Casual Racism Has Its Day in the Sun - Reader comments at The New York Sun

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Dying Languages

Submitted by gary drevitch, Dec 28, 2006 23:16

McWhorter claims that it's not really so bad that native languages are dying out at a faster rate than at any time in human history, though he concedes that "[e]ach extinction means that a fascinating way of putting words together is no longer alive. In, for example, Inuktitut Eskimo. . . 'I should try not to become an alcoholic' is one word: Iminngernaveersaartunngortussaavunga."

Oh, really? Of all the languages in the world, and all the possible phrases that could be chosen as examples of those languages, McWhorter could only think of how a Native American might say, "I should try not to become an alcoholic"? And the Sun's editors had no problem with this? What if McWhorter had chosen to use as his example the German phrase for "I should try not to become a genocidal dictator," or the Animere phrase for "I should try not to be shiftless"?

It's profoundly disappointing that the editors of the Sun fell down on the job and allowed this column, with its casual racism, to run as written. You should know better.

Gary Drevitch

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
I am multilingual, and have often thought along the same tracks. I do think the human race loses something intrinsically... [MORE]	Jack Rail	Jan 1, 2007 01:09
I was trained as a thinker in the language as culture era, not as a futurist, and have to wonder... [MORE]	Mike King	Dec 29, 2006 01:44
Ah me! There is so much wrong with this article it's difficult to know where to begin. Knowledge in one... [MORE]	Arthur Dieli	Dec 28, 2006 23:27
McWhorter claims that it's not really so bad that native languages are dying out at a faster rate than at...	gary drevitch	Dec 28, 2006 23:16
[w/response by The New York Sun Editors]Is there some racial stereotypes of eskimos being drunks? Irish, Native Americans, sure, but eskimos? Methinks a little self righteousness is... [MORE]	Chris B. Behrens	Jan 4, 2007 16:14
while this might not be a stereotype, it is the sad truth that many natives who have lost their language... [MORE]	pombero	Jan 9, 2007 12:36
Er...Chris, the Innuits, "Eskimos" as you call them, are native American. [MORE]	charles rogers	Feb 14, 2007 17:07
"Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find... [MORE]	charles rogers	Feb 14, 2007 17:12
As cruel as it may seem, keeping ancient languages alive serves no real purpose other than maintaining a sense of... [MORE]	Crosby Boyd	Dec 28, 2006 22:23
I am very proud of my Irish heritage and I know that the Anglo-Saxons committed great crimes against the Irish... [MORE]	Michael Gilleran	Dec 28, 2006 17:38
Dear Mr. McWhorter, et al.-- I enjoy your humor; it is good for the soul. And, although I love the sound... [MORE]	Nancy Joyce Jancourtz	Dec 28, 2006 10:24
John McWhorter is right. The the previous commenters know this but they don't want this truth out. For what? Racism?... [MORE]	Arthur Mwangi	Jan 1, 2007 13:48
I agree with you. The easiest way to have all people speak the same language would be to teach them... [MORE]	pombero	Jan 9, 2007 12:38

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