Last Alaska language speaker dies

2008-01-24 07:58:29

#1

IG-Calibre: comhalta; +226|7176|Tír Eoghan, Tuaisceart Éireann

woman believed to be the last native speaker of the Eyak language in the north-western US state of Alaska has died at the age of 89.
Marie Smith Jones was a champion of indigenous rights and conservation. She died at her home in Anchorage.

She helped the University of Alaska compile an Eyak dictionary, so that future generations would have the chance to resurrect it.

Nearly 20 other native Alaskan languages are at risk of disappearing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7206411.stm

Slán agus beannacht leat, Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam..

2008-01-24 07:59:34

#2

kptk92: u; +972|6842|tc_london

Shame

2008-01-24 08:02:07

#3

CameronPoe: Member; +2,925|6989

Let's hope that won't be the case in Gaoth Dobhair in 30 years time. Go bhfheabhsaíonn teanga s'againn sul'atá sé ró-dhéanach!!

2008-01-24 08:03:17

#4

Marinejuana: local; +415|7019|Seattle

CameronPoe wrote:
Go bhfheabhsaíonn teanga s'againn sul'atá sé ró-dhéanach!!

2008-01-24 08:10:16

#5

Mekstizzle: WALKER; +3,611|7055|London, England

Marinejuana wrote:
CameronPoe wrote:
Go bhfheabhsaíonn teanga s'againn sul'atá sé ró-dhéanach!!

2008-01-24 08:18:54

#6

Moo? Si!: Tall, Dark, Antlered; +39|6563|817---->907

Better read:
http://www.adn.com/rural/story/291119.html

2008-01-24 08:52:58

#7

IG-Calibre: comhalta; +226|7176|Tír Eoghan, Tuaisceart Éireann

CameronPoe wrote:
Let's hope that won't be the case in Gaoth Dobhair in 30 years time. Go bhfheabhsaíonn teanga s'againn sul'atá sé ró-dhéanach!!

oops - i need a translation for that, you're saying something to do with speaking the language..

2008-01-24 08:55:31

#8

FEOS: Bellicose Yankee Air Pirate; +1,182|6845|'Murka

Dammit Poe, you can't just make up words! That looks harder to read than Slavic...but with fewer vowels....and more squiggly things.

On a serious note, it is truly sad when a trait as significant to a culture as its language dies out. Let's hope the U of AK is able to keep it alive, at least academically.

Last edited by FEOS (2008-01-24 09:02:29)

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein
Doing the popular thing is not always right. Doing the right thing is not always popular

2008-01-24 08:55:58

#9

stkhoplite: Banned; +564|6913|Sheffield-England

Last what?

2008-01-24 09:03:18

#10

IG-Calibre: comhalta; +226|7176|Tír Eoghan, Tuaisceart Éireann

rdx-fx wrote:
FEOS wrote:
Dammit Poe, you can't just make up words! That looks harder to read than Slavic...but with fewer vowels....and more squiggly things.
Irish language .. brain.. hurt.. owww.

Korean, Japanese, Russian - not so bad.
At least they have the courtesy to use a different alphabet, and follow grammatical rules.

Damn Irish use all the same letters, but pronounce combinations of them in ways that make French and Latin seem downright logical.

It's that mad Donegal dialect

2008-01-24 13:55:48

#11

Spark: liquid fluoride thorium reactor; +874|7109|Canberra, AUS

bhfheabhsaíonn

What on earth is that?

The paradox is only a conflict between reality and your feeling what reality ought to be.
^{~ Richard Feynman}

2008-01-25 03:35:00

#12

IG-Calibre: comhalta; +226|7176|Tír Eoghan, Tuaisceart Éireann

any chance of a translation Cam... even my dad is pretty stumped by it!

2008-01-25 03:36:18

#13

M.O.A.B: 'Light 'em up!'; +1,220|6657|Escea

IG-Calibre wrote:
rdx-fx wrote:
FEOS wrote:
Dammit Poe, you can't just make up words! That looks harder to read than Slavic...but with fewer vowels....and more squiggly things.
Irish language .. brain.. hurt.. owww.

Korean, Japanese, Russian - not so bad.
At least they have the courtesy to use a different alphabet, and follow grammatical rules.

Damn Irish use all the same letters, but pronounce combinations of them in ways that make French and Latin seem downright logical.
It's that mad Donegal dialect

too much beer was drank at the time of tis invention

2008-01-25 03:37:40

#14

CameronPoe: Member; +2,925|6989

IG-Calibre wrote:
any chance of a translation Cam... even my dad is pretty stumped by it!

It was actually a pretty badly composed sentence - 'That our language will improve before it's too late'.

feabhsú - to improve

BF2S Forums Last Alaska language speaker dies

CameronPoe wrote:

Marinejuana wrote:

CameronPoe wrote:

CameronPoe wrote:

rdx-fx wrote:

FEOS wrote:

IG-Calibre wrote:

rdx-fx wrote:

FEOS wrote:

IG-Calibre wrote:

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