Language Endangerment (ANT 320L [31620]/LIN 373 [39785])

Monday/Wednesday/Friday 2-3 pm, WCP 4.118

Instructor: James Slotta Office: WCP 5.134 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesdays 1-3 pm or by appointment

Course Description

The 21st century, linguists say, could see the “death or doom” of 90 percent of the world’s languages. In response, non-governmental organizations, academics, and communities have responded with campaigns to preserve and revitalize “dying” languages. At the same time, sociolinguists and political theorists have tried to create the groundwork for the recognition of “language rights” as a tool for defending small-scale and minority language communities against the spread of national and global languages. In this course, we examine such efforts in order to ask: why does the idea of language death inspire all of this work and attention? What is “a language” – what properties are seen to inhere in language – that drives these activities? Here we will explore views of language that underpin the anxieties and efforts of the language rights and revitalization movements: from the place of language in the 19th and 20th century politics of national autonomy to the role of language as a repository of worldviews and an emblem of our shared humanity. In the process, we see how “language” and distinct “languages” are situated at the center of imaginations of community and moral anxieties over autonomy, with all of the political and ethical implications that result for people who are recognized as having their own language as well as those who recognize the “languagedness” of others.

Course Schedule (Subject to Change)

1. Language Diversity

Jan 22 Introduction: How Many Languages?

Jan 24 What is Language Diversity? ○ Nicholas Evans. A Great Feast of Languages & A Galapagos of Tongues. In D ying Words, p p. 45-68

Jan 27 Group Work: First Presentation ○ Group A (Guugu Yimithirr) − Stephen Levinson. Language and Cognition: The Cognitive Consequences of Spatial Description in Guugu Yimithirr. J ournal of Linguistic Anthropology 7 (1): 98–131. − John Haviland. Anchoring, Iconicity, and Orientation in Guugu Yimithirr Pointing Gestures. J ournal of Linguistic Anthropology 3 (1): 3–45. ○ Group B (Pirahã) − Daniel Everett. Changing Channels with Pirahã Sounds. In D on’t Sleep, There are Snakes, pp. 177-191. − Daniel Everett, Daniel Leonard. Phonetic Rarities in Pirahã. J ournal of the International Phonetic Association 12 (2): 94–96. − Peter Ladefoged and Daniel Everett. The Status of Phonetic Rarities. L anguage 72 (4): 794–800. − http://archive.phonetics.ucla.edu/Language/MYP/myp.html

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○ Group C (Tuyuca) − Janet Barnes. Evidentials in the Tuyuca Verb. I nternational Journal of American Linguistics 50 (3): 255–71. ○ Group D (Inuit languages) − Shanley Allen. Polysynthesis in the Acquisition of Inuit Languages. In T he Oxford Handbook of Polysynthesis, pp. 449-472. ○ Group E (Kalam) − Andrew Pawley. A Language Which Defies Description by Ordinary Means. In T he Role of Theory in Language Description, pp. 87-129. ○ Preparation for presentations

Jan 29 The Range of Linguistic Diversity ○ Presentations on different languages

Jan 31 The Range of Linguistic Diversity ○ Presentations on different languages

Feb 3 The Range of Linguistic Diversity & Its Value to Linguists ○ Colapinto, John. 2007. The Interpreter: Has a remote Amazonian tribe upended our understanding of language? T he New Yorker. Apr. 16. ○ RMW Dixon. Today’s Priorities. In T he Rise & Fall of Languages, pp. 116-127 ○ Quiz (Presentation-based): Language Diversity and Its Value to Linguists

Feb 5 Project Time: Pick a Language ○ Come to class with 2 possible languages for your group project

2. Language, Culture, Thought

Feb 7 Language, Thought, and Culture ○ Franz Boas. Introduction to the H andbook of American Indian Languages (Grammatical Categories, Discussion of Grammatical Categories, Interpretation of Grammatical Categories, pp. 20-23, 31-39) ○ Benjamin Lee Whorf. L anguage, Thought, and Reality. (Language, Mind, and Reality, pp. 246-270).

Feb 10 Is Language Loss, Culture Lost? ○ Kwachka & Basham. Literacy acts and cultural artifacts: on the extension of English modals. (Pp. 413-429) ○ Anthony Woodbury. Documenting rhetorical, aesthetic, and expressive loss in language shift. In E ndangered Languages, (pp. 234-238) ○ Anthony Woodbury. A Defense of the Proposition, ‘When a Language Dies, a Culture Dies.’ (pp. 8-16)

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Feb 12 Project Time: Second Presentation ○ Quiz: Language, Culture, and Thought

Feb 14 Language Loss is Culture Preserved? ○ Don Kulick. A Death in the Rainforest ( Forward, Chapters 1-6)

Feb 17 Language Loss is Culture Preserved? ○ Don Kulick. A Death in the Rainforest (Chapters 7-13)

Feb 19 Language Loss is Culture Preserved? ○ Don Kulick. A Death in the Rainforest. ( Chapter 14-17, Postscript) ○ Debate Prep

Feb 21 Debate: Language Loss is Culture Lost ○ Debate

3. Language, Self-Determination, and Nationalism

Feb 24 Kultur, Language, and the Politics of Self-Determination ○ Norbert Elias. Sociogenesis of the difference between K ultur and Z ivilisation in German Usage. In T he Civilizing Process, pp. 3-28 ○ Benedict Anderson. Old Languages, New Models. In I magined Communities.

Feb 26 Language & the National Self ○ Richard Handler. N ationalism & the Politics of Culture in Quebec (Chapter 2 and Chapter 7, pp. 159-75 o nly)

Feb 28 Project Time: Second Presentation ○ Quiz: Language, Self-Determination, and Nationalism ○ Presentation Prep

Mar 2 Second Group Presentations

Mar 4 Second Group Presentations

Mar 6 Decolonization and the Difficulties with National Languages

○ Abram De Swaan. W ords of the World (pp. 6-17) ○ Joshua Fishman. The Impact of Nationalism on Language Planning. In Ca n Language Be Planned? ○ Midterm Prompts

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Mar 9 Language, Identity, and the Politics of Indigeneity ○ Sam L. No'eau Warner. Kuleana: The Right, Responsibility, and Authority of Indigenous Peoples to Speak and Make Decisions for Themselves in Language and Cultural Revitalization (Pp. 68-93) ○ Jane Hill. “Today there is no respect”: Nostalgia, “Respect” and Oppositional Discourse in Mexicano (Nahuatl) Language Ideology. In L anguage Ideologies. ○ Film

Mar 11 Language, Identity, and the Politics of Indigeneity ○ Discussion of Film and Readings

Mar 13 Midterms Due

4. Language, Globalization, and Neoliberalism

Mar 23 Global Languages & the Neoliberal Logic of Communication ○ Abram De Swaam. The political economy of language constellations & Conclusion. In W ords of the World, Introduction (pp. 25-40) and Conclusion (pp. 176-193)

Mar 25 Neoliberal Globalization & the International Market of Languages ○ Film

Mar 27 Neoliberal Globalization & the International Market of Languages ○ Heller: Globalization, the new economy, and the commodification of language and identity. ○ Quiz: Language, Globalization, and Neoliberalism

Mar 30 The Ethics of Language Endangerment ○ Peter Ladefoged. Another View of Endangered Languages. (pp 809-811) ○ Nancy Dorian. Discussion note: A response to Ladefoged’s other view of endangered languages. (pp. 575-9) ○ Debate Prep & Group Work

Apr 1 Debate: Let Languages Die ○ Debate

Apr 3 Project Time: Third Presentation ○ Work on Presentations

Apr 6 Third Group Presentations

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Apr 8 Third Group Presentations

5. Language Rights, Revitalization, and Authenticity

Apr 10 Linguistic Human Rights ○ Robert Phillipson, Mart Rannut, Tove Skutnabb-Kangas. L inguistic Human Rights. (“Introduction” pp. 1-22) ○ Quiz (Presentation-based): Comparison of Social and Political Situation of Languages

Apr 13 The Limits of Language Rights ○ Kymlicka & Patton Language rights and political theory. (pp. 9-17) ○ Joshua Fishmann. On the Limits of Ethnolinguistic Democracy. In L inguistic Human Rights: Overcoming Linguistic Discrimination, pp. 49-53 ○ Philippe van Parijs. L inguistic Justice for Europe and the World. ( Linguistic Justice as Parity of Esteem, pp. 117-132)

Apr 15 The Language of Language Rights ○ Jan Blommaert. The Asmara Declaration as a Sociolinguistic Problem: Reflections on Scholarship and Linguistic Rights (Pp. 131-142) ○ Skutnabb-Kangas & Phillipson with Kontra. Reflections on scholarship and linguistic rights: A rejoinder to Jan Blommaert. (Pp.143-155).

Apr 17 Project Time: Briefing Paper ○ Quiz: Language Rights & Their Limits

Apr 20 Possessive Individualism & Language Rights: Are Language Rights Cultural Wrongs?

○ Peter Whiteley. Do "Language Rights" Serve Indigenous Interests? Some Hopi and Other Queries. (Pp. 712-722) ○ M. Eleanor Nevins. “Learning to Listen: Confronting Two Meanings of Language Loss in the Contemporary White Mountain Apache Speech Community.” (Pp. 269–88)

Apr 22 Revitalization: Preservation and/or Transformation? ○ Hinton & Ahlers. The Issue of "Authenticity" in California Language Restoration. (Pp 56-67) ○ Peterson & Webster. Speech play and language ideologies in Navajo terminology development (pp. 93-116)

Apr 24 Group Briefing Paper Due ○ Quiz: Language Revitalization and Authenticity

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6. Language Vitality

Apr 27 Language Vitality ○ John McWhorter, O ur Magnificent Bastard Tongue (Introduction, Chpts. 1-2)

Apr 29 Language Vitality ○ John McWhorter, O ur Magnificent Bastard Tongue (Chpts. 3-4)

May 1 Why Save Endangered Languages? ○ John McWhorter, O ur Magnificent Bastard Tongue (Chpt. 5) ○ Debate Prep

May 4 Debate: Language Preservation is Impossible ○ Debate

May 6 The Heroic Age of Linguistics ○ Bernard Perley. Zombie linguistics: Experts, endangered languages and the curse of undead voices. (Pp. 133-149) ○ Film: T he Linguists

May 8 The Interests in Language Endangerment ○ Discussion ○ Policy Proposals Due

Course requirements and general policies

Required Materials. There are two books you will need to purchase for the course, both available at the University Co-op:

Kulick, Don. 2019. A Death in the Rainforest: How a Language and a Way of Life Came to an End in Papua New Guinea. Ch apel Hill: Algonquin Books. McWhorter, John. 2008. O ur Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English. N ew York: Avery.

All the other readings are available electronically through Canvas at: https://utexas.instructure.com/

Preparation for Class. To assist your reading for each class session, questions for most readings will be posted on the Canvas website. You should use these questions to guide your reading; they point out the particular issues and data that you need ultimately to take away from the reading. I recommend that you do your best to answer these questions as you do the reading before class. You are welcome to work with classmates to develop your answers to these questions. Then, bring your answers along with the reading to the class, where the reading will be discussed further. Following class, you should be comfortable answering the questions on the reading. Again, I encourage you to speak with your classmates about the answers to these questions before and after class. If you are uncertain how to answer some of the questions, please raise your questions in class. I am not here to provide

7 answers to these questions, though I will facilitate discussion and ask questions that help you to answer the reading questions.

Student Evaluation. Your grade consists of a number of components:

Quizzes (best 6 out of 7) 25% Participation (includes: class discussion, group projects, 25% picking a language, presentations, research, writing, debates, and online “discussions”) First Group Presentation 5% Midterm Essay 15% Group Project 30% Group Presentations & Briefing Paper (15%) Policy Proposal (15%)

Quizzes. There will be 7 quizzes over the course of the semester and your lowest quiz grade will be dropped before calculating your final grade. Your 6 best quiz grades compose 25% of your final grade. The topic of each quiz is indicated on the syllabus and several of the quizzes will consist of reading questions provided ahead of time with your readings. Quizzes are closed book. You are allowed—encouraged, in fact—to discuss the reading questions and quiz topics ahead of time with classmates. There will also be time in class for groups to discuss reading questions and present answers to the class. A long with participation, the quizzes are the centerpiece of the course. They are your opportunity to integrate concepts and data from the readings and discussion, and demonstrate your own synthesis of them. And so, I’m looking not only for “the right answer” to the quiz questions, but a well-supported syntheses of course materials in your answers. Quizzes will be graded with a letter grade (no pluses or minuses):

responses that are clear, thorough, and particularly thoughtful, drawing insightful Excellent (A) connections to other readings or larger themes discussed in class

responses that offer an accurate answer to the question based on the reading and Good (B) discussion

responses that show some familiarity with the reading but do not thoroughly answer the Acceptable (C) question

Unacceptable (0) missed quizzes and responses that show no familiarity with the reading will receive a zero

Participation. T his course depends on your engagement and participation to succeed. Participation thus composes a large portion of your grade (25%). Your participation grade rests on your informed, engaged, and constructive participation in: 1) class discussion, 2) a semester-long group project, 3) three debates, 4) three group presentations, 5) presentations on reading questions, and 6) four online “discussions” of our readings. Participation will be graded with letter grades (A, A-, B+, etc.). To give you an idea of the grading, here is how grades will break down in broad terms:

regular, respectful, and thoughtful participation that is informed by the readings and class Excellent (A) discussions — for a grade in the A range, students will actively participate in at least 25 class meetings in one form or another

occasional and respectful participation that shows familiarity with the readings and class Good (B) discussion — for a grade in the B range, students will actively participate in at least 15 class meetings

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rare participation, disrespectful participation, or participation that does not indicate Acceptable (C) familiarity with the readings or class discussion — for a grade in the C range, students will actively participate in at least 5 class meetings

Unacceptable (0) no participation or more than six absences will receive a zero

First Group Presentation. As part of our discussion of language diversity, each group will give a 10 minute presentation on languages very different from English. You will be assigned a language and a reading with which to develop your presentation. Presentations will be during the second week of classes and will compose 5% of your grade.

Midterm Essay. There will be a 5-page midterm essay (double-spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman) based on a prompt I will provide a week before it is due. Essays will be evaluated according to the clarity of the writing, the strength of the reasoning, and the thoughtfulness with which course readings are incorporated. The midterm is worth 15% of your final grade.

Group Project. O ver the course of the semester you will develop an independent research project in groups on a language of your choosing. The language you choose must be an endangered or minority language that is sufficiently well documented for you to complete the project. You will research the grammar of the language, its history, and the social and political context in which it is used today. This project has several graded components:

● In the first half of the semester, each group will give a 10 minute presentation introducing the class to your language and some of its interesting linguistic features. ● In the second half of the semester, each group will give a 10 minute presentation on the history and current social context of the language. ● Toward the end of the semester, as a group you will submit an 8-page “briefing paper” outlining the interesting linguistic features of the language you have researched as well as its history and current political situation. Together, your presentations and briefing paper constitute 15% of your grade. ● The briefing paper will provide background for individual “policy proposals” each student will turn in on the last day of class. In 5-6 pages (double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman), these proposals will make a policy recommendation for the language you have researched. What is a major ethical, political, economic, social, or cultural issue that arises when you consider the future of this language? Develop an argument about the best way to deal with that issue and discuss the outcomes you expect if your proposal is adopted and if it is not. These proposals should engage with course readings in addition to research materials you have collected over the course of the semester.

Grade Ranges. G rade ranges are as follows. Decimal values will not be rounded up when calculating final grades. A 93-100 (95) B- 80-82 (81) D+ 67-69 (68) A- 90-92 (91) C+ 77-79 (78) D 63-66 (65) B+ 87-89 (88) C 73-76 (75) D- 60-62 (61) B 83-86 (85) C- 70-72 (71) F Less than 60 (50)

Excused Absences & Make-ups. T he only absences that will be considered excused are for religious holidays and for extenuating circumstances due to an emergency (with a note from a doctor, nurse, or university official documenting the emergency). If you plan to miss class due to observance of a religious holiday, you must notify the instructor at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of the religious holiday. Y ou will be given an opportunity to complete missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. Otherwise, t here will be no make-up quizzes or other activities without a note from a doctor, nurse, or university official excusing your absence.

Inside & Outside the Classroom. Readings for the day’s class should always be brought to class. I recommend that you print out readings available electronically on Canvas so that you are not dependent on electronic devices

9 to do class readings. Computers, phones, and other electronic devices are allowed in class so long as they are not disruptive to others. If these devices become disruptive, I will ask that they not be brought into class. As long as these devices are not disruptive to others, you are solely responsible for how you use these devices in class. If you miss a class, you should speak with your classmates to catch up on course announcements and notes. If you attend class and still have questions about class materials, please see me during office hours. I t is your responsibility to ensure that you are keeping up with all that is being done in class. Do not hesitate to ask questions in class or during office hours.

Academic Integrity. Each student in the course is expected to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code:

“As a student of The University of Texas at Austin, I shall abide by the core values of the University and uphold academic integrity.”

This means that work you produce on assignments, quizzes and exams is all your own work, unless it is assigned as group work. You are welcome to work with classmates to prepare for quizzes and exams, but you may not help each other in any way while taking quizzes and exams. All quizzes and exams are closed book. Copying answers from any source during a quiz is a serious offense and you will be subject to academic disciplinary action, including failure of the course. You are responsible for understanding UT’s Academic Honesty Policy which can be found at the following web address: h ttp://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php

Students with Disabilities. S tudents with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 512-471-6259, http://diversity.utexas.edu/disability/

● Please request a meeting as soon as possible for us to discuss any accommodations ● Please notify me as soon as possible if the material being presented in class is not accessible ● Please notify me if any of the physical space is difficult for you

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University Policies

Religious Holy Days. B y UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

Q Drop Policy. I f you want to drop a class after the 12th class day, you’ll need to execute a Q drop before the Q-drop deadline, which typically occurs near the middle of the semester. Under Texas law, you are only allowed six Q drops while you are in college at any public Texas institution. For more information, see: http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/csacc/academic/adddrop/qdrop

University Resources for Students. The university has numerous resources for students to provide assistance and support for your learning. Use these to help you succeed in your classes.

○ The Sanger Learning Center: F or more information, please visit h ttp://www.utexas.edu/ugs/slc or call 512-471-3614 (JES A332). ○ The University Writing Center offers free, individualized, expert help with writing for any UT student, by appointment or on a drop-in basis. h ttp://uwc.utexas.edu/ ○ The Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC) provides counseling, psychiatric, consultation, and prevention services that facilitate students' academic and life goals and enhance their personal growth and well-being. http://cmhc.utexas.edu/ ○ Student Emergency Services: h ttp://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/emergency/ ○ ITS: Need help with technology? http://www.utexas.edu/its/ ○ Libraries: N eed help searching for information? http://www.lib.utexas.edu/ ○ Canvas help is available 24/7 at https://utexas.instructure.com/courses/633028/pages/student-tutorials

Senate Bill 212 and Title IX Reporting Requirements. Under Senate Bill 212 (SB 212), the professor and TAs for this course are required to report for further investigation any information concerning incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking committed by or against a UT student or employee. Federal law and university policy also requires reporting incidents of sex- and gender-based discrimination and sexual misconduct (collectively known as Title IX incidents). This means we cannot keep confidential information about any such incidents that you share with us. If you need to talk with someone who can maintain confidentiality, please contact University Health Services (512-471-4955 or 512-475-6877) or the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center (512-471-3515 or 512-471-2255). We strongly urge you make use of these services for any needed support and that you report any Title IX incidents to the Title IX Office: https://titleix.utexas.edu/