due to t raphtc 1 error fn the letter to Von Grover. It fs not 'fnane support th we are looking for f the fndtgenous ssfon sources in ·Indta- so as ft t s per onnel. sti 11 are fn se rch of an Indf n Df tor for our Instftute. Thfs is: urgent fn that we go on fur lough next year. We e 1 so cou ld use tral ned person to supervise and train other. In research. Our present research coordfnator h had no 1 training, a trained - researcher, who could t fn others would fndeed be an t. - Th k ou for t fur I nformat on the SI of the Centra Institute of Indian at Han ••agangotrt, Hysore- 570 006. I wfll follow your suggestfon to wrfte to thts, but not on office letter-headl Again, thanks. If au see Tom Hedland, kfndly give htm we regards. God's est to you. Cordfally yours tn Christ, • Roger E. lund. eCI Mr. R. Raja (eG C RHI Tom Jarnes Rob KatlLY Joy Edie Wayne Jam y Sally April 1983 Greetings from Papua New Guinea! 1982 was a momentous year for us; thrilling at times, devastating at times, sometimes perplexing and very fatiguing. Our year included Wayne teaching four co urses at Biola and Fuller, the two of us writing 14 articles and papers for classes, Sall y completing her thesis and M.A. degree, Wayne finishing a Ph. D. degree, and Wayne leading seminars in Texas and Latin America. Major obstructions were Sally's surgery and treatment for cancer and having to move twice. We also squeezed in our 25th wedding anniversat,)" Joy's wedding. some camping weekends, 25,000 miles of driving, and all too few visits with our parents, new grandson, our children, relatives and friends. We regret what got squeezed out of our schedule was writing to you who have done so much to encourage us with your letters, your surprise packages, your prayers and your financial SUppOlt Please forgive us. We are so grateful for your love to us. Looking back over the year, we see God's hand in it all. He is blessing our fami ly and we praise Him. Most amazing was to watch Him supply the extra finances for three fam ily members in college through Wayne's work, scholarships, and special gifts. We wOD'ied more than we shou ld have, for our needs were not always met as soon as we desired, but God saw to it that all were supplied. We trust Him for strength for our next year as we hold workshops here in Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Indonesia and Africa. Turn the page for more details. EDIE AND ROB BAKKER saw their son Gabriel Scott, born last Christmas, grow to be a live wire. In fact, he was too much alive until they discovered that most fruits, food coloring and flavorings are very strong stimulants to hirn. On a strict diet he is a much happier boy. Edie's health is now much improved. A doctor in Holland discovered that her cells that are responsible for digesting milk and sugar were destroyed. probably by intestinal parasites in New Guinea. The Bakkers need continued prayer as they make the necessary adjustments to maintain full health with these dietary restrictions. Rob and Edie are in the final stage of entering Wycliffe as support workers, to be assigned to maintain one of our small centers. First, however, they must find people who will back them in prayer and support them financially. Then Rob can give up his job to spend a work/training year at a Wycliffe center in the U.S. It has been exciting to see them joining in the work WiJI you help us pray in a ll that they need to serve God? For a few months at least, you can reach them at: 5366A Howard Street, Ontario, CA 91761, phone (714) 628-0644. Let them know if you would like their newsletter. JOY and JAMES D We gave Joy in marriage to James Dunlap in September. James has his degree from Biola and is working as a computer programmer this year paying off school loans and buying a car. Joy has a year to go at Biola, but has taken this year off to regain her health. Infections from PNG also damaged Joy's cells involved in digestion, especially the secretion of acid. This has led to several vitamin deficiencies and prolonged dehabilitation. PRAY that the specific damage can be accessed and compensated for. • Both Joy and James show strong aptitude for linguistics and sense God's leading into Wycliffe. James has already had two summers at Norman, Oklahoma, and Joy has had one. James would like to get a master's degree at our Dallas Center before they proceed to the Pacific area. You can reach them at: 3585 Ottawa Avenue, Riverside, CA 92507, phone (714) 788-6278. TOM AND JAMEY walked the 1600-mile California portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, taking four-and-a-half months. The P.C.T. follows the main mountain chain along the west coast from Mexico to Canada, including the Sierras and several national parks. They planned their supply line through friends and parcel post, carrying 75 to 100 lb. packs. • Now they are both back in school sharing an apartment Tom is in Pasadena City College, aiming at a in computers. He works at United Parcel Service part-time. Tom is now engaged to Kathy Monus, the lovely daughter of Vic and Anita Monus, Wycliffe translators for the Slavey Indians of Canada Kathy is studying physical therapy. They are planning a summer wedding in 1984. Jamey decided to stay in the U.S. this year. He is a senior at Pasadena High School and plans to go on to study engineering. The boy have had some good weekends mountain climbing and surfing with two special uncles who Jjve in the area. They also have good fri ends in their church and youth group. Tom and Jamey live at: 169 No. Holliston. #18, Pasadena, CA 91106, phone (213) 578-0700. They say, "Come any time and bring food!" Actually, they cook very well. SAIJ,Y completed her thesis by mid-June, but continued course work in counseling through December. Her master's degree is in Missiology, with a concentration in Marriage and Family • Counseling, fulfilling all of the course requirements for licensure in California Her thesis, entitled Strmgth for the Task: Studies on Ma'YUl,(Jing Stress and Illness Among Missionaries, is available from here in PNG for $8.00, including mailing. Sally is feeling great Her physical • exam showed no sign of further cancer, though we both feel somehow more vulnerable. These past three years in the U.S. have seemed like five years of living and left us feeling at least eight years older! I finished the Doctor of Philosophy in Inter-Cultural Studies, and taught three courses in anthropology and missions at Biola and one at Fuller Seminary. My two visits to Wycliffe's International headquarters in Dallas were very rewarding, as I saw that my dissertation (for which many of you prayed so long) has born fruit in important policy changes. The greatest thrilL though, was my six-week trip to Colombia, South America Translators there work under immense pressures, and the Indians are generally resistant to the Gospel. Yet many of the ideas I had developed elsewhere proved to be what they also needed for greater spiritual impact This was the first trial run of our new international ministry of teaching and encouraging translators, and it is wonderful that our studies are already proving fruitfu l. We need your prayer now, more than ever before. • Please PRAY for God's wisdom and strength for next year's activities (see back page). Without His power we cannot be effective. PRAISE God for continual healing for Sally and our daughters. PRAY also for the funds for a portable microcomputer so we can keep up with reports, necessary articles, and correspondence, since we have no secretary. We regret that we have failed to reply to so many of you this past year. Now we want to make a fresh start. This letter is going to our revised mailing list, so if you know someone who wanted to receive our letter but did not receive this one, have them write to the Wycliffe Prayer Letter Service at our Huntington Beach address (also address changes). If you want prayer requests more often than this annual letter, let us know. We look forward to your continued help and encouragement Thank you so much for all you have done for us. Weare trusting God will reward you as He has promised for your investment in what He is doing. We can never thank you enough. In Christ, Wayne and Sally Dye • , HERE IS NEXT YEAR'S SCHEDULE Feb. 1 28 ...... We just finished an Applied Anthropology Workshop for new translators and consultant training sessions in PNG. Mar. 1 Apr. 5 ... Back with th translating. Setting up will be a challenge. We must go and come by helicopter, because all the tributaries are blocked by the introduc d water-hyacin th. Our water tank must be replaced and possibly our ftidge. Use Ukarumpa address. Apr. 6-May 17 ... Return to Ukarumpa to teach Biblical culture to national translators. May 21 Sept. 18 . Aftel' a few days with friends in Port Moresby, we travel through the PHILIPPINES, advising translators, training Scripture-Use consultants and holding semin ars. See addr ss below. Aug. 13 22...... Wayne is being sent to QUEBE to present a paper on missionary strategies for development at an international congress of anthropologists. Sept. 18 Oct. 10 . We go to INDONESIA to hold a workshop. Oct. 11 Jan. 5± .. Back to Bahin mo, translating Old T tam nt p rtion . Jan. 6± Feb. 18± Training consultants at Ukarumpa and workshop, training beginning translators. Feb. 19± May ... To AFRICA, holding workshops in seven countTies for our Wycliffe teams, and training consultants. June and July .... See our children and go to Canada for Tom and Kathy's wedding. August ...... Conference on Sepik cultures in SWITZERLAND. September ...... We hope to be back in PAPUA NEW GUINEA Our Papua New Guinea Address: Qu!' Philippines Address: Headquarters Address: c/o S.I. L, Box 28 c/o Summer fn stitute of Linguistics c/o Wycliffe Bibl TranslaLot'S, Inc. Ukat'Umpa via La Box 2270, Manila Huntington Beach, CA 92647 Papua New Guinea Philippin S 2801 Use for g ifts or other Use F b.- April 1983 and Use May through August 1983 financial matteI's. Seplember-J anuary '84.